Admittedly at times I have felt burnt out and a little less than excited about all the tiny details and huge responsibilities that come with running a handmade business. I have been VERY fortunate that I have had plenty of work to keep me very busy and I wouldn't trade that for anything. But sometimes I just need a little boost. For me, the act of pushing myself in a new direction gets me excited about my work. A number of months ago I was trying out some new stuff with silverware and wound up at my stepdad's workshop. He is a world class metalsmith who, along with his amazing skills in creating new work, also teaches. What started out as a fun trip to play around with some old silverware with my very patient stepdad ended up taking me down a path I had never really anticipated.... JEWELRY! I sawed a few designs into some spoons and soldered a couple forks together and was hooked! After a few quick lessons using copper and silver I was off! I was in love. I have been having so much fun and feel like I have had the most creative freedom and growth in a long time. I'm slowly adding new designs to my
shop and allow myself at least one day a week to just design and create new jewelry... motivation problems over. I LOVE MY JOB.
