“We have to continually be jumping off cliffs and developing our wings on the way down.”
― Kurt Vonnegut, If This Isn’t Nice, What Is?: Advice for the Young

Jewelry making and design … what inspires us. Did you ever wonder where all the creative ideas come from? How has jewelry making and design become the industry it is today?

I have been looking at current fashion and jewelry and wonder where the designers inspiration came from. Sometimes, I guess creativity comes from the others. There are those days that jewelry making and design ideas just pour forth and then there are those days when you look at your materials and think …now what. Have I exhausted all my creativity?
Yikes, what a scary idea. So, what now…

I look over at my computer and it calls to me…come and look. After awhile I give in and hope I can find that much needed inspiration. First, I need to know what inspiration means and according to Wiki…the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative. As a jewelry designer I think I am creative. So, what inspires me.

I look at family photos from the past and suddenly, after a few chuckles and tears, it hits me. Inspiration comes from curiosity. What can I do with what I have. Many inventions were born form curiosity and even mistakes. So why not be curious and search the World Wide Web and see what it offers up.

Jewelry making and design can be influenced by the unusual and the commonplace everyday world. I decide to find out how other jewelry artisans find their inspiration. My materials help me to begin…what do I like working with and what gets my “mojo” going. I find several interesting artists who capture my interest…check out aobjewelry.com. Very interesting. Textiles, wire, crochet and literally playing with her materials.
Next I find great earrings and jewelry onPinterest I am so impressed and I keep going and realize that my creative spirit is beginning to reappear. After an hour I am ready to forge into jewelry making and design once again.

Jewelry making and design breathes within and sometimes needs a little inspiration from the world, but it is there…waiting to be creative!