Creative Admiration!

So as you can see, I have changed my blog template again. I just wasn't feeling the new background with my standard blog template, so I am going with this. We will see how long it lasts.

I joined a collective blog called Flaming Hot where there are weekly topics and each of the individual artists blog about the topic.. I haven't really had a chance to write in a non-stream of consciousness type writing in a long while.. So here goes (go easy on me). This weeks topic is:

Who do you admire? Aspire to emulate? Look to as the artisan you wish to be? In setting goals and reaching higher where do you find your benchmarks?

This is a hard one. There are so many great lampworkers out there. My thoughts are very different on this now after three years. When I was a newbie lampworker, I admired so many artists. Corina, Kim Neely, JC, Lori, Ever After, and the list goes on and on. I think as a new lampworker, you just can't help but admire and try to emulate other artists. You see their work and want to try to increase your skills, emulate their work, and try to be successful at it.

Now, three years later, I am not sure I want to emulate anyone. I also admire other lampwork artists for different reasons. I have figured out that if you want to be a successful lampworker, you can't make beads just because you think they will sell well. I just have to do my own thing and put it out there for the world. If people like it, great. If they don't, your not sad because your beads came from your creative mind and not a copy of someone elses technique. They are part of me and every bead that goes to a new home, is part of me. I don't think any artist will be successful if they are copycats because there is no replacement for the original.

I admire other artists now more for business sense. The folks that can make a living on their art. That truely is an accomplishment to me. Something I wish that I had the energy for. People that torch every day, clean beads every day, list auctions every day, and get up the next morning and do it all over again.

As for the artist I wish and hope to be, I have thought about this a lot very recently. I am trying to set goals for myself. #1 I hope to perfect techniques. Things that I have partial ability but don't quite do it perfectly. I am trying at each torch session to take one technique and work on it, i.e. dots, scrolls, length in barrells, hearts, etc. #2 To torch on a more regular basis. At least 5 days a week hopefully. #3 This is a big one for me, do shows. Get up enough inventory to do a show and get past my horrible awkward shyness and just do it.. and lastly #4 Promote my website and list auctions/etsy on a more consistent basis.

Anyway, those are the answers to the questions for me. Hopefully I made sense. Time to get to bed for me beadies..

Megan