Become a Maker Month - Tips for Planning an Original Design
June continues as Become a Maker Month (BAMM)! Anyone can be a maker and this month we're showing you just how easy it is. If you missed our first blog post introducing Become a Maker Month, complete with kits, supplies, and tutorials for getting started, you can find that here. You can also find a post full of tips and tricks from our expert designers here and Julie Bean shared her guide to jewelry findings last week. This week, our designer Deb Floros is sharing her tips for planning original jewelry designs as you become a maker!
If you are “Becoming a Maker”, you might be thinking about where to start to plan an original design. If you’ve mastered using kits and taken enough tutorials to convince you to create something on your own, you might be thinking about how to do that.
The sky is the limit for your own designs! You can get started by spending time in a place that inspires you…a park, a riverbank, a hiking trail. Whatever inspires you may put your mind into the creative zone. If you like Yoga or jogging, this may be a good time to think about what you might want to make! Scrolling through photos of flowers, wildlife, or abstract art may also be an inspiration for jewelry making. You could put together an inspiration board for a single project or for many projects to come. Add or take away photos and parts to continue to keep that inspiration board fresh. Next, you can sketch out a design with something in mind and without any preconceived notion of what you will use. You don’t have to be an artist to sketch! Make some notes and then set out to pick out your pieces!
I often find inspiration in just looking at beautiful Czech Glass strands, Artisan pendants, shiny chain, and findings. Sometimes a design idea may come from a single bead! As you “load up your cart”, you can start to form a design and ensure that you get all the right parts to make it a reality.
Sometimes a project comes to life over time. You might find some elements of the design and want to “wait out” the main focal or component to find “just the right thing”. You can lay out your parts onto a bead board or section of your workspace, and allow the ideas and planning to continue. Maybe you have something you have been holding onto and you just need the finishing touches to bring it to life.
Once you have everything you need, allow your sketch or plan to lead the actual design and also keep an open mind to where the process might take you. Go with your “gut” and let the design happen. Sometimes your design turns out completely different than you originally intended. If you are uncertain as you progress through your creation, you can always stop and take breaks. And, if you don’t crimp or wire wrap the piece to finish it, you can still make changes! And…..you can even change it after that…if you don’t mind losing a little wire and perhaps a couple of crimps.
Designing your own jewelry should be enjoyable. Smile through every step, every bead, and every opportunity to make something. And once you’ve made something…..You have Become a Maker!
