Thinking about Materials
What to do when you don't know what will work, or which way the world is going.
Earlier this year, I postponed the annual Jewelry Club introspection and goal-setting program because I was unsure how to accurately set a path amidst such rapid and ongoing changes. The usual tools I rely on to chart a course seem inadequate. As we enter the second half of the year, I'm slowly developing a perspective, even though I don't have any high ground from which to view the world. It still feels like we're on a moving sidewalk with a real potential for it all to fall apart at any moment. Yet, day by day, we must navigate a route. What can we use to direct our actions when the usual guidelines are insufficient?
Even in stable times, we don't have control over the future or know the outcome. Our task, as always, is to continue on the path and find the best way our creative production can serve. I am, more than ever, relying on intuition for direction and the assurance that comes from working with my hands. Let’s thank our continuous exercising of the creative muscles required of practising artists for developing access to this instinct. We have experience listening to and interpreting this resource and translating the insight into action.
Historically, it is interesting to note how art responds to dramatic change and uncertainty. At the beginning of the 20th century, in the lead-up to and after the two world wars, we saw the creation of startling new and provocative art movements that commented on the absurdity and cruelty of the times through Dada and Surrealism. These movements worked to clear out the existing vocabulary of art and set the stage for modernism. These artists were responding to the same impulses we are feeling now: oligarchy, malignant capitalism, racism, and authoritarianism.
Paid subscribers are invited to join us for Jewelry Club Live this Wednesday to hear Anna Johnson speak about her material choices. RSVP here
A dire-sounding assessment might seem an unusual prelude to a discussion about jewelry making. It will make better sense as we analyze something tangible- the materials. However, in addition to any practical information you can take away, I hope this discussion will reinforce your conviction in the vital role of artists in the evolution of humanity. This I know: creative voices need to persevere so that what is true and sweet about humans survives this time of adversity.
What does this mean for those of us who make things?
If you're unsure what's ahead or what will work based on how things used to be, then why not take it as permission to follow your impulse and change direction? Factors such as potential tariffs on the materials we import and soaring gold prices, along with all the other weirdness, are motivation to reevaluate and verify our choices. Even if you don’t use gold in your designs, we are all impacted by the repercussions.
Uncertain times create the opportunity, perhaps necessity, for change.
This is a good time to consider part of the goal-setting process I skipped over back in February —the Why Question. We typically begin the goals activity with introspection, asking ourselves, "Why do you make jewelry?" While that inquiry requires a multi-day effort to complete, we can easily address one aspect pertinent to today’s discussion by identifying what you most enjoy about the materials you transform into jewelry or other intimate objects.
We translate ideas into things using materials
There are lots of reasons why we might select a material to explore, manipulate, tame, or celebrate, including cultural tradition, perceived value, and visceral enjoyment.
Material selection is especially complex for jewelry makers. We begin the discussion from the jewelry maker's perspective, but there is an equally important and complicated response to materials by the jewelry wearer. A topic for a future article.
This weekly newsletter is a feature of Jewelry Club. We also meet online monthly to check in, offer support, and discuss a wide range of topics essential to the individual jewelry maker. Even though we spend most of our time working alone, we are part of a legacy. These get-togethers serve to remind us that others are on the same path, with similar goals and challenges.
The monthly meetings are for members, but I'm extending an invitation to paid subscribers of the newsletter to join us at the meeting scheduled for this Wednesday. We will share how and why we choose the materials that define our work and hear guest artist Anna Johnson discuss her work, which features atypical materials in a celebration of natural beauty.
RSVP here to receive the Zoom link.
Why do you use the materials we see in your work?
Jewelry often features rare, expensive, or culturally valuable materials, making it especially interesting to see the influence jewelry makers have in shaping that narrative when we choose untraditional substances. By selecting materials for reasons other than their intrinsic or cultural value, we imbue them with meaning. Our desire to work with them helps others see and feel what we experience and perhaps provides new insight and appreciation.
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