Monday, February 21, 2011

So What's With All the Rings? A RAW blog carnival

 I'm pretty sure a lot of people think I'm crazy by now. After a year of making a ring everyday (still not finished by the way! 7 more days! And yes, the entire collection will be posted on the blog...eventually) why would I want to commit to another 52? I guess I should start with why I decided to join RAD last year: I was stagnant. I wasn't creating regularly and I wasn't moving forward. I'd fallen into the rut that so many seem to find themselves in after leaving college. The support group was gone and no one was holding me to deadlines. At first I loved the freedom, and then I wondered if I would be able to motivate myself to continue working. Working after I got home from my day job, after I got home from my night job (have to work a lot to pay off those student loans), after I had prepared a meal and all I wanted to do was collapse. When I came across the RAD project via Crafthaus I knew it had just what I needed to get myself going: deadlines. That thing which I dreaded, even hated while in school was the thing I knew I could no longer avoid. It was start meeting some deadlines or continue to wonder why I was paying for a degree I wasn't using and continue to stagnate.

What I wasn't prepared for when I joined the RAD group was how quickly I would feel connected to the other artists. A connection based on creating and struggling and meeting deadlines. The support was unbelievable, and the productive atmosphere was just what I needed to get moving again. The year was full of ups and downs, but I worked through it. I experimented, I cursed, and I had a great time. When the topic of starting another "something a day" group came up I was barely hanging on with RAD. There was no way I was going to torture myself for another year no matter what the creative gains. But a ring a week? I could handle a ring a week. I could probably produce some quality work if I had an entire week. I pushed the idea to the back of my mind and let it tumble around for a while. RAD was a struggle even before everyone else was finished. I started only making rings out of paper so that I could watch tv while I worked and pump them out quickly. Was I falling back into that hole or was I just really sick of rings? I wasn't sure.
RAD 39
RAD 23
RAD 27

Then one day while driving to work I was thinking that even though I'd been creating continuously for a year I was all over the place. I would return to the same themes or materials from time to time, but many times I was in a mad dash at the last minute to find something, anything, that I could turn into a ring.  I'm not sure there was any other way to deal with RAD than to go with the flow or go crazy. But what I really wanted to do was work on a cohesive body of work, to begin with something and work it through to the end. And just like that a concept formed. The translation of paper craft in metal. I decided that a significant part of my final RAD rings would be paper and would serve as models for RAW.

Maybe I am a little crazy, but I'm not sure there is much I would trade for my experience with RAD, and I'm really excited about my goal for RAW.

Find out why other people took up the RAW challenge:

Thomasin Durgin - www.metalriot.blogspot.com
Amy Nicole - www.rubymtnbeads.blogspot.com
Janice - www.doxallodesigns.blogspot.com
Aleksandra Micic - www.micicart.blogspot.com
Lana Chu - www.ginkgoglass.wordpress.com
Evelyn Markasky - www.markasky.blogspot.com
Lorena Angulo- www.blog.lorenaangulo.com
Kate Jones-- www.katejonesdesign.blogspot.com
Maria Apostolou- www.createjewelry.gr/blog
Rebecca Bogan - www.Adobesol.com/blog
Laura M (Zoeowyn)- www.zoeowyn.blogspot.com
Kimberly (bahamadawn) - www.bahamadawn.blogspot.com
Catherine Witherell - www.happydayart.typepad.com
Michele Grady- www.michelegradydesigns.blogspot.com
Joan Furilla - www.jfurilla.wordpress.com
Kathryn Cole- www.kathryncolejewelry.blogspot.com
Marcie Abney - labellajoya.blogspot.com

13 comments:

  1. I am so impressed with all that you do and continuing to finish RAD and take on RAW!!! I smiled all the way through your blog!

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  2. I love the origami rings! its cool to read how you are using your work from RAD to influence and be developed for RAW.

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  3. We share similar goals and aspirations for our RAW work. I'm so proud of you for continuing RAD on your own, we are all behind you but it can't be easy for you. You inspire me!

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  4. Dear Erin, you have been an inspiration through RAD and still are and will be (I know you will)thorough RAW! Your endurance and determination is extremely motivating and your final focus on cohesiveness of your work is giving pleasure to observer and guidance to other artists! I am enjoying every single ring you make!

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  5. I can totally relate to your post. Lovely work, looking forward to seeing more through RAW and Etsymetal!

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  6. Thank you all so much. I don't think I would have been able to finish without the continued support from the group. The fact that people still check in on me even though they completed their RAD experience really shows what a support network we have found through these projects.

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  7. It is such a pleasure to see your work in RAW. I do admire you for being so so busy and still chugging on in RAD and now RAW!!! Inspiration, you are! go girl.

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  8. It's so great to see how committed you 're to RAD and RAW. I'm really enjoying your origami rings, so much potential there!

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  9. Love the idea of your soap ring for RAD!Amazing to see that you are working on both RAD and RAW at the same time!

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  10. I cannot imagine doing a ring a day! Enjoying your work, Lana

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  11. I really love the rings you are making that are based on your paper models. When I read you finished RAD I was cheering for you! It's really nice to meet you through your blog and through RAW! You are a true inspiration!

    Catherine WItherell

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  12. Thank you Catherine! You are too sweet. It's nice to meet you too!

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  13. Thanks for sharing this wonderful post.

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