'Too many great ideas', anyone else?

[FloWolF]

Hi folks!

Anyone else get the 'too many great ideas' problem? - I mean, I literally started off making wooden buttons for my wife in a desperate bid to focus my mind during an awful and protracted breakdown (at her suggestion - she helped me stay out of the hospitals with this one sentence 'go and make me some wooden buttons' LOL!) with just an old saw , a drill and piles of flat sandpaper of all the grades - that and a few nice walks in the woods.

After finding spalted wood I learned about vacuum stabilisation, built the gear tried all the options I could find, found something that worked, buttons became carved wooden rings and I learned all about knife sharpening and making and made a few knives and spalted wood handles, read up on bladesmithing and forging, rings gained silver liners and I taught myself how to silver solder, which lead to learning to make silver jewellery, which started a fascination with lapidary, mokume-gane etc. etc. etc...

Stabilisation lead to resins and resin work/casting/embedding etc. and I studied up on that too and started accumulating/making the gear.

All these things and more - they just keep on branching for me - if I need it to be done, I want to learn and do it myself in most cases and then often become passionately fascinated, and all along all the branches that get me passionate about the subject, I constantly get new ideas for wonderful things to make and new ways of using methods, and again with the fascinating side branching continues!


Now this wouldn't be a problem to me, but 'I just have no money coming in yet' as a newly SE startup, and I am struggling to maintain focus on the things I am (barely) equipped to do already!

Anyways it's driving me bloody nuts folks LOL! Just wondering how many others around this place suffer similarly, so maybe I don't feel like it's just me.


Cheers!

Shaun.

P.s. can't wait to do some electroforming when I can finally afford the gear - I've more ideas for that than I have brain cells LOL!

[josef1]

I think its the creative persons curse !

[Truffle & Podge]

Right there with you Shaun but sadly i have to add clothing design in there too (always one project or another on the go there) now want to get into making silk lingerie as i already make corsets, erm bags too oh and shoes i make shoes as well, cards, drawing stylized graphics for skateboards, fashion illustration in general. Add the millions of silver work ideas on top and yup im going crazy (well crazier lol) might post some of my none jewellery work in the lounge or something
Anyway hang in there it only gets worse hee hee x

[FloWolF]

I think its the creative persons curse !

I think you may be right! Nowhere near enough space to house/do it all seems to be a part of the equation, too - here at home there are 3 of us creative nuts, and all our hoarded 'paraphernalia'.

It's like archaeology at this house - when you start to dig through the piles, you begin to uncover which creative exploits engaged us going back a decade and more hehheh...

'More space! More space!' - isn't this one of our more familiar cries too?!?


Shaun.

[Truffle & Podge]

Amen! lol x

[FloWolF]

Right there with you Shaun but sadly i have to add clothing design in there too (always one project or another on the go there) now want to get into making silk lingerie as i already make corsets, erm bags too oh and shoes i make shoes as well, cards, drawing stylized graphics for skateboards, fashion illustration in general. Add the millions of silver work ideas on top and yup im going crazy (well crazier lol) might post some of my none jewellery work in the lounge or something
Anyway hang in there it only gets worse hee hee x

Wonderful!

My wife is a life-long fabric/fibre/yarn 'addict' that's taken her in many directions, and has just started a textiles degree course which may open up even more, daughter is a life-long crafting addict, pop-art/graphics/photography/mixed media junky etc. and is studying at college right now, and me too with my own 'eclectic interestest', all in the one little cramped house for now (although I just got a small unit for storage and bulk wood processing etc., yet to be used though!) - we're bursting at the seems heheheh...

It seems many of us accumulate creative interests like these, like hoarders accumulate junk... In fact I don't think I can see any dividing line at all, heh...

Cheers,

Shaun.

[Truffle & Podge]

Think i may have to take up box making too as cannot find what i want anywhere meh! My other half makes skateboards, yep makes them lol, there are so many sketches around i think we are in danger of a paper drowning :-O We only have a tiny one bed flat so add all my paraphanalia and you can get the image of having to climb over stuff to get anywhere even when as tidy as poss. I need a big house with a garage for Morg a silver studio, a sewing room, a fabric storage room and a library (cannot let go of books love em love em love em love em ) for me and possibly a nice little room for the degus, 2 males 1 female (seperate) & gerbil and sod the cat shes a little cowbag lol
And why oh why do i like sitting on the floor to hammer & polish?
sounds like i would get on with your wife :D
X

[Kermit]

And then all of this leads on to tools, tools and more tools :)

I do think it is something many creative people have in common - we can't just settle at one thing, as new things keep sparking interest.

For me.... jewellery is taking over, but there are two extra pieces of furniture sitting around waiting to be sanded / painted.......

I'm currently looking at moving in with my OH, but I think he is getting worried about the stuff (and the fact that I keep pinching tools that will be useful for jewellery!).

[Hils]

Having a bigger house just means more rooms to fill. We turned a small bedroom into a library, but soon saw the error of our ways and now have a large double bedroom as main library. The original library still has most of the book cases in it but also a bed now lol. We allegedly have a 6 bedroom house. Only 3 have beds in them and you can only get to the bed in one of them.

I need to find an area of the house to solder in. The utility room is looking most likely but I've got to get rid of the dining room table that's in it and get some sort of desk/workbench set up. Now the utility room is truly multi-functional as it already has in it a washing machine, a treadmill and a piano!

[Tabby66]

Hahaha!! I loved reading this thread, the further I read, the worse I realised I am!!

So I started small, on the kitchen or small ikea table in the conservatory,.....but every time someone ate, I had to move my 'stuff'! I was given a corner in our little used dining room, I soon managed to expand this to one wall, ooh, then a little on the other side and another corner, ooh and soon I was filling most of the room!! (this took about 3 years.....stealth ;) ), so it was thought best that I had the spare bedroom upstairs, which is a great room, but not the greatest functional space/shape as a bedroom!!

I thought I was made, purposely fitted out with an eclectic mix of functional furniture and tools, (apart from the printer downstairs and a little bit of drawing stuff). Then last year son moved out,......well, the space was going begging, oooh, space for the printer!! So the printer found a new home, as did the desk that daughter no longer wanted after finishing her degree,......so my office (errrr, sons bedroom), still has a bed in, but functions as desk/office space, design area and photographic studio (slight stretch of the imagination), AND very inconveniently, occasionally as the spare bedroom!!

Did I mention the storage space in the loft??..........

[Tabby66]

I meant to say, that this all took about 5 years,......and I do have more ideas than I could ever hope to have the time to make, but I love what I do.

Like you Shaun, this has been my salvation, I had a breakdown in 2007, which led to a lengthy case in the High Court, 5 years of my life lost and a continued daily battle, especially with anxiety. Making jewellery, was one of wha I now see as the many positives of my breakdown, saw piercing especially has been my salvation. I love what I do now, it is my pastime, as well as my therapy!!

Jill (aka Tabby) xx

[Truffle & Podge]

I meant to say, that this all took about 5 years,......and I do have more ideas than I could ever hope to have the time to make, but I love what I do.

Like you Shaun, this has been my salvation, I had a breakdown in 2007, which led to a lengthy case in the High Court, 5 years of my life lost and a continued daily battle, especially with anxiety. Making jewellery, was one of wha I now see as the many positives of my breakdown, saw piercing especially has been my salvation. I love what I do now, it is my pastime, as well as my therapy!!

Jill (aka Tabby) xx

Welcome to the nutty brigade shall we make ourselves a little therapy thread? lol
Its so helpful to do something creative, i recommend stuff for friends and even teach them a few techniques on easy little things to take the mind of all the crap
I guess being crazy i attract crazies heehee
X

[ps_bond]

At the last count, I reckoned I needed 5 workshops. One for jewellery, one for leatherwork, one for blacksmithing & grinding, one for clean metalwork (lathe, heat treating etc.) and one for car maintenance (although that could mostly be done in the last one). Maybe one for wood too as none of the other activities really work well with it... Oh, and a big kitchen - well, that's just more tools!

[FloWolF]

Think i may have to take up box making too as cannot find what i want anywhere meh! My other half makes skateboards, yep makes them lol, there are so many sketches around i think we are in danger of a paper drowning :-O We only have a tiny one bed flat so add all my paraphanalia and you can get the image of having to climb over stuff to get anywhere even when as tidy as poss. I need a big house with a garage for Morg a silver studio, a sewing room, a fabric storage room and a library (cannot let go of books love em love em love em love em ) for me and possibly a nice little room for the degus, 2 males 1 female (seperate) & gerbil and sod the cat shes a little cowbag lol
And why oh why do i like sitting on the floor to hammer & polish?
sounds like i would get on with your wife :D
X

Sounds like you're more crowded than we are.

I've made a few small stabilised spalted wood jewellery gift boxes and they come out wonderful, but with the time it takes with basic tools and no space and the carefully prepared materials it's getting on for as costly as some of the jewellery heheh!


Shaun.

[FloWolF]

And then all of this leads on to tools, tools and more tools :)

I do think it is something many creative people have in common - we can't just settle at one thing, as new things keep sparking interest.

For me.... jewellery is taking over, but there are two extra pieces of furniture sitting around waiting to be sanded / painted.......

I'm currently looking at moving in with my OH, but I think he is getting worried about the stuff (and the fact that I keep pinching tools that will be useful for jewellery!).


Tools indeed! All of mine are pretty basic things that are forced into multi-purpose duties, as a lack of funds and my penchant for working with whatever comes first to hand dictates.

I was given a little old jeweller's lathe (Emco Unimat SL), and couldn't afford all the small turning tools - got myself 3 different shaped Robert Sorby carbide tips honed them further and made handles/tool bars for them out of cheep mild steel bar stock - 3 long life turning tools cost me about £35.

As for the vacuum and pressure set-up for my (wood etc.) stabilising, that's driven by a small commercial hermetic 'fridge pump, with home made adjustable vacuum switch (from a hacked propane regulator) and a pressure switch from a central heating unit, that I modified to suit.

So, most of my 'toolery' and equipment is cheap, half knackered, jury-rigged and butt-ugly, but I'm slowly working on it and the list is growing fast with still on the list a bandsaw, a kiln, a forge, a much higher pressure set-up for casting, milling machine, larger lathe(s) and on and on!

My new roller mill is already taking up living room space next to my wife's spinning wheel!

Cheers!

Shaun.

[FloWolF]

Having a bigger house just means more rooms to fill. We turned a small bedroom into a library, but soon saw the error of our ways and now have a large double bedroom as main library. The original library still has most of the book cases in it but also a bed now lol. We allegedly have a 6 bedroom house. Only 3 have beds in them and you can only get to the bed in one of them.

I need to find an area of the house to solder in. The utility room is looking most likely but I've got to get rid of the dining room table that's in it and get some sort of desk/workbench set up. Now the utility room is truly multi-functional as it already has in it a washing machine, a treadmill and a piano!


It's way past 'borderline' insanity isn't it? ',;~}~

Shaun

[FloWolF]

Hahaha!! I loved reading this thread, the further I read, the worse I realised I am!!

So I started small, on the kitchen or small ikea table in the conservatory,.....but every time someone ate, I had to move my 'stuff'! I was given a corner in our little used dining room, I soon managed to expand this to one wall, ooh, then a little on the other side and another corner, ooh and soon I was filling most of the room!! (this took about 3 years.....stealth ;) ), so it was thought best that I had the spare bedroom upstairs, which is a great room, but not the greatest functional space/shape as a bedroom!!

I thought I was made, purposely fitted out with an eclectic mix of functional furniture and tools, (apart from the printer downstairs and a little bit of drawing stuff). Then last year son moved out,......well, the space was going begging, oooh, space for the printer!! So the printer found a new home, as did the desk that daughter no longer wanted after finishing her degree,......so my office (errrr, sons bedroom), still has a bed in, but functions as desk/office space, design area and photographic studio (slight stretch of the imagination), AND very inconveniently, occasionally as the spare bedroom!!

Did I mention the storage space in the loft??..........

Aww you done alright there bud LOL!

My wife has upstairs spare room as her 'sewing room', our daughter moved out, but back in again before I could commandeer her room. I think I still hate her just a little bit for that LOL!

Shaun

[FloWolF]

I meant to say, that this all took about 5 years,......and I do have more ideas than I could ever hope to have the time to make, but I love what I do.

Like you Shaun, this has been my salvation, I had a breakdown in 2007, which led to a lengthy case in the High Court, 5 years of my life lost and a continued daily battle, especially with anxiety. Making jewellery, was one of wha I now see as the many positives of my breakdown, saw piercing especially has been my salvation. I love what I do now, it is my pastime, as well as my therapy!!

Jill (aka Tabby) xx


So glad you're winning too Jill!

Shaun.

[FloWolF]

At the last count, I reckoned I needed 5 workshops. One for jewellery, one for leatherwork, one for blacksmithing & grinding, one for clean metalwork (lathe, heat treating etc.) and one for car maintenance (although that could mostly be done in the last one). Maybe one for wood too as none of the other activities really work well with it... Oh, and a big kitchen - well, that's just more tools!



My 'dream workshop' is a large subdivided unit with specialised rooms. It includes labs and coldrooms, darkrooms and humid rooms, as well as the woodshop, metal shop, heat treating-forge-kiln room, motorvehicle workshop and sheet metal rooms, plant nursery/breeding/cloning rooms and more - it grows on an almost daily basis! Heheheh...

Shaun

[caroleallen]

Oh dear, you've really got it bad.

I used to have loads of hobbies - dressmaking, textiles, cake decorating, gardening, amateur dramatics, baking to name a few. I now have no time at all for anything other than jewellery making. I miss my old hobbies though and my garden is a mess.

I started off in the spare room but soon outgrew that. I've now got a fab purpose built 2 room studio in the back garden where I'd live if I could. Even though it's quite large, I'd still like it a bit bigger as my lust for tools keeps growing!

[ShinyLauren]

Oh dear, you've really got it bad.

I used to have loads of hobbies - dressmaking, textiles, cake decorating, gardening, amateur dramatics, baking to name a few. I now have no time at all for anything other than jewellery making. I miss my old hobbies though and my garden is a mess.

I started off in the spare room but soon outgrew that. I've now got a fab purpose built 2 room studio in the back garden where I'd live if I could. Even though it's quite large, I'd still like it a bit bigger as my lust for tools keeps growing!

A studio in the garden is my dream. Sadly, as I don't currently even have a garden, it's a pretty far off one!

I used to make hats, cupcakes and cushions, and play roller derby. Now I only have time for jewellery in the three days (and evenings) that I'm not at work.

[Wren]

I have a purpose built shed /studio down the bottom of the garden which my late OH made for me over 30 years ago, we drew it out on a scrap of paper and handmade it over one summer. He also made a semi-circular aviary on one end with a window so I can watch the finches and listen to my canaries while I work, my little piece of heaven.

[Truffle & Podge]

I have a purpose built shed /studio down the bottom of the garden which my late OH made for me over 30 years ago, we drew it out on a scrap of paper and handmade it over one summer. He also made a semi-circular aviary on one end with a window so I can watch the finches and listen to my canaries while I work, my little piece of heaven.
Am i jealous? well um yep very! x

[Wren]

Am i jealous? well um yep very! x

No need to be, I did my stint like everyone and worked in the spare room too, you have those creative years ahead to hone your perfect workspace :)

[Truffle & Podge]

Don't tell anyone but i hit 40 pretty soon :N:
x

[Hils]

Don't tell anyone but i hit 40 pretty soon :N:
x

And I'm nearly halfway through the 40's :)

[caroleallen]

And I'm nearly halfway through the 40's :)

and I'm not saying!

[Truffle & Podge]

And I'm nearly halfway through the 40's :)
Tell me it will all be okay..................:help:
X

[Truffle & Podge]

and I'm not saying!

:rofl: That did make me laugh out loud heehee
X

[Wren]

Don't tell anyone but i hit 40 pretty soon :N:
x

40!! spring chicken :)

I was told this year that 60 is the new 40, I have pinned on the board in my kitchen that... Age is in the Mind

[Wallace]

40!! spring chicken :)

I was told this year that 60 is the new 40, I have pinned on the board in my kitchen that... Age is in the Mind

so that makes me nearly 30 if I follow the same rhetoric?? lol

I don't mind being the age I am, I have known so many people who have not gotten this far and still hope my journey may be a long one. May it also be filled with mayhem and sparkly things too! :D

[Truffle & Podge]

so that makes me nearly 30 if I follow the same rhetoric?? lol

I don't mind being the age I am, I have known so many people who have not gotten this far and still hope my journey may be a long one. May it also be filled with mayhem and sparkly things too! :D
There will always be joy & mayhem especially, with you around Shaw :raspberry:
xx

haha you said sparkly not joy so i buggered myself up there oops <:)-

[Wallace]

There will always be joy & mayhem especially, with you around Shaw :raspberry:
xx

haha you said sparkly not joy so i buggered myself up there oops <:)-

Like the Spanish inquisition... I shall start again....

may it be filled with three things; mayhem, joy and sparkly things...and comfy slippers....

may it be filled with four things....


:mwahaha: <--- (there is no Spanish Inquisition Smiley)

[Truffle & Podge]

Like the Spanish inquisition... I shall start again....

may it be filled with three things; mayhem, joy and sparkly things...and comfy slippers....

may it be filled with four things....


:mwahaha: <--- (there is no Spanish Inquisition Smiley)
You forgot chocolate dear
heehee
x

[FloWolF]

Oh dear, you've really got it bad.

I used to have loads of hobbies - dressmaking, textiles, cake decorating, gardening, amateur dramatics, baking to name a few. I now have no time at all for anything other than jewellery making. I miss my old hobbies though and my garden is a mess.

I started off in the spare room but soon outgrew that. I've now got a fab purpose built 2 room studio in the back garden where I'd live if I could. Even though it's quite large, I'd still like it a bit bigger as my lust for tools keeps growing!

Never really 'did' hobbies, I just did 'things' and spent time outside a lot, and gained a lot of interests. These finally started to manifest physically only as I hit my 30's, and to me none of these things are diverse - in my mind they all stem from an interest in nature, biology, chemistry, physics,the fascinating connectedness of everything and are intimately connected as branches on a tree...

...This tree that keeps on bloody growing!


I haven't the resources to sustain a fraction of it at the moment though; financially or personally - my body/mind/spirits crap out on me when other stuff's holding up fine, and my lack of tools or the right ones means most of my work is focus, labour and time intensive.

Currently I am working most on trying to change this state of affairs though! Soon as I figure out how I'm supposed to best feed this body of mine I'll be most of the way there LOL!

Love the sound of your studio ya lucky sod ',;~}~


Shaun.

[FloWolF]

Don't tell anyone but i hit 40 pretty soon :N:
x

I 'hit' 40 quite hard a few years ago, and am not far off about to kick it right in the midriff, kinda while it's still down sorta thing, heh...

',;~}~


Shaun.

[FloWolF]

40!! spring chicken :)

I was told this year that 60 is the new 40, I have pinned on the board in my kitchen that... Age is in the Mind



And in the eyes of youth!

Don't let them young tykes convince you you're losing your sparks for stiffnesses as you put years behind you, and then try to treat you like you were born yesterday?!?

Heheheh...

Luckily for me I can still wrestle them to the ground and sit on them to prove them wrong.

If I've had me breakfast.

Shaun

'Middle' aged my @rse - I get the feeling this could go on for bloody ages yet LOL!

[CJ57]

So many topics, middle age, ill health , wee workshop spaces where to start!!

Well I'm heading the wrong side of 50 and it hurts in more ways than you'd imagine :) my bad health kind of defines what I can do but if I didn't make jewellery I would have nothing to show for my life. I'm a good organiser so took on getting funding for a conservation project and as well as being grants manager I am now chair of the small Trust. God knows why we put ourselves through so much, I only ever joined to do their promotion and art work and provide local knowledge as nearly everyone is new to the area and now I do that as well!

I have so many ideas going round in my head it's just being able to bring them to fruition. I have a pile and I mean a pile of started pendants ear rings and spoons lying on the bench as yet unfinished. It has been fruit time so chutneys and jams beckoned when I had such good intentions to get seriously in to the workshop :( Now the garden needs sorted before the bad weather hits and I'm torn. I suppose in truth I'm disillusioned with my work and sit on the brink of throwing in the towel after more than 30 years but then my confidence gets a boost at the open studio and I muddle on. Ho hum
I was lucky enough to get a workshop built into the new extension a few years back after a very cold coal shed. Is it big enough, is it hell. My wee lathe is up the attic and I need to be very tidy which once you get in to a load of work is impossible. I had a dream the other night and it was my workshop but it went on forever, well I suppose we can dream.

I 've taken a yearning for colour in my work and I blame all the amazing stained glass,glass and mosaics that are coming through my FB page, now where can I fit all that into my workshop?

Thanks for the group therapy, this would cost a fortune :)

[Wren]

And in the eyes of youth!

Don't let them young tykes convince you you're losing your sparks for stiffnesses as you put years behind you, and then try to treat you like you were born yesterday?!?

Heheheh...

Luckily for me I can still wrestle them to the ground and sit on them to prove them wrong.

If I've had me breakfast.

Shaun

'Middle' aged my @rse - I get the feeling this could go on for bloody ages yet LOL!

Yes perhaps in the eyes of youth, but I too refuse to think old and possibly from the back with a baseball hat on I don't look 60 :-"

Like Wallace I appreciate the extra time.

CJ57 Caroline no throwing in the towel, I did that in 1985 only coming back to jewellery last year. Not wasted years just different.

[CJ57]

I know I didn't make from about 1985 on becoming ill until I picked it up again 10 years ago, I'm just finding it hard to keep up the impetus. Needing to get that Etsy page set up as everyone keeps telling me:)

[FloWolF]

So many topics, middle age, ill health , wee workshop spaces where to start!!

Well I'm heading the wrong side of 50 and it hurts in more ways than you'd imagine :) my bad health kind of defines what I can do but if I didn't make jewellery I would have nothing to show for my life. I'm a good organiser so took on getting funding for a conservation project and as well as being grants manager I am now chair of the small Trust. God knows why we put ourselves through so much, I only ever joined to do their promotion and art work and provide local knowledge as nearly everyone is new to the area and now I do that as well!

I have so many ideas going round in my head it's just being able to bring them to fruition. I have a pile and I mean a pile of started pendants ear rings and spoons lying on the bench as yet unfinished. It has been fruit time so chutneys and jams beckoned when I had such good intentions to get seriously in to the workshop :( Now the garden needs sorted before the bad weather hits and I'm torn. I suppose in truth I'm disillusioned with my work and sit on the brink of throwing in the towel after more than 30 years but then my confidence gets a boost at the open studio and I muddle on. Ho hum
I was lucky enough to get a workshop built into the new extension a few years back after a very cold coal shed. Is it big enough, is it hell. My wee lathe is up the attic and I need to be very tidy which once you get in to a load of work is impossible. I had a dream the other night and it was my workshop but it went on forever, well I suppose we can dream.

I 've taken a yearning for colour in my work and I blame all the amazing stained glass,glass and mosaics that are coming through my FB page, now where can I fit all that into my workshop?

Thanks for the group therapy, this would cost a fortune :)


It's keeping going that keeps us going though isn't it? - It's when we stop that we grind to a halt and can't get moving again.

As I'm fond of saying 'Innertia is a bitch!'

When it gets weary, the plodding on inevitably leads us to another seam of inspiration to mine, and that's what we're really living for isn't it? Inspiration and the expression of our passions through it?

Well this is what I tell myself (amongst many other things - I talk a lot and am usually the only one listening), and it seems to work for me heheheh...

Shaun.

[CJ57]

I think it's trying to keep the brain alive isn't it Shaun and not trying to over analyse the bad stuff. Even if I don't get around to making all these ideas in my head HOPEFULLY the good ones will still be there when I need them. I just need to make more effort to sell stuff and stop making more and more until I do:)