why

[myke]

So we all make jewellery. but why? is it to make so cash or a desire to create?what got you started making jewellery?

[EmmaRose]

money??? whats that???
guess there is your answer!!
Em

[myke]

come on then tell me......

[Sheltie]

Got started when I got signed off work due to ill health (all fine now) Work part time for money and part time Jewellery for my sanity.

Now I make jewellery for the love of it and to earn some extra pennies to keep my motorbikes on the road. However that is not currently the case as I have a back log of orders and running out of summer to enjoy the bike

[kymbi]

Interestingly, a jeweller friend recently asked me if I would still make jewellery if I won the lottery. My response? Absolutely! However, I doubted whether I would continue to stand up all day, 2-3 days a week at an outside market to flog my wares...perhaps some nice exclusive events as I wouldn't have to worry about the cost of the fees any more

Like the previous post, I got into jewellery properly through ill-health when I attended a silverworking course 5 years ago as part of my rehabilitation and I got bitten by the bug. I did some silverwork as part of my A-level art (over 30 yrs ago) and dabbled with earrings, but nothing serious. Although it's now my "work" the creative process is also an active meditation for me, and I've never been happier. I can't imagine ever working for someone else again, despite the irregular earnings of self-employment.

[Charlotte]

Wow that's weird Sheltie! I make jewellery for the exact same reason. I had to had an operation, and by the time I'd got myself together there was a rescission going on, and getting a job was tough so I had a real think and remembered that I had got myself a degree in making jewellery so I decided to go down that route again, and here I am!

[agent_44]

When I went off to Uni, I pretty much gave up all my hobbies, so when I finished my degree (in computing) when I wasn't in work, sat in front of a computer, I was usually at home, sat in front of a computer! I was pretty fed up with this and trying to find a hobby, and found a book about wire work. Got going with that and got a bit obsessed.

The reason I do it is I love it, but I would love and and am planning/in the process of trying to get myself re-established as a business. I gave up work for a whole load of different reasons shortly after I got married in 2006 and thought, while I had the chance I would give my jewellery a go. I was doing just that and beginning to become quite succesful when my husband did a runner on me out of the blue (I always worry people think I am after sympaty when I mention this - for the record I am not, in a roundabout way I think it is the best thing that ever happened to me). I decided I needed to get back to work and meet some new people, which I did, and now I have recently quit that job with the plan of working for myself as a web developer and building up my jewellery business again. but I have been lucky enough to find a permanent job that I can work when I want and from home, which should give me enough flexibility and freedom to get going again with my jewellery. Sad thing is I have barely been making anything over the past couple of years and my skills have done a runner (I think they went with the husband ) so I am trying to relearn old stuff as well as new stuff. When I move in with my boyfriend in Sept I am going to see about selling again, if I can get together a p/t business that earns me some extra cash doing something I love, I will be ecstatic!

Anyway, that turned into my life story nearly! Sorry about that, hope you are all still awake!

[The Bijou Dragon]

I started off making for myself as I bought some really cheap ones from e-Bay and they were horrible.

I sat there and thought I can do better than that... and I did after buying some cheap tools and beads etc.

I am primarily doing this because... well... there's lots of reasons. I suffer from depression (and I mean the type where if I walk down a road it can suddenly seem like an excellent idea just to walk out in front of a bus). I also have problems walking at the moment and I am currently undergoing some tests to find out if I have ADD, Dyslexia and other stuff...

So... I don't enjoy going out much as I also get really bad panic attacks so... instead of going out to the pub or whatever I spend my money of crafting of all kinds but I would like to work. It's impossible at the moment with my 'problems' and I would never probably be able to work for other people so I want to make my business work so I can get off of benefits and support myself and my family

Crafting cheers me up, keeps my brain occupied and hey... I make pretty things, who doesn't like doing that?

[Di Sandland]

Illness again...

I had to take early retirement three years ago when I was diagnosed with having something called Behcets Disease (no, its not a typo). Much as I was devastated to leave my beloved midwifery, I also saw this as an open door to do the things I love.

Ah, but wait - what about the bloody mortgage! I had always dreamed of spending my days writing but sitting all day writing for other folk's websites can be a bit soul destroying, especially when the sites are for things like interior lighting and double glazing! I did have one wonderful job writing a new site for a high-end jewellery mind...

I suffer from depression too - I can quite understand that though about walking in front of the next car - and have to keep occupied. I've been told I think too much and making sparklies stops me from doing that.

The other motivating factor was a keen interest in all things metaphysical. I discovered the metaphysical stuff about gemstones quite by accident. I have a huge red jasper pendant that I used to wear for work on my 'management' days because it made me feel confident. I wore it that way for a year before I discovered that one of the qualities of red jasper was to instil confidence - I was hooked.

Now I am just starting to build a retail business with my stuff because I need to earn some money. I was lucky enough to be given quite a large cash sum a couple of weeks ago that I've ploughed into stock. I realise that it can take ages to build up this kind of business and also know (from bitter experience) that the financial recompense from craft-related endeavours is pitifully small, so I continue with freelance writing. Having said that, the global financial crisis has hit freelance writers (especially the web kind) hard, so its all hands to the pump here in Devon. My poor hubby will be 65 in a few weeks time but will have to work for the foreseeable future - something that is happening in lots of families. WTF eh?

There - that's me.

[Solunar Silver Studio]

I've always been creative - I had creative parents - my Mum did all the artwork for labels for bottles at United Glass before they had paper ones (they used to screen print enamel ones on) and my Dad designed the bottles - and helped develop the machinery to make them...all a long long time ago! But I can never remember not drawing or making stuff. Then I was told at school that I was not "good enough" to take 'O'level Art/Pottery and I was devastated. I went on to do lowly jobs in the scientific field and hated it.....although I met my hubby through work - so it was not all bad!

I had 4 kids over a period of 9 years - and nearly 2 decades of my life vanished!! When my youngest started school I started part time college to prove I WAS good enough, damn it! First I did 'A' level Art, Textiles, and Ceramics and got an 'A' in each of them. Then I did every art related course from every college I could get to while still being 'there' for my kids. I loved every bit of all of them...give or take the odd rotten tutor(!). Silversmithing, Interior Design, Cake Decorating, Sugarcraft, Life Drawing, Watercolour...I was even a contestant on Watercolour Challenge in 2000, painting the Liver Building at the Albert Dock in Liverpool... Then I did a National Diploma in Fashion and finally an HND in 3D Design Craft...where we worked with Wood, Metal, Ceramics and Glass....but all big stuff! I was even comissioned to make a 6 foot high sculpture in ash (wood) for a local nature reserve. http://archive.northwichguardian.co....17/265812.html. When I finished college in 2007 I wanted to be able to keep doing something 'arty' but at nearly 50 in a culturally barren area...there wasn't much hope of being employed! And in our tiny rented home and garden there was no room to set up anything big....and no available money to start anything anyway. So I started to teach myself pmc and fine silver wire fusing - building on my very limited silversmithing knowledge from 1996 - and buying tools and materials from what was left of the 'housekeeping' money each week! Then at the beginning of July this year - with the help of a £500 grant from the local council - I officially started Solunar Silver Studio...and here we are! ...Still a perpetual student at heart and with very fragile confidence!
Barbara