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Thread: Tell us about yourself

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    England
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    1,902

    Default Tell us about yourself

    A couple of days ago, Peter asked Dave Merry at the LAO to let us know who he is. Dave posted his CV giving us an idea of who he is and what his experiences are.
    I thought it may be a good idea if the rest of us forum members posted similar CVs.
    To save me writing out my CV I am posting this interview I did for a KnewConcepts newsletter a couple of years ago;http://knewconcepts.com/JamesMiller.php as it explains my career CV well.


    James

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Apr 2010
    Location
    Exeter, Devon
    Posts
    1,803

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    Well, I left school at 16 and have worked all my life in admin firstly in financial services (Hill Samuel). The last job I had was working in the office of a flooring company and using a digitiser, doing "take-offs" on plans for commercial buildings, planning and advising which flooring would best suit their purposes. At 62 I had to have cataract operation on both eyes and because one got an infection behind the eye, I ended up in hospital for over a month while they tried to save the eye. When I left the hospital my remaining eye had to work twice as hard and I used to get severe headaches, my boss asked me if I wanted to take voluntary redundancy and I agreed. Shortly afterwards I decided to go to an evening course to learn to make silver jewellery as a hobby and I have been doing it ever since. My daughter went on the course as well, and using You Tube and various other training sites we have learned how to set stones etc and we have a table every month at a couple of craft shows in and around Exeter. Thats my story, boring innit, but it paid the bills and I have never been out of work.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jun 2015
    Posts
    440

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    Until Pat's reply, I thought you might have frightened the rest of us off with that display of virtuosity, James, alongside Dave's 44+ years as a pillar of the Worshipful Company! Here's my potted history: I was born and raised in Kenya, followed by secondary school and uni in the UK; I have an MA in Indian Philosophy; taught English for 10 years (6 as a head of department) in schools in the UK and Kenya; then taught on and off for several more years in an adult business/language school and a prison; set up a business importing granite garden features; then did various other odds and ends for several more years before stumbling into glass lampworking; and via that into simple silver work (gradually increasing in complexity and ambition) which has now taken over as my main pursuit. I think my would-be CV might be more interesting... If I could go back 35 years or so to 6th Form, I would probably choose Physics, Chemistry, Art (instead of languages) and probably get into cooking up specialist borosilicate art glass, designing torches and other tools for glass working, and learning from scratch the arts of precious metal working - with enough lifetime left to get really good at at least one of those. However, don't regret the choices I made. My studies in Indian Philosophy under an exceptional teacher, with an emphasis on Buddhism, are what I value most in my wandering career; and I value my current lifestyle, living on the beautiful Pembrokeshire coast doing just what I feel like and answering to no one but myself and my very easy-going partner.
    Alan

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Cardiff
    Posts
    988

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    Lydia, 41, Cardiff
    Worked in TV production for about 10 years after getting a degree in Film & Video. During that time I took a lone term of a City & Guilds in silver jewellery design, and was smitten. 5 years later after having my children I decided I'd like to try my hand at it again. Rented a studio, registered as self-employed, and have been self taught since. I'm currently really enjoying my work, and got Silver in this year's Craft & Design's 'Selected' awards, which was a big boost to the old self-esteem. Have just found out I have Asperger syndrome (oooh).

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Location
    dear old Blighty - (in deepest Wiltshire)
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    1,638

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    Wallace 50

    Trained and worked as a Registered Social Worker in adult care until 2007, then I became a Manager for learning and development needs of those working in community based care services until taking redundancy in July 2013. I have a variety of qualifications involving working with people including Adult Teacher Cert, and 360 points that could be converted to a degree. I cope with special, social, dyslexia and dyscalculia elements of dyspraxia.

    Attended a few short courses over the years, but mostly have winged it with using books, trial and error, and forums. I have been creating things nearly all my life, but focussed on jewellery in 2005 and haven't looked back.

    Cookson competitions have helped to encourage and develop, focus and enjoy all that is jewellery related and I have been lucky to have some of my entries win on occasion - for which, I am eternally grateful.
    Last edited by Wallace; 30-10-2015 at 10:40 PM.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jun 2013
    Posts
    668

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    Metalsmith, Yorkshireman; mid 40's.

    I was dragged up mountains as a kid and have picked up pretty stones ever since - I guess that is where things started. That and the 'amethyst' I discovered in the crushed limestone track to the sewerage station. Yes, I now know, it was Fluorite, not Amethyst

    Relatively well travelled, I showed early artistic promise but was chased out of school art classes by the games teacher because I could run - I lived miles from anywhere so I ran everywhere; <irrelevant stuff removed>. With running, climbing, sharp-shooting and a sadistic penchant for freezing my knots off , a military career looked promising. This came to an early halt with an argument after meeting a bit of kit that was seriously bigger than me.

    My studies include a Geology degree and other some other gobbledegook stuff. I now work as a scientist <boring bit removed to stop y'all nodding off>. Then a few years ago, a condition I had all my life (apparently as yet untriggered by all the running, climbing, mountaineering, skiing, paragliding and other general death-defying), decided to step out of the shadows and, well, death had been defied once too often. But I cheated him again (quite a few times actually). This was the trigger for my making jewellery, initially wanting to leave something solid (other than a pile of dented climbing kit, virtually guaranteed to kill you on first-use), for the kids. I'll spare you the details - not of the kids: I have 3 - but I now have a pacemaker and I'm told, you would have to run me over twice with a JCB to kill me. Unfortunately someone tried but since the JCB was unavailable, they left the job incomplete. As a result of the RTA, I now live with a chronic condition which at best, has at least afforded me time to entertain some buddhist thoughts and progress in both silversmithing and lapidary. I'm still very much a beginner some 2 years and more in, now. Aspirations: become competent at stone setting and long term, maybe facetting (surely only Americans spell it with one T).

    Nothing more to see here. Move along now ...

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jul 2014
    Location
    Rural Somerset, between Yeovil and Shepton Mallet
    Posts
    201

    Default Tell us about yourself

    Some similarities with Metalsmith. Degree in Geology and another one in Maths. Worked as a field and mine Geologist in the Gold Mines of South Africa for several years.

    Returned to UK, moved careers into IT after getting maths degree and have been involved with Logistics applications ever since. Recently retired from my last job with an Austrian company as a Warehouse Management Systems Consultant, quite well travelled - Africa, South America, Australia, USA, most countries in Europe - most travel as part of my work. Hobbies include flying (have PPL for last 15 years), and more recently silversmithing and jewellery making. Married (twice) have 3 sons and 4 grandsons from 4 to 20 years old.

    Do not consider myself particularly artistic but my creativity has blossomed since starting jewellery making. Very interested in science and technology and am a member of the BHA (British Humanist Association).

    Like metalsmith I have had too many close encounters with the old guy with scythe - two nearly fatal mining accidents that I escaped more or less unscathed but badly frightened, and a 6 month spell in hospital where I dropped down to 8 stone (i am a 6 footer) with mrsa, SBS and anorexia following a bowel operation that went horribly wrong. Now back to my fighting weight of 13 stone and no lingering side effects that aren't controllable. Onwards and upwards, what has happened just gives me the drive to enjoy life as much as possible, you are only here once, make the most of it.

    Originally from Sutton Coldfield (between Birmingham and Lichfield) now live in Somerset in a small town called Castle Cary - lovely place where we are very happy.
    Last edited by BarryM; 31-10-2015 at 09:28 AM.
    Barry the Flying Silversmith👍

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Apr 2010
    Location
    Exeter, Devon
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    Didn't know we were talking about near death experiences. Wrote my ex husbands hand built sportscar off, also at a later date wrote off a range rover, nobody else involved, just a bit fast. Healthy all my life, got to 62 (now 68) have had one eye removed, gall bladder removed, ovaries removed, potassium shortage which every bodily function started closing down, encaphilitis, similar to meningitis apparently, also a near death experiencce and a month in hospital again. Just to end on a funny note, the other day I had gone food shopping and forgot my mobile phone (it goes everywhere with me as I have a 98 year old mum and 86 year old dad that may need my assistance as they live in their own bungalow and do most of the garden themselves). My daughter had been trying too ring me for about an hour and not able to get hold of me rang her stepdad and her first words to him were "she's not in hospital again is she". At the moment very fit and we'll - yippee.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jul 2014
    Location
    Rural Somerset, between Yeovil and Shepton Mallet
    Posts
    201

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    Quote Originally Posted by Patstone View Post
    Didn't know we were talking about near death experiences.
    I don't think we are - just a small part of my life that has had some influence on me.



    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    Barry the Flying Silversmith👍

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    Reading, Berkshire
    Posts
    261

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    I'm not a hugely established member but thought I would join in

    I'm Charlotte, 28, from Reading.

    Got good gcse's then abysmal A levels, followed by a pass in an art foundation diploma at college where I stumbled across my love of metal. I did a 3D pathway and played around with metal, discovered you could do jewellery at university so that was my next step. I studied at Bucks New Uni graduated in 2009, Found it incredibly tricky to get a job in industry while not wanting to relocate so floated around several retail/office jobs until I was lucky enough to land a trainee goldsmith position in an independent jewellers. It was great for a while but I outgrew my position and it was time to move on.

    4 years later and this year I moved to a better paid higher regarded jewellers which I do full time alongside running my own business. No children but my husband can be like a child at times! He has BPD and can be a nightmare to deal with but its been 10 years so it cant be all bad. We have pet rats, a hamster and a tortoise who is currently winding down for hibernation!

    Just trying to build up my own business now and it seems to be working, just wish there were more hours in the day! Working on my website and etsy shop as 90% of my business is online so trying to be more easily seen. Looking forward to getting in my workshop tomorrow and trying to get ahead on the Christmas orders!

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