On our journey we have had the opportunity to visit the studios of Ted Noten, Laura Deakin, Helen Britton and David Bielander, stepping into their private jewellery making worlds. Each studio space was a dream one; organised into planning, making and chilling out areas with benches covered in tools and materials galore. Very exciting!
The studio visits also exposed some ‘home truths’ about working professionally as a contemporary jeweller; the most relevant one being that it is really, really tough to make a living from. If you can manage to make a living from jewellery alone, be prepared to work exceptionally hard and be 150% committed. If you can’t, you have a job on the side and work on your jewellery exceptionally hard and be 150% committed.
What struck me was that success wasn’t a factor in this. Being successful doesn’t mean you make money. If you love it you find a way to do it.
When I return to uni I know that the studio visits will impact the way I work; in the way I organise myself, my tools and my materials, structure my working time (less cups of tea, aka procrastination) and last of all, to keep working hard, and prepare myself for what’s to come.
V.
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