Making Shiny Things

Time Practiced: About 30-45 minutes, plus a 30 minute piano lesson. Look at me being all productive and focused and whatnot!

As we know, I'm a bit of a scatterbrained artist. One of my hobbies happens to be jewelry making. Comes in handy when I need a present for girlfriends' birthdays. One such occasion happened this weekend and I was more than happy to whip up a quick piece of jewelry for a friend. Goodness knows my stash of jewelry making findings and beads is more than large enough, should be easy enough to make something with what I have on hand.

Nope.

Had to go to the store to a get few items, but forced myself to stay focused on only getting the earring findings. The challenge had to be making something beautiful with the beads I had on hand. Thankfully, I was only making earrings so it wasn't impossible (though the urge to by new shiny, pretty things was strong!). I think they turned out really nice. I kind of want the pink pair for myself, as a matter of fact. Which I think is the problem with crafting beautiful things for other people- it's hard to part with such pretty things!

However, just making those two pairs of earrings made me remember how much I love jewelry making as a creative outlet. I started making jewelry with a girlfriend about three years ago during football season. My husband and her boyfriend were both in fantasy football leagues and insisted on getting together every Sunday to watch football. We, naturally, were not necessarily interested in watching football all day. So, I decided we needed something fun and creative to do and thought it was an opportune time to learn how to make my own jewelry. I've been beading religiously every football season since.

Well, the fantasy football magazines are coming out again so I think it's about time to start thinking about what lovely jewelry I'm going to make for myself this football season. Perhaps a necklace or two, but some new bracelets would be fun as well....

Today's Recommendation: Rediscover something that gives you creative satisfaction.

Claude Debussy, Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun

Starting Something New(ish)

Time Practiced: I cleaned the house today, and my allergies won't allow it. Though I did have a great lesson on Thursday...

Tomorrow morning I have my first piano lesson! Ok, so I took piano in undergrad- as part of my degree requirements, naturally- but have not studied it since. Actually, because I had some pretty severe issues with tendonitis from the piano classes in college I almost changed my major so I didn't have to take the second year of piano. Well, as is my typical scatterbrained style, I decided I did want the full out Bachelor of Music and ended up taking the second year of group piano class at the local community college so it was only pass/fail and I didn't have to worry about tendonitis issues as much. Worked out well, and I was the biggest slacker with that class ever, but did manage to get my passing grade.

Here I am, almost eight years later, and I'm gonna take piano again. Turns out that if you don't use it, you really do lose it. Huh. Who would have guessed?

Tomorrow I will be showing up for my first lesson with a handful of borrowed (read: stolen from relatives and friends) beginner piano books to learn how to play. You see, my goal is to get more focused with my music by taking weekly piano lessons. Focus, focus, focus. Because paying someone to help you focus is always the best policy, I say. Why else do you think I spent so many years in school to begin with?

Wish me luck. No tendonitis this time around, and I can learn at a snails pace if I need to. You see, coordination is not one of my strong suits (I can't even walk a straight line sober, and in high school musicals I was banned from dancing- no joke) hence the fact that I had to white knuckle my way through group piano in college. I think private lessons are going to be more my style. And from what I can tell so far, the teacher I'm studying with is a bit on the "off" side so it should keep things fun and interesting.

Today's Recommendation: Teach an old dog old tricks, because sometimes it might be what the old dog needs to feel young again.

Bach Prelude No 1 in C Major (BWV 846)