Thursday, January 27, 2011

When One Door Closes...

As many of you know, I have spent the last couple of years working on a little project called Bread N' Butter Designs. Mostly jewelry made from polymer clay and other found objects that I thought might make for interesting pieces.  The excitement of the work being unique and different lead me to peruse several different avenues in getting the product out into the public; such as a shop on Etsy, a few street markets and fairs here and there as well as a trip to NYC last October in hopes of launching this into something bigger.

During this last tourist season here in Florence I became so overwhelming busy with my 'day job' that the possibly of making one single piece of jewelry went entirely out the window.  I would think about it constantly and friends and customers would ask me if I had anything new to show them and the answer was always no.

So, it is not with a heavy heart, but rather a sense of new beginning that I tell you that the concept of Bread N' Butter Designs will longer exist.  I have let the domain name expire, and the blog is no longer visible, and all of my faithful facebook fans will soon receive a message telling them of the news.

But as I said, I am not sad or disappointed in any way, anzi, I am quite happy and almost feel a sense of relief and here is why; I learned A LOT from the experience.  I now realize that if you want something bad enough, you will not give up on it and you will let nothing stand in your way and if you are trying to do something simply because you need/want to make money, it is not going to work. And most importantly is that one MUST be patient. It doesn't happen over night.

Now that's not to say that I wasn't passionate about my work or the designs I was creating, but perhaps it was the creative outlet I needed for that time period.  I learned a tremendous amount about the art of jewelry design, what works and what doesn't, what sells and what doesn't. I learned about materials and techniques and a ton about photography.

I do not see this as lost time or a failed attempt at starting a design company of my own, but rather a way to move on to the next level of the process.  I will never stop designing/creating/photographing and loving all things art. I will simply be better at it the next time I try.

I see it as a relationship that didn't work out. I gave it a good honest effort, I poured my heart and soul into it and I will carry pieces of it with me in my next relationship, learn from my mistakes, accentuate the positives and create a healthier, more well-rounded affair the next time around.  I see it as a way to start fresh, with new thought and ideas.......they are already in the works, the juices are flowing and the lists are getting longer and longer. 

So for now,  as you are all probably sick of hearing about already, my new project is managing our little studio apartment as a vacation rental.  I am working to get the place looking as comfortable and inviting as possible. I get to play interior designer for a bit by adding accessories and necessities in a stylish fashionable way that will make it irresistible to anyone looking for a place to stay in the city. The beginning stages of a project like this require a lot of work, making sure everything is spotless is step one, that all the amenities are in place. Then there is the photography which,  includes not only shooting many more images than I could possibly need but also, editing each one individually and putting them up on the various different web-sites that might attract potential renters, as well as looking for places to advertise outside the internet.  Not to mention all the other details that are involved in making this work.
 But as far as art and design are concerned, I haven't gone anywhere, I'm just taking a little sabbatical.......

2 comments:

  1. Say it isn't so.. I understand life often get in the way of our plans and desires (I'm in it at this very moment) and the only thing we can do is to continue making whenever we can with whatever media is at our disposal. I love your designs and look forward to your future creations.

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  2. Thank you! There will definitely be more to come, just known by a different name and a few improvements!

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