Hey, Hey, Here we go for the second ever "Ask Me Anything" posts. I have gotten some great questions, keep them coming, I plan to keep answering them.

This weeks question is from Susan, She Asks...

Hi Jennifer - I have been a big fan of your work for several years.  You always seem to have new products/ideas and I am interested in your creative process - how you keep your creative muse charged up?  How do you take it to the next level and be an innovative as you obviously are?  If and when you have "creator's block," how do you move beyond it?  Finally, any chance that you might come to Canada someday so your fans north of the border could meet you in person?

Looking forward to seeing what lovely surprises you will come up with next.

Jennifer Answers: Hi Susan, thanks for the great questions. So let's see, where should I even start? First of all, I am pretty much inspired to do or make something all of the time. There are not enough hours in the day to make all I would want to. I was in high school when I first really got into ceramics. I found my medium and everything I look at I ask myself, "could that be done in clay?". I think in clay. For instance when toggles started showing up in jewelry ten years or so ago, I saw a silver one and thought, I can make one of those in clay and I did. Every week when I am firing my kilns with orders of buttons and beads I almost always have something new in the kiln. It always fun to be waiting to see how something new is going to turn out. I am never afraid of just trying something, I learn from doing.

Now that being said, I have been wanting to do some needlework projects for myself when I'm not working and I am finding it hard to get started. You can't grab and hour when you have it and then all of a sudden be creative. Or at least I can't. I think I have mentioned my monthly "meetings" I have. It's just me at a coffee shop without any computers, telephones, or projects that need to be finished. It's me and my notebooks. My meetings consist of list making and planning, but also doodling and coming up with new ideas. No pressure just a few hours of doodling. That way when I do have some time I have a notebook of ideas and I can pull from it. My creative thinking already took place now I can take what little time I have and start working.

One more thing, that I think helps me stay charged is traveling. First of all I always take a project for the car, I find limited supplies in a box instead of everything I have in my studio helps me focus and not get overwhelmed. Plus having hours in the car with really nothing else to do is perfect. As a side note, my husband doesn't like my driving and he's not good at sitting still in the passenger seat so I am pretty lucky to not have to be behind the steering wheel much. :)  The other way travel helps, is it just gets me out of the usual, I see new things. And when I say travel, I mean driving to Indiana to see our family or camping at the beach...nothing glamorous.


As for coming to Canada, I would love to but no plans in the future as far as I can see, designing has been keeping me at home and not on the road as much as I used to be.

Thanks again Susan!


Got a questions for me?
I am taking questions for next weeks and future posts. If you have a question you would like answered by me, e-mail me (jennifer (at) jangles (dot) net) with the subject line, "Ask Me Anything". Leave me a link in the message as well if you have a blog, website, or Etsy shop. If your question is chosen I will send you one of my ceramic beads or pendants as a thank you for participating.

 
Visit my Website, Etsy Shop, Blog, Facebook, or Studio and Gallery