Tree of Life symbolism is known throughout a multitude of mythologies the world over, spanning generations, religions and cultures as a philosophical archetype by which we can all learn valuable life lessons. As a teenager, I was fascinated with Greek and Roman philosophy. I studied both the Greek and Latin languages in high school, and the mythologies of these cultures figured into my artwork, poetry and other personal creative passions. Through the years, these interests spread like tendrils from Zeus to Odin. From Odin to Kabbalah. From Kabbalah to Hinduism. Soon, it was less about the individual god or goddess and more about the philosophy or metaphor of their story, at large.
In Buddhism, at the base of the Bodhi Tree is where Buddha discovered enlightenment, thus a representation of wisdom and knowledge. In Norse Mythology, let's look at the World Tree through this quote from the website Ancient Origins: "When Odin hung, speared, for nine days on the World Tree, he uttered the words that he had ‘sacrificed himself onto himself’. This stanza gives us a description of the unity existing between the Godhead and the Tree in the myths. To emphasize this connection, we find in old English the word treow, which means both tree and truth. Etymologically, then, truth and tree grow out of the same root. Subsequently, in the Norse creation myth, man and woman originated from trees. " Here, we could discern that the symbolism is one of infinity, of flowing ceaselessly from one creation to the next, and a symbol for the thread that connects us all.
I expect, in the years to come, this symbolism will continue to evolve in cultural prominence. While its importance may, at times, wane in popular culture, its message will, I believe, continue to prosper as a spiritual, philosophical and religious icon. These concepts will inspire and unite, connecting one creation with another through the symbolic reaching of its branches, forever rooted in mysticism and beauty. The legend of the Tree of Life will continue, despite the science of this new world, to connect the physical and metaphysical with its green, reaching fingers.
Are you reaching back?
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Disclaimer: I am not a tax professional and this is not a comprehensive look at keeping records for your home or jewelry business. Please contact a tax professional for a complete list of IRS or tax requirements. While I have devised a record-keeping system that meets my needs, here are some resources to help you establish a system of your own: Getting Started The system by which I've chosen to keep my records is electronic. I scan all receipts, and import into electronic files all mileage, cost of goods, and sales or expenses as they occur (ideally) or as an end-of-month record keeping task. These files are not only stored on my laptop, but on an external hard-drive, a secondary business computer and a cloud service. While at least one is always current, the other redundancies are updated monthly. These e-files are broken down into the following categories:
Inventory (Raw Materials) While most of the sub-categories listed above are self-explanatory, let's take a closer look at one possible way of maintaining records for inventory. I have, in the past, used Jewelry Designer Manager Pro, but found the program rather cumbersome for my needs. I've discovered, through the years, that keeping a minimum amount of materials on hand is most beneficial to me when calculating the tax benefits or disadvantages involved with ones inventory records. Purchasing materials as needed, verses an inventory surplus, means my capital is not tied up in unused materials. Remember: you can only claim deductions on materials in your costs of goods sold in any given tax year, not necessarily on materials purchased. However, inventory purchasing habits are entirely dependent upon the needs of your business, the nature of your product, and the market to which you sell. Since my inventory of materials is limited, I find spreadsheets sufficient for my needs. Let's take a look at how I've set up my spreadsheets for inventory maintenance. My categories include: Wire & Sheet Metal, Metal Findings & Incidentals, Seed Beads, Swarovski, Gemstone Beads, Gemstone & Glass Cabochons. Each category is listed alphabetically and these materials are stored in their containers alphabetically, so conducting an inventory checklist (quarterly, ideally) is as painless and seamless as possible. When new materials are purchased, each are broken down by item name, size, number of items purchased, price per number purchased, price per each, and total cost in inventory. For wire, while most calculate the cost of wire used by inch, I have decided to calculate by weight, into price per gram. Sheet metal is broken down in price by sheet, but may be broken down further in my Cost of Goods spreadsheet, depending on how many pieces I'm able to complete from a single sheet. When a strand of beads are purchased, the strand is broken down by price per strand, price per bead, and total cost of beads available. Every time a bead is used in a piece of jewelry, for example, the amount of beads is subtracted from the Inventory spreadsheet and added to the Cost of Goods Spreadsheet. Cost of Goods When determining the cost of goods, each item used is transferred from the Inventory spreadsheet to the Cost of Goods spreadsheet and adjusted to reflect the amount used in the goods. So, for instance, I copy and paste the line "Copper Round Wire, Dead Soft 28g" from the Inventory spreadsheet, then adjust the "Grams/Pieces" column to accurately reflect the number of grams used in the piece while also subtracting that amount from the Inventory Spreadsheet. This way, both spreadsheets accurately reflect the transfer of inventory as each piece is constructed. While this may sound complicated, once the spreadsheets are initiated, it's only copy and paste to keep each updated. I always maintain an unedited record of my inventory at the start of the year, and create a separate inventory list which is modified in real time, as jewelry is made and supplies are purchased or used. When an item is used entirely, the line item remains at zero in my End Inventory spreadsheet. This allows me to accurately determine all the supplies utilized from the beginning of the year, including supplies purchased and used throughout the year. At the end of the year, however, all lines with zero items is deleted, and this creates a "Start Inventory" list that will remain unedited in the following year. In essence, the "2017 End Inventory" list becomes the "2018 Start Inventory" list, minus all zeroed line items. Cost of Goods is copied and pasted to the Cost of Goods SOLD list as each piece is sold. Customer name and date of purchase is added beneath the photo. Now, using a program like Jewelry Designer Manager can certainly simplify the process for some, since it's all-inclusive in a single program and tax documents can be individually exported as needed, I personally found it more work towards its initial set-up than I was willing to invest and, upon discovering that tech support was not offered for the life of the program, I hesitated to perpetually re-purchase. I once had to transfer the program to a new computer, my files were lost and no tech support was offered to help recover those files, so I had to start from scratch. Insert the use of spreadsheets, especially those created in a free cloud service, which are updated and saved in real time and can be accessed from any device. A Note On Bookkeeping Software I admit that I am woefully unskilled in utilizing programs like Quickbooks to their fullest potential. For a couple years, I used GoDaddy Bookkeeping, which was incredibly intuitive and easy to navigate, though still (for me) an unnecessary monthly expense. While it tracked sales, payment processing fees, returns, in-state purchases (for state sales tax reports), receipts and quarterly tax payments made, I discovered these were all things easily exported from my sales platform and payment processors, into quarterly spreadsheets, and it proved itself a redundancy I just didn't need. I'm saving myself a yearly bookkeeping fee and only adding 10 minutes of work to my monthly bookkeeping processes. And, honestly, most of this bookkeeping and exporting of data would keep until my end-of-year review. Ultimately, however, your sales, platform, payment processors will all determine your need for a specific bookkeeping software. In Conclusion
Bookkeeping, inventory, taxes are all evil words. Evil, evil words. Though I have an understanding with my bookkeeping process, and me and my process are cordial to one another and exist as a working business partnership, I will admit I wont be inviting my inventory out for a drink any time soon. And while I understand this article is only a quick outline of things to consider, I hope you found it useful during the discovery and establishment of your own evil, evil bookkeeping system. A while back, I wrote an article on giving and receiving constructive criticism and, in light of some recent social media activity, I thought it was a subject worth revisiting, but this time from the perspective of creative flow. What I read online recently was a statement declaring there was absolutely no benefit to giving praise for artistic work unless praise is deserved. Seems straight-forward, right? I mean, are we enabling improper technique, poor design elements or incomplete production with our placating reactions of "Great work!" in response to art posted online? This question, however, remains: deserved by whose standards? While one person might deem a piece of art sloppy or ugly or unacceptable, someone else might view it as a beautiful representation of creative expression. And, while I might not necessarily purchase for myself a particular piece of art, I tend to believe supportive reaction to that art is far more conducive to creative growth than a critical review.
Now, let's assume critical commentary is unwelcome or unsolicited. Let's assume we don't particularly like the work posted, either because we consider it sloppy or unattractive, per our standards or aesthetics. Should we then refrain from offering supportive commentary at all? More importantly, should we discourage others from offering support, per our particular set of standards? Imagine this comment (real enough, as it turns out): "I'm so tired of reading 'Great work!' on jewelry that should never be posted online, much less for sale." This is a real comment. I've read some variation of it more times than I care to count during my years in this industry.
How many times have you been frustrated with a creative project so profoundly you've reached out to the public in a desperate pitch for encouragement?
So many, right? We've all been there. We've all been pushed to abandon our passions. And I even hazard a guess that many of us know when our work is inadequate on some level, to some set of standards. Yet, we need some consolation to continue, to push past our own perceived deficiencies and strive for perfection as defined by our own set of standards. Six years ago, I gave up. I gave away my jewelry, my tools, my beads. I was discouraged, disappointed in my progress as defined by my own standards. And, after it was all gone and I was resigned to live a life without wire wrapping, a stranger contacted me. She found a photo of a piece I'd completed years prior. The photo embarrassed me. The quality was horrible. My wrapping was unimaginative, I thought, perhaps even sloppy. But she loved it. She praised it. She commissioned a copy of it and then purchased again. And again. And it was then I realized that praise, or positive affirmation, is critical to maintaining creative momentum. Technique can always improve. By creating, it improves, whether we set out to do so or not. The act of creation is the conduit through which improvement happens. Praise, however, is a conduit through which creation happens. So, then next time you refuse to offer "empty praise", I hope you recognize how that strips the spirit from creativity. Instead of denying someone your support, lift them up. If you can't comment on the positives of a piece in its entirety, pick out a single element you enjoy. You don't have to sacrifice your own aesthetic or standards to support the art of others. You just have to suspend judgment long enough to see what you might otherwise allow your perceptions to easily dismiss. Facebook is the devil. I'm not gonna lie. It is the hulking heavyweight in a long list of distractions that permeate my day. And, to be honest, I sometimes invite these distractions in a self-sabotaging, fear-based montage of "imposter syndrome". You know what I'm talking about.... all those icky self-doubt shadows that ride the shoulder of every creative individual ever, throughout the entire history of creative individuals.
But it's not just Facebook that throws my work and productivity off balance. It's suddenly needing to clean my oven at 4pm on a Thursday, when it was just cleaned on Tuesday. It's re-organizing my bead trays for the umpteenth time this month. It's paying bills and grocery shopping and visiting the in-laws and birthday parties and graduations. And it's also every other hobby I can conceive of, with which to procrastinate. Finding balance when working from home is, to say the least, challenging. So here are some tips I've learned during my five years in business for myself:
If you have tips or tricks for balancing your business and home life, I'd love to hear them in the comments below! In those rare in-between moments when I'm not making jewelry, or organizing my work space or re-arranging my website, or... ahem... Facebook, I am usually doing one of two things: photographing my cats or sketching. Perhaps I should try sketching my cats! Lately, I've been obsessed with hands. Perhaps because it's one of the few things I can draw fairly well, quickly and still find meaning in the process. It's not just about the act of sketching, though that certainly has it's purpose, but about the process of considering the art before I begin. It's about the entire experience, and taking from that some sort of introspection, hopefully, and growth. Perhaps I'm obsessed with hands because I work with mine every day, because they give life to creative expression. They can soothe and conceive, they can be stricken with pain and even cause it, they can fabricate, construct and actualize. Hands are a rare, but often unrecognized, gift which we take for granted more than we appreciate them. I spent most of the month of April photographing my own hands, and then using them as a reference in my art. In the first image is a fist, gripping a pair of holy beads with the strength and determination of the self-assured. By drawing that strength, I was also absorbing it. In the next is a forward-facing fist with wings and a bright crescent moon halo above it. Here I was, for lack of a better word, evoking action and momentum during a time in which I had none. And in the last is a gentle and relaxed pose, a tranquil finger on which a butterfly has perched. This.... this was to invite serenity. Hands are one gateway to the soul. How gentle we are with them, or fierce when the call for such has been made, is a statement about our self-worth, self-reflection and self-expression. Our hands can represent the journey we take with others and the journey we experience alone, through our creative endeavors or personal labors.
Appreciate their role in your life. I saw we all go get a manicure! And A Note About Product Pricing..... Time is finite. While it evolves independent of the individual, our experience with it is limited. Every moment is a gift, and every time we chose to express ourselves and share the stories of our experiences, we are gifting that moment to others. As such, I'm always saddened to see artists undervalue their time. The five years it took to perfect that crotchet crocodile stitch has value. The semester of bench skills jewelry classes to learn the soldering of prongs has value. And that spool of wire you mangled last night while learning the channel setting.... yep.... it has value. Not just the wire, but the night itself! Just imagine you'd decided to spend those finite moments binge-watching Netflix instead (I'm not saying that's what I did last night, but.....). Those Netflix moments can't be as easily gifted to others as sharing with pride that very first bezel setting, for instance. And think of the inspiration the sharing of that accomplishment offers to others! So, when pricing your work, consider more than your materials. Consider more than the overhead of your electric and cable costs, marketing expenses or website maintenance. Let's abolish the abhorrently insufficient "materials x 3" pricing model and use a structure that recognizes the value of time. You are worth it. Your time is worth something. Choosing to share the gift of those moments with others should be recognized, so let's charge for our handcrafted goods according to the value of that time.
Here are some resources to help you value your time: Some of you may know that I am an unapologetic, self-professed geek. I wouldn't dare use that word in a disparaging way, but as a badge of pride and honor. The idea of being a "geek" has come along way in the last decade, and I'm glad for its evolution. We all geek about something, right? Whether we like Renaissance Festivals or comics or video games or TV shows or even the Eukenuba dog show, if we are excited about it, we geek about it. And I geek about more things than I have the energy to dedicate to them: photography, poetry, Harlequin romance novels (and I don't even apologize for that!), all things cinema, jewelry (of course) and..... medieval history. Several years ago, I was invited to join a group involved with the Society for Creative Anachronism. This isn't the first time I've mentioned my involvement with the SCA and it surely wont be the last. But the reason I mention it here is to discuss the idea of drawing inspiration for our creative endeavors from things we wouldn't normally associate with it.
"As you navigate through the rest of your life, be open to collaboration. Other people and other people's ideas are often better than your own. Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you, spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life." Amy Poehler
speaking, it was my involvement in this group that turned me on to the idea. Now how cool is that, right? I'd always been a wire wrapper, so turning to bead embroidery was an adventure laid bare at my feet for discovery, all thanks to the combat archery, medieval feasts and arts and sciences of the SCA!
So now I encourage each of you to consider one of your activities or hobbies from a fresh perspective, and see how it can be utilized in a creative project. Like fishing? How can that translate to, say, jewelry or pottery or poetry even. Is Wonder Woman your obsession (and why wouldn't she be, am I right)? Then how can her headdress or lasso of truth be translated into wire wrapping, for instance? Explore the world with new eyes and you're bound to see wonders.
Perfectionism is boring. It's the story without the characters... all the flawed, refreshing noise that breathes life to the plot. In art, is it important to know your tools and how they interact with the medium? Sure. Is it a practical step towards creative growth to fill your toolbox with established technique? You betcha. That's part of the process, ultimately, to learn the rules and when to break them. To refuse to be swallowed up by the extreme standards we set for ourselves. To acknowledge the "standard" and then dismiss it for a story a little more revealing. Is perfectionism paralyzing your creative flow? Don't identify with the details, but with the the whole. What were you feeling when you began the project? How did that factor into the resultant work? Take a moment, and I admit this is difficult, but take a moment and really digest what your purpose was when creating that last imperfect piece. Because it is imperfect. And that's okay. Because it's also beautiful. And real. And complete. All things that represent a journey taken and finished. Each piece of art a page from our book. Now how do you think a "perfect" story would read? I'm afraid I wouldn't know... as I've never been interested enough to read one. I'll stick with the stories full of characters a little crooked, and a lot more attractive. If you're a fan of anything creative... anything at all... and you haven't visited the Finish It! February 2017 GALLERY OF ENTRIES board on Pinterest, you are denying yourself some serious eye candy. And come on now.... who doesn't enjoy spending time eye-balling some art? I have to admit it, that I was joyfully selfish during the 30 plus days receiving entries, because that means I had 30 more days than everyone else to marvel at the absolute power of creative expression. So, you guys are awesomesauce! And, as usual, I was not even the least bit disappointed. Over 60 entries, 60 opportunities to appreciate this beautiful language of wire and, sure... there might have been a drop of jealous "wish I'd thought of that" drool here and there, but I wouldn't have it any other way. So, let's get to it, shall we. The votes have been tallied and the results are in. We have your winners: Group Favorite and Judged Favorite. There were some multiple votes, which had to be discounted and, for the first time in Finish It! history, we have a TIE! I had a third party step in to be the tie breaker to receive my finished pendant, however, both of the group favorites will receive their choice of 10 tutorials. Group Favorite Winner(s) Judged Favorite Winner Anne Watt Each winner will receive any 10 of my tutorials (winners choice), and the Group Favorite will receive my finished version of the lesson provided in the contest. So, winners, keep an eye out on your email, as I'll be reaching out to you soon! And thank you everyone for totally amazing me with talent and the support you've shown one another, and the enthusiasm in approaching this challenge. It's been an incredible journey, and I'm already looking forward to the next one. Until then, happy weaving! Nicole Artists left to right: Luis Angel Lopez, Lonely Soldier Designs, Facets of Avalon I think I can safely say that I own more and wear more jewelry made by other artists than I do my own. I leave the house with a sparkly new pendant gleefully bouncing around my neck and I'm thrilled to tell the curious how to find a piece for themselves when they, undoubtedly, ask where to purchase. I'm happy believing that perhaps, just maybe, I've made way for the energies of two people, an artist and an audience, to come together in a beautiful partnership of support. And, to me, that's exactly what it means. It's a marriage of spirits, in a way. I know, I know... that's all dreadfully cliche and abundantly dramatic, but I'm totally owning it, without shame, because I want a life in which I can find the poetry in everything.
Anyone can buy a necklace from a department store. I have. Many times. But it takes a rare and special talent to evoke emotion, to hand over to me an unspoken story or journey and allow me to experience that story, if even only during the moments I wear it. "I don't want to live in a bubble, in my craft or in the world... I can't, I would be cheating myself out of my generation and the world we live in." Diane Lane It's an amazing thing, to step outside my bubble of creativity, and ache for every beautiful, singular moment in which someone steps outside of their own bubble to greet me. What a beautiful gift, to know the soul of others through their art.
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