I find myself in a bit of a quandary about whether I really want to be making earrings, or in fact anything, to sell. I enjoy making things, I'm a bit of a hobbyist, and I am capable of quite quickly being able to produce things with a reasonable level of skill. And I have ideas. Making stuff has always been my 'thing' since I was a little girl, and it was assumed that I would go to art school, which I did.
In the last few years my making has leaned more towards crafting and producing practical items. Not that I wouldn't like or prefer to be painting and drawing, but more I think I have struggled with the self-indulgence of producing something that has no function. So now I make jumpers, jewellery, I do DIY, I garden. But I can't avoid the fact that every time I finish a project, not only do I feel totally deflated, as really it's the busyness and the creativity that I enjoy, but I also feel nauseous and guilty at the fact that I have just contributed to the amount of tatt there is in the world.
If I make earrings, I will be making them with polymer clay. Polymer clay is a good material for making jewellery. It is strong and waterproof and easily mouldable. Polymer clay is made of poisons that will not break down into the earth. Or, they will eventually, in a long long time, and as they do they will poison it.
What I want is to make and share something beautiful. Can I do this in a way that isn't consumerist and tacky?
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