Tuesday 10 March 2009

Lady's Slipper

One of the difficult things in this Polymer Clay Life, for me, is the balance between making pieces for my Craft Fair at Cirencester each week and Creating.

I want so much to create something new, something different, something that pushes the limits. I want to play. I want to experiment. I want to just see where the clay takes me.

Making pieces for my Craft Fair is wonderful work. I hope that each piece I make will connect with someone, that a colour will draw someone closer, that a pattern will intrigue. Often it does. My most satisfying moments are when someone wants to talk about what I have made, how it makes them feel, what they like about it, what they don't like. Making that connection - it's heady stuff.

Creating. It takes time, more time than I have to give, so I have to do it in little ways. A twist on something, looking at something from a different angle, a change of colours, a change of shape. Sometimes I am lucky and inspiration will come all in one go and I have the chance to run with it. Other times I have to be patient. But all the time I try and look at my work with new eyes and hope to see a way to move forward a little.

These Lady's Slipper beads are a twist on my cockleshell beads. Something a little bit different. A stripe instead of a circle. Little steps, building to new things.

How do you make the balance between what you need to do and what you want to do? Let me know, I would love to hear your views.