Ol' Crockpotsy Returns.

Mmm, yes. The subject says it all. Including the fact that my nickname among close friends is "Crockpotsy"...but anyway - I'm BACK!

I've added quite a few new styles to my shop since my last blog post.
I've also moved. Twice. First time was from San Antonio, TX to Alpine, TX. Then from Alpine to Boston, MA.

Alpine is a beautiful, mountainous desert town, located about 80 miles from the border of Mexico. It's pretty small (population is around 6,500)...and REMOTE. I'm from Massachusetts, and hadn't lived out of state until I got to Texas in December '10. Massachusetts is very densely settled. There's no space between towns. Where one town ends, another begins, and that's that. So, when I moved to Alpine, TX - located in an area of the US where there are literally over 100 miles between some of the towns - I was sort of in shock. The nearest town to Alpine had a population of just under 600 and was 30 miles away. 30 miles. WHAT. You mean the town just...ends? And there isn't another abutting it? This was my reaction to the concept of "counties." So, Alpine was rather isolated compared to what I was used to. A little TOO isolated. I didn't know anyone there - other than my boyfriend, whom I live with - and I'm...painfully shy. Not so good at engaging complete strangers. In my mind (most) strangers are just friends I haven't met yet, but I can't seem to translate that into friend-making actions. My friendly, compassionate nature gets caught behind some sort of barrier, which really doesn't work out for a non-hermit living practically in the middle of nowhere.

Gene and I stayed in Alpine for about three months, enjoying the landscape and the quiet, but became so homesick that we just had to come back to good ol' Boston. So, here we are, and here we shall stay...at least for the foreseeable future :). I can say with 100% certainty that we made the right decision when we chose to come home. Being away from this area, exposing myself to a new and different place, has really deepened my appreciation for Boston and MA in general.

I'm currently happily settled into Boston and preparing for a jewelry party for which I am the featured jeweler. I love doing these. Ya got your snacks, your wine, your excited ladies that are ready to shop. It's a fun time. So I've gone into (almost) full efficiency mode and am cranking out the jewelry to prepare for this event. Well, except for right now - it seemed like a good time to take a break, bake some cookies and tend to my previously neglected blog.

I've been experimenting with lots of different styles and techniques. And I really enjoy them all. Some jewelers have a very specific style and don't deviate much from it, but I like to do a wide variety of things. This week, I designed a very tribal necklace. It features dagger shaped cream mother of pearl beads, antique/oxidized copper beads and findings, turquoise colored chunky magnesite rondelles and moonstone chips. It's very earthy. I also do quite a bit of glittering rhinestone jewelry set in hand forged sterling silver settings - real glitzy, sparkly stuff. So I've got this juxtaposition of contemporary design and primitive design, and if I had to choose between the two, I don't think I'd be able to. That's just how my work is. I'm a very curious and experimental person, and I think that really shows in my designs. Some may say that being some sort of a jack-of-all-trades in the jewelry design market may hurt business - people talk a lot about occupying a small niche, and while I understand and respect that perspective, I think that the variety found in my work means that I have the opportunity to reach more people; to connect with them through my creations. And that feels pretty damn good to me :). What about you? In your creative endeavors, are you more of a "niche" artist, focusing on a certain style/discipline that speaks to you, or do you prefer to branch out? I also realize that branching out can sometimes lead to "finding your niche" - a niche you couldn't have known that you would end up having until you had branched out enough to find it! So we'll see where I am in a few years, haha.

And now I must get back to the workbench. Gotta make some earrings to go with that tribal necklace I spoke of :D.

Wishing you well until next time!
<3 Chelsea (Crockpotsy)