2009! Here we go...

We kick off 2009 amid a deepening recession and global uncertainty, but with the optimism of a new administration that just might help us all get back on track.

For my first post of the New Year, I took the opportunity to ask many of the jewelry designers who were profiled this past year to comment on what they see as both the greatest opportunities and the most difficult challenges for 2009. The responses were as thoughtful and insightful as one might expect from this group of enormously talented and motivated people!

Jeanne Johngren

I think that the greatest opportunities arise from the most difficult challenges. Plato said it well, "necessity is the mother of invention." And much later, Thorstein Veblen reversed it, "invention is the mother of necessity." In either case, necessity and invention are forever linked in a tumultuous pas de deux. They just switch off on who leads.

So, in the face of adversity, what will we invent?

1- Irresistible work, irresistible messaging. The "what is irresistible" part is the thing we'll all need to work out for ourselves.

2- We'll have to make it easier for stores to take a chance on us. My guess is minimum order requirements will be decreased at the same time that designer's requirements around store advertising will increase.

3- It should be easier to have our messages heard this year as many companies will not spend on advertising. There will be less noise. It's time to craft clear messages and be heard.

4- We can refine our lines, really using the knowledge around what was popular in spite of the market heading south. If certain items sold in that market, they will sell as the market continues to slide for the first 6 months of this year. We can expand color and size variations on those items. I am reading that we should expect a strong Christmas '09. So...

5- My advice...Slog on through. I think that getting through to the end of this year is the key. Things will take an upturn. We just have to be super smart -- conservative and targeted -- about how we spend this year in order to be around for the turn-around.

http://www.jeannejohngren.com/

http://jeannejohngren.blogspot.com/

Kim Fox

The greatest opportunities in 2009 are those of focusing and evaluating our best talents, best use of time and placement of our work. There isn’t much space for laxness. This can involve being brutally honest about ourselves, our work, our suppliers and our customers. Those who don’t do this will probably leave our career of choice.

The opportunity is also a challenge. It involves being honest, removing excess, changing course and being brave and confident in the face of an economy that is a challenge. Those that do this are more likely to be still standing after the economic downturn is over.

http://www.phxfox.com/

Keith Lewis

We all have challenges and opportunities facing us each day that shape us , that let us show ourselves as helpful, creative and positive individuals. Still, I find it easy for financial worries or competitive insecurities to jump to the front of the line and overshadow what's really happening in my life. These things are real, but they are not the foundation of anything, and letting them control what you do does a disservice to who we are.

We would not be working for ourselves if we were not self-motivated enough to take control of how we handle the challenges staring at us this year. Making conservatively designed jewelry in hard times is not the answer. Making work that you are happy to stand behind but doesn't cripple your cash flow does make sense. Sales down? Doesn't that mean you have time now to make that special piece, learn that exotic technique, maybe experiment a bit? Perhaps that will put you in the show that will be more helpful to you.

Think of your professional life in terms of its trajectory. Is it a line going steadily but reasonably upwards, creating a buffer for the harder times, exploring new things, showing that you are planning prudently? Or, is the line a low arc showing the same old efforts, with you in danger of a bumpy ride just because you aren't planning anything different?

Well, we all need to keep in mind where we are pointed, and just being aware of this helps me to react to a situation in a way that keeps me going in a good direction. As cloying as it may sound, those challenges are opportunities, and 2009 looks like it's going to have a lot of, well, let's say "opportunities."

http://www.keithlewisstudio.com/

Nancy Troske

Aside from the obvious problems with the economy I think that the greatest opportunities will come from technology; the use of the internet and the availability of learning opportunities via Smartflix, YouTube and other online venues, including social networking, forums, online magazines.

I think the challenge to designers is going to be focus. How does a creative person avoid going in a million different directions when there are so many new materials and techniques out there (like bronze metal clay) not to mention the older techniques such as chasing and repousse, granulation, etc.? Personally, I find it very hard to resist dabbling in everything and not turn into a whirling dervish! I have to reign myself in constantly!

http://www.silverlight-jewelry.com/

Lilian Chen

I think 2009 will be a great year for jewelry making designers, because people can't live without jewelry, especially women. The difficult challenge we are facing is that competition will be more difficult, not only in designing the design piece, but the cost of the materials. So be wise and use different materials, be more unique, more artistic, and more exquisite. People always like unique things.

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5808687

Harriete Estel Berman

The greatest opportunity in 2009 definitely involves the Internet and the visibility that it offers for good work, GREAT PHOTOS and personal initiative. Egalitarian forums like Etsy offer popular marketplaces. Social networking websites like Flickr and Crafthaus offer opportunities for showing your work at little or no expense. SlideShare.com can upload a PowerPoint about your work at no cost. Blogs and website templates can generate more formal portfolio presentations that are accessible for a wide audience for a very modest investment of time and money.

The most difficult challenge for 2009 is the depressed economy. There is no way around the fact that selling work in this current economic situation is not going to be easy. My recommendation is to cut back on production and related expenses and work on research and development of your work. Take time to make the best and most interesting work possible, save up your money, and invest in professional photography. Overall I would encourage everyone in the art and craft community to create exposure opportunities for yourself and others by organizing exhibitions with a focus on selecting the most interesting work – and not on whether it is saleable. As Robert Louis Stevenson said, "Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant."

http://www.harriete-estel-berman.info/

Marianne Hunter

Maybe one word will do for a jumping off point for my perspective: Fear. Fear is both an opportunity and a challenge to test your metal (a pun!) How sure are you of your design concepts? How willing are you to make some changes? How brave are you about not compromising your integrity? Are you brave enough to take a leap of faith on a design concept that excites you?

Can you face the public and show, not fear, but maintain and communicate your certainty that things will be okay again? That your work is worth having?

I wish us all courage and integrity and success. Work for peace and justice and our world will right itself again. In two weeks we will have a new start.

http://www.hunter-studios.com/

Reading these thoughtful responses kind of choked me up. And, I felt inspired to keep “slogging” as Jeanne Johngren so aptly put it!

By the way, Harriete Estel Berman also wanted to mention an upcoming Professional Development Seminar on maximizing the online revolution. It is through SNAG, but is open to everyone. From the comments above, everyone seems to feel that online is where we all must be—and be good!

Here’s more information on it:

http://www.snagmetalsmith.org/Events/Professional_Development_Seminar/

Thanks for stopping by!

Sally

Vote now in the Couture Town&Country "Primary" Design Awards!

Jewelry Designer, Jeanne Johngren forwarded me this notice about the
Town&Country Couture Design Awards. Jeanne was profiled recently in this blog and is nominated in the "Best of Newcomers" category. I also noticed that another person profiled in this blog, Todd Reed, is nominated in the "Best of Natural Color Diamonds" category. So take a moment and vote for your favorites! Here's the scoop:

This year, the Town&Country Couture Design Awards takes the vote out to the
people, with our first ever Design Awards hosted online.

Your vote counts! The top vote getters in each category move on to the final
round of voting held at Couture at the Wynn Las Vegas, May 28 – June 2.

You will need to enter your email address (as that is how they are verifying
that people only vote once.)

It’s quick, it’s easy, it’s fun, and it’s a great opportunity to see some of the
industry’s best designs before you get to Las Vegas. So Vote online today by
clicking this link, or visiting the website – www.couturedesignawards.com – and
feel free to forward this email to your colleagues, friends, and those
discriminating people you know who appreciate fine jewelry design.

Thanks in advance for casting your vote and we’ll see you and the winners in Las
Vegas!

Jeanne Johngren: Shimmering Elegance in Living Color

Jeanne Johngren

I first saw Jeanne Johngren's work at a tiny, 19th Street shop in the Chelsea district of NYC called DVVS. One of the store owners, James Corry, showed me around, pointing out some of his favorite artists. When we came to the Jeanne Johngren display, he mentioned that one of his clients wanted to "just live in that case". I knew what he meant. The rich bead colors, gorgeous metals and fine workmanship combine to make sumptuous, beautiful pieces.

In reading more about Jeanne, I was surprised to learn that her path mirrored my own...a first career in the TV/film business with a switch along the way to jewelry design and creation. Although Jeanne is now very well-established and I am just starting out, her ability to successfully make that transition gave me renewed optimism!

Here's what Jeanne had to say:

Before becoming a jewelry designer I was a film and TV producer, based in NYC at the Tribeca Film Center. I made the decision to change careers because I wanted to have a family. Life in the film industry is about long hours where the myriad problems at hand overshadow outside life. I had many friends in the film business, few of whom stayed married. No matter what their occupation -- sound man, cinematographer, or actor, the long, intense hours meant that it was very hard to build meaning outside of that context. When I met the man whom I decided to marry, I went looking for my next career. I had certain criteria I had to meet -- I needed something creative, where I could make an aesthetic statement and I needed flexibility.


How would you compare the making of a video or film to the creation of jewelry?

I think that there are a lot of similarities between making jewelry and making a film.


In both mediums:


A)- you are realizing an idea, you are involved in an act of creation.

B)- you are working with a team of true artisans. In the film world it is cinematographers, sound designers, editors and art directors. In the jewelry world, it is CAD/CAM design people, gemstone dealers, gemstone setters, casters, finishers and polishers. In both worlds, you have to motivate the individuals involved to give the work their best effort.

C)- there is a strong relationship between left and right-brained thinking --Precise measurement and artistic gesture play complementary roles in the jewelry business, as in film and TV. The exact duration of a piece of music may need to correspond to the measured distance/ length of time it takes to film a scene and go through the dolly motion to cover it. That's a lot of choreography. Jewelry can go through many hands before it is a finished piece requiring serious choreography as well. Balancing cost and the achievement of the desired "look" are paramount concerns in both arenas (pun intended.)

D)- selling plays an important role. In the film industry people are always moving toward their next project. If you are the producer, you have to sell your ideas all the time -- to the cast, crew and financiers. In the jewelry industry, you have to sell to individuals at trunk shows and to stores at trade shows (or on appointments.) You can't be afraid of selling in either field.


How did you first get into jewelry making and where did you learn your techniques?


My first foray into jewelry making actually happened when I was in my early20's, before the film industry was paying my bills. I made items out of plastic and applique, paint and passementerie purchased from odd and wonderful places in Manhattan like Canal Plastics and M+J Trimmings. I sold the items I made to friends on the film sets where I worked. But soon my film producing career took off and there wasn't time for jewelry-making. I circled back around to jewelry-making after I had my daughter. She was in nursery school and the school was having a fundraiser. Someone was going to make earrings and I joined that team. My desire to make jewelry was re-kindled quickly. Within a week, I had bought and re-finished a roll top desk which became my workbench and took over part of the house for my hobby, which became a business 5 weeks later, after I made 3,000 dollars in a weekend at a local craft show.I learned some hand techniques from a local bead shop. But soon, I wanted to move into more stone-set work. The pieces that I am doing now are the result of my drawings and the understanding I have gained from working with wonderful masters in the fields of gemstones, CAD/CAM, stone setting and finishing. I have also applied my perfectionist tendencies and all of these talented, patient people who work with me know that I am a stickler for detail.

Jeanne has described her work as a "marriage of opposites" which I asked her to elaborate on.

I enjoy investigating marriages of opposition in my work. Hard gold becomes supple in the form of a granulated bead chain, as in our Strata Collection. Finishes, both shiny and matte can be combined to pleasing affect, as in our Mandala Collection. Faceted stones can be combined with cabochon, to add another dimension of light and color variation to the effect of our stacked rings.

How would you describe your style?

I would describe my style as shimmering elegance in living color.

Where do you find inspiration?

Everywhere. Truly. Most obviously, perhaps, architecture -- stained glass windows, carved lintels, the curves of buttressed arches and their relationship to the human form. But, perhaps, not so obvious, the shape of pasta, television sitcoms from the '60's, Greek Tragedy, wallpaper, reflections of the sun and clouds on skyscrapers, the rainbow of refracted light from the city (NYC) at night. I have a pattern recognition brain. I'm always cataloguing what I see.

You made a decision early on to move to high end stones and metals. When did you know that you were ready to transition to these expensive materials?

I transitioned to expensive materials because I wanted to make things with long-lasting resonance. Items that are more valuable are less likely to be"throw-away." I transitioned early, as soon as I felt I had the skill set.

It appears that you have been more successful than most jewelry designers in the marketing of your business---including getting celebrities to wear your designs.

We have been successful at getting the jewelry onto some celebrity personalities. I think this is a key to some early acceptance in the marketplace.

What do you think is the key to running a successful jewelry business?


I think there are many keys and many different kinds of successful businesses. First, you must have work that strikes a chord in the audience. Second, use tried and true methods to reach your intended audience -- trade shows, trade publication coverage, consumer publication coverage, consumer advertising, celebrity placement. Third, perseverance. Fourth, willingness to learn from your mistakes.

What advice do you have for fledgling jewelry designers?

Design what you love. Find an audience. Decide what size business you want and GO FOR IT! What do you have to lose?


Jeanne's work can be found in over 40 stores throughout the country. She's grown her business to such an extent that she no longer makes the jewelry, but instead oversees a group of skilled artisans who see that her visions come to fruition. Jeanne Johngren seems to me to have reached the ultimate achievement of developing and marketing her jewelry passion into a viable and successful business. Hat's off to her!


Thanks for stopping by!
Sally