TEACHING & GUINEA PIGS...

(I broke this post up into 3 parts... it's a freakin' book, sorry... if you'd like to follow along, I've posted them in reverse order so you read them from the top down, like a book, because I'm posting them all @ once)

As me & my work continue to evolve & get more exposure, I have people asking me if I teach. Teach?? I'd LOVE to teach! I've been told that I have "this way" about me... nurturing, encouraging. I like to share & I love to see others "get it"!

BUT...I don't really know if I CAN teach. You know what I mean?
Some people are amazing @ what they do..... okay, let's just say that I'M amazing @ what I do, LOL, it doesn't mean that I have what it takes to teach people how to do it, does it? I'm a little ADD (yeah, just a little!!!) & words, descriptions or directions don't necessarily flow freely & easily from my mouth at times.... so I just don't know. You know?

So..the more people who ask, the more I want to know if I can & realize that the only way to know is just to do it, right??

I wrote a post a while ago about Robin Koza & Carol Watson, who I met @ The Bead & Button Show... we made a great trade & started a fun friendship. Well, Robin posted a beautiful etched copper cuff on Facebook as well as some etched copper sheets... they were FABULOUS & I couldn't stop myself from contacting her about wanting to buy some of the sheets or make some sort of trade again. I totally could see me incorporating these etched copper pieces into my work. Somewhere along the way I said something about some "Julie torch time", (Robin had told me after B&B that she wanted to take my first class, no matter where or when it happened!) ...turns out that's what we were going to trade!! :o) Carol contacted me a short time later to say "I want to come, too!"

Panic!!! I'm not set up to teach one person, let alone two, in my studio...plus it's a disaster... what to do? I'm thinking..."is there anywhere in between me (Minnesota) & them (Indiana) where we can meet & torch?" Seems while I was worrying about this, Robin & Carol were talking & came up w/ a fabulous plan!! Robin asked me if I was interested in having them flying me out to them? They had a local teaching studio where they could rent torch time & we could all torch together. FABULOUS! FABULOUS! FABULOUS!!! Definitely cheaper for them to fly me out, I could stay in Robin's guest suite (made for a Queen!) & we could spend the weekend learning from eachother. Needless to say, I didn't hesitate saying YES!!

So we made a list of what they want to learn from me. I'm checking out their websites & see that they've taken classes from MULTIPLE fabulous glass artists, way beyond anything I've ever done AND they both teach a variety of classes!! I'm thinking "what in the world could I possibly teach them that they don't already know? Am I really going to bring anything to the table?" They reassured me that I would be. :o)

On their list:

• Big Disc Beads
• Shaping tips & techniques
• Hints on working w/ silver glass
• My thoughts on Color Theory
• Making glass acorns & electroforming them
• Showing them how to put together an expanded electroforming setup
• Kaleidoscopes
• Copper display tree

My message back to them:
"I'm so glad that you're both excited about this... I am, too!! I'm just hoping that you aren't expecting more than I can bring to the table! :o) I'm not this brilliant lampworker, you know I've never taught before... I don't even know if I can or SHOULD teach, LOL... I probably have really bad habits that I shouldn't be passing on to others, :o) ...I don't know if I do or not, but you never know! I probably could teach you alot about covering up mistakes, LOL... I'm really good at that! :o)

I also use an electric mandrel spinner...it's my crutch... I don't know if I can turn a mandrel by hand anymore. :o) Actually, I know that I can, LOL...you just work much hotter w/ a spinner, so I'd have to adjust [when working manually]. Do either of you have an electric mandrel spinner... or are either of you interested in learning how to use one? I know Carol likes to make utensil handles... this is why I bought my spinner in the first place... it cuts down my base bead making time, probably by more than half... and it makes pretty much perfectly balanced (centered) beads w/out much effort. I've turned more than a few long distance friends onto them... but then I'm not there to help them figure it out, so I know it's been frustrating for at least one or two of them. That is one of the ideas I have for a class I'd like to teach...the ins & outs of a mandrel spinner... & then making large beads for functional pieces (using the spinner). I talked to Scott Bouwens (Bearfoot Art Glass) at B&B about setting me up w/ a classroom set of spinners & rolling marvers... we still need to work it out, I certainly won't be ready to buy them by December, though. So... if either of you have ever wanted one of these, now's the time so I can give you all of my tips & tricks. (Scott has a 6-8 week lead time on these right now. No, they're not cheap... but boy, mine paid for itself almost instantly. Make sure you pick up the small sized brass rolling marver, too... really essential to have w/ the spinner.

Gosh... your list of what you want to learn... I'm laughing, because I've been able to get really good at these things BECAUSE of the mandrel spinner. LOL. Shaping: mandrel spinner... large discs: mandrel spinner. :o) I only started making those large discs recently & they're pretty much a breeze w/ the spinner.... I'm sure I can do them w/out... but why? LOL.

Color theory, eh? That would mean I actually have to have deep thoughts on the subject, doesn't it? You forget, I'm ADD. :o) I know somewhat what I like... I play, if it works it works & I use it... over & over & over again, LOL, if it doesn't I move on. We can talk it through, though... discussion & feedback is a good thing.

Silver glass.... I have a bunch of silver glass that I can't get to do squat... I find ones that like me & I work w/ them. :o) This is a work in progress for me, hit & miss at times... I might be able to teach you guys some things, but I can't guarantee that you don't already know everything I do!

Did I change your mind? :o) I think as long as we all go into this as a great learning experience for all, we'll be good.

This is good for me, too... I like the idea of just a few "students" at first...how do you guys feel about being my guinea pigs? :o)"

So....that's what we did!! I'll tell you all about THAT in my next post... this is already a book. :o)

GUINEA PIGS, CONTINUED...

So...continuing on w/ this book, ;o)

We kind of kept this to ourselves... I definitely wanted to keep the "class" to a bare minimum... they're so cute... they seem to think that if word got out that it could get out of hand or something.... like I'm a superstar or something. LOL. Yeah, uh-huh.

The first evening I was there, Robin pulled out her beads & we had a little consultation. This was really a cool thing... really good for both of us. She started out by saying that she just wasn't feeling like she had found her voice in beadmaking yet & that when she looks @ her beads she sees the styles of those that she's learned from. She wasn't loving her color combinations & just wasn't sure where to go next. We were able to talk about the positives & negatives in certain beads & it was really cool because I really felt like I was able to read her really well & was able to give her some valuable input. It was good & honest & constructive. I gave her some steps that she should take next & I hope it will put her on the right path to finding her beadmaking voice.

We were off to a good start. This was really good... eye opening for myself, really. Gave me a little bit more confidence in what I have to offer.

Problem-solving. It's really what I've done for as long as I can remember. As an interior designer, I problem solved, it was my job. I have an eye for shape & proportion... I definitely know what colors work or don't work when I see them. I can look @ something & see what might or might not be working right & what can be tweaked. Maybe that's something I can offer to others??

The next morning before we started torching, I did the same thing w/ Carol & her beads and then we got to work!

We met @ Boca Loca Beads, a beautiful retail bead shop & lampworking studio owned by Jari Sheese. What a neat lady. We walked in the door & I think it was Robin who says "Jari, this is Julie Nordine, she's famous." LOL. OMG, how funny is that?? I, of course, laughed & balked! They're so funny...THEY know me & think I'm famous because they know me. I don't think very many people know me... & even if they did, they wouldn't think I was famous. :o)

A friend of theirs, Barb Collins, came along for the ride because she had an electric mandrel spinner (EMS) & needed some one-on-one time w/ someone who knew the ins & outs of it. Both Robin & Carol were able to borrow EMS's from friends (Barb has two! I heard she has a thing for tools & glass!!) so I could show them the ins & outs, too. They all picked it up like THAT, which was really cool because there is DEFINITELY a learning curve w/ the EMS. When I started thinking about teaching classes w/ the EMS, someone asked me how long it took me to figure it out & I said about a week & they asked what makes me think I could teach a class how to use one in just a day or two? (& end up w/ something that they produced from it!) Good point!! It made me think... gave me a little doubt, too, ...

But the ladies proved to me that by having me explain throughout my demoing... being able to watch me & ask questions, then having me watch them in action & giving them instant feedback on what to tweak, etc, it really shortens that learning curve immensely. I DO believe, however, that you should have some beadmaking experience under your belt before learning how to use an EMS. You REALLY need to know how to manage molten glass, get the feel of it, know how it moves & how to control that movement before you take this tool on, otherwise you'll really feel like things are just out of control.

I showed them a variety of my bead styles, various techniques & color combos & they just played. They did great. It was really informal... more about showing them techniques & having them play w/ the techniques rather than specific bead styles... completely opposite of what you get w/ a REAL lampwork teacher, LOL.

Obviously it will take more thought & planning for me to put together an actual class, but this was a really great learning experience for all of us.

I CAN TEACH. I can teach... I'm pretty darn sure I can teach.

& I loved it.

Next post...the rest of the weekend. (it was a LONG weekend!)

THIS IS WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT...

In my 1/2/08 post "IT TAKES MONEY TO MAKE MONEY", when I talked about purchasing my new Electric Mandrel Spinner (EMS) from Scott Bouwens of Bearfoot Art, talking about his "how to" videos, I said that "I was watching these clips just about to crap, realizing how helpful these tools would be for all of the large handled pieces I've been making. It takes me probably 15+ minutes, depending on the piece, just to get my base bead made before I can even start embellishing it... it's a ton of glass & it take lots of time to get the glass centered & shaped & all that jazz & you just watch how effortless it is for Scott to marver a big wad of glass into shape, etc."

Well...Scott posted all of his EMS videos to YouTube a week ago (on my suggestion??? I mentioned that he should do that when I ordered my EMS!) & I just have to post the one that sold me...



Here's where the rest of Scott's videos are posted on YouTube.

Anyway...it's a really slick tool. I've really enjoyed working w/ it. It definitely helps get things in order relatively quickly...if only the glass melted faster. :o)

IT TAKES MONEY TO MAKE MONEY...

RIGHT?? Please say yes. :o)

A few weeks ago I spent a bunch of money on a new [larger] kiln & today I "invested" in some incredible tools that should help cut my bead making time WAY DOWN as well as possibly make me a better glass artist (can I get any better?? LOL!). I purchased an Electric Mandrel Spinner from Scott Bouwens of Bearfoot Art, as well as his Double Barrel Rolling Marvers & a set of his Ultimate Hand Stabilizers. This is a serious chunk of change for someone just starting out in this business, but I've seen these in action in person (via Scott @ the Gathering) & if you go to his website & check out his video clips, you'll see what I mean. I'm watching these clips just about to crap, realizing how helpful these tools would be for all of the large handled pieces I've been making. It takes me probably 15+ minutes, depending on the piece, just to get my base bead made before I can even start embellishing it... it's a ton of glass & it take lots of time to get the glass centered & shaped & all that jazz & you just watch how effortless it is for Scott to marver a big wad of glass into shape, etc. I looked at these videos & thought "how could I NOT get these tools?" It would be foolish. I think they'll pay for themselves in probably less than a month, if not less.

Anyway...I'm not trying to convince you, LOL, even my husband, who is already nervous about the amount of money this "little" venture has consumed ("I thought you said it was going to be a few tools & a litte bit of glass..."), said to me tonight as we were checking out Scott's site & videos, "looks like you need to give this guy a whole bunch of money". It was pretty obvious. I was even getting a little bit choked up w/ the conflict of "do I dare? vs. how can't I?"

It's gonna be worth it.