Love & Creativity
Happy February fellow sparkle-lovers! Before I get into the core of this journal post, let’s take a minute to appreciate the February birthstone, amethyst. If all you know are the pale purple, somewhat cloudy ‘commercial’ grade gems found in most chain store jewelry, you might not love amethyst. Did you know that the two main sources of amethyst, Brazil and various African countries, provide different colors of purple? Brazilian amethyst tends to be lighter in color, while African amethyst is usually a deeper, more saturated purple. If you like a bright lavender sparkle, go for Brazilian amethyst! If you want to get lost in the richest royal purple, choose African amethyst. Amethyst can also be found in a few locations here in the US. Here are three beautiful amethyst gemstones that I have in stock right now: L to R they are from Africa, Brazil, and Arizona. All different, and all gorgeous!
Left to Right: African, Brazilian, and Arizona (US) amethysts
Here is what I really wanted to write about today- the OTHER ubiquitous February topic (at least in the jewelry world): Valentine’s Day. Do you love to celebrate love, hate the commercial pressure to show your love through money, or shun the day entirely? Me, I’m somewhere in the middle of them all. I do like to celebrate my love for my husband, children, friends, and myself and use this day as an excuse to let them (and myself) all know this. Instead of using a purchase, however, I tend to use creativity. Making something is always how I’ve shown my love. We make home-made Valentines in our family (I usually try to put a pun of some kind in my kids’ valentines to make them smile), and like to make heart-shaped cookies also. I create heartfelt words to tell my friends how much I love and appreciate them. And to honor my love for myself I like to set aside a little time to let my creativity rise up and flow. Just for fun.
Like many people in a ‘artistic’ job, my creativity is usually used within a tight set of parameters. My jewelry designs must be something that people will like to wear, they must be technically sound, and they must make economic sense to produce. My custom work (and don’t get me wrong, I LOVE making custom designs) uses my skills to create a design that fits others’ preferences. And then there are all the other aspects of running a business that have nothing to do with creativity and can easily, if allowed, suck up any and all ‘free’ time one might have. This is why somewhere around this time of year, when the daylight is lengthening, the chickadees are starting to sing, and there is all this talk of love, I carve out some time to create. I do my best (and it is a difficult practice!) to let go of artistic expectations, to-do lists, and practicality and explore what it means to create something just because I want to. I try, just for a few hours, to let go of my notions of success and indulge my imagination. It might still be a jewelry idea, it might be painting, it might be singing. I am not particularly good at the last two (especially the last one) but I do enjoy them. So I give myself permission to create without judgement and bring just a little more love into the world.
Late-Night Creativity Session
Painting wings on my studio door… not perfect, but FUN and JOYFUL!
Take a minute to think: what increases your love for yourself and makes you glow? What meaningful ways can you show those important to you that you care? Maybe its a gift, maybe its a hug. Or maybe its shown throughout the year and not particularly on one day. Cheers to love in all its forms! and to sparkles!
Tossy