what is this RAD pack anyways??

I thought you'd never ask!
You probably know by now that I am one of a group of artists participating in the "Ring a Day" project.
in this practice of doing a ring a day there is a community of metalsmiths who have committed to making a ring every day this year...and with that you could guess that every once in a while we hit the creativity wall.

it happens like this- you wake up, have your coffee/tea/smoothie, walk into your studio, look around and kind of feel....un-inspired. AAACK! what to do what to do? well, here's where the RAD (ring a day) packs come in...ta daaa! rad pack to the rescue!

LOL, ok, maybe I've had too much coffee this morning...
To explain- the RAD pack is a bag of "mystery items", all wrapped up individually in kraft paper- in these little paper pods are objects donated to the artist from another artist- Items that the donor has perhaps had lying around their studio for a while, or things that they would like to see you respond to.
the rules are simple- NO PEEKING! (which includes fondling , shaking or x-raying the items)
the packet you pick for the day is yours to do with what you will....but it is meant as a source of inspiration. yes, you can smash it, burn it, set it, make fun of it, cover it in plastic, make an image with it...on and on...here's the thing- you are to use it as an inspiration for that day's ring.

basically, it lights a fire under your creative ass.
I've done a few RAD pack rings- yesterday I picked our a beautiful rectangular faceted smokey quartz-
which I immediately groaned and thought..."oh , I really don't want to make a formal setting today"
and then, I thought....Wait a second! I don't have to do anything formal- I just have to do what I want- make it my own- enjoy the hunt, the experience of creation....
as Old Blue Eyes said, "Do>Be>Do>Be>Do"
so...this is what I made....the Smokey Quartz is the rectangular stone- everything else were odds and ends from my studio. I loved the subdued rich color of the quartz, and paired it with a gorgeous little zig zag seashell I picked off the Beach a few years ago on the island of Elba. The jaunty attitude of the stone paired with the pearl, shell, and twisted silver is reminiscent of the fishing boats in the island-

I hope this explains the "RAD packs" - you can find other examples of Ring a day creations at the official ring a day Flickr photostream here: http://www.flickr.com/groups/rad2010/
I'm off to my studio now, to follow the muse
may the flux be with you- ciao- Maureen