Puppy Bliss

 It's a New Puppy ("Sugar Pie" or "Pi 3.14" )for the Brusa Zappellini family!                                         Here are the first moments of puppy bliss with her new BFF Daisy Doodle Brusa Zappellini.             It looks like a great match!

I Know, Don't I?

The garden of techniques in metalsmithing is vast and fascinating- Keep on exploring!

There are so many things to learn in Metalsmithing, and so many ways to get things done- I think the most important thing to learn is to use your noodle when you have a new problem- TRY not to rely on doing things the way they are "supposed" to be done (according to whom?) and instead learn how to do things the way YOU can envision things will logically work.
Of course, this tool- self confidence- comes with time and trial and errors. We all make them- it's the wise 'smith who keeps the lessons we learn ourselves to be used for future "problems".....
Yeah, I cringe when students come to the table with "I know"- because you can never be sure from where they have acquired their Knowledge.
Arrive every day at the bench with the spirit of "maybe I don't know" and you can be assured that you will learn something. Even if it is that you learn that you really really DO Know!
ya know?

Jobs, Creativity and Balance

soldering production pieces

How does one find the time to work in the studio... to have the creative energy.... after being stuck at work in a JOB all day?
One of my friends online asked today about how anyone finds the time to do work in their studio after they do their job...and if anyone else had to take boring jobs to get by while they still wished they could be creative and working in the studio...

the BZ family was founded in a Café, over espresso...

Boredom on the job??
that's pretty much how I've always made my bread and butter- just farming out my skills- as a set of hands...no creativity, I've worked as a production jeweler in various jobs- making silver forged chain, piecing together castings, cabs, and beads, making mokume, sizing rings, and now, when I am feeling strong enough, I make silver and gold pendants and earrings for a local gem cutter. Pretty stones, real pretty stones, but I'm not doing MY work, and that just irks me.

Yawn, but no coffee
Boring, yes, but I'm able to work in my field of interest, and it beats the heck out of working in cafés.(which is what I would do when I couldn't find a metals job) Working in these jobs also gave me experiences that I wouldn't have encountered if I just stayed with doing my work- I learned much about production work, about technical prowess and keeping my workspace organized. As a Barista I know how to make a pretty decent cappuccino, and I DID meet my husband while working in one of those cafés...so I guess that more than makes up for the boredom in that job...

How do I deal with the lack of time??
well. time can be pretty elusive.while I am super busy I try to do things that fit my lack of time- a couple years ago I made a series of tin foil brooches while I was too busy with everything...and my son thought that it was just brilliant, so I felt good that I inspired him in the process...

I guess there isn't really a single way to answer these questions- It's all about keeping on your toes, trying to learn something useful even when you don't see anything redeemable about the situation.
It's that Balance thing again. keep moving and adjusting to your reality- No resting on your bonny bon doon!
ciao- M

I want a Pony

Cosmo riding Trouble

Pain be damned!
When I saw the deal for trail rides at a great price in Groupon last month I just couldn't resist. It was my first Groupon, actually.
I had not been on a horse in 3 years, and that last time was just me doing an hour -walk- trot- canter- reverse- walk- trot- canter...nothing interesting, just seeing if I <> (I did- you see, I used to ride competitively on a regular basis- it was my thing---other than art)

This time I simply wanted to get on the back of a horse. I missed it, and I needed a little visit. I rode, enjoyed it- and was totally OK with staying at a walk. (for the first time since I was 9 LOL)

I wanted to make sure Cosmo got to scratch that Irish itch that I know he has. A primal love of horses. Like mother like son, we both just love them (though I got an extra huge helping of the crazy juice! thankfully he isn't half as horse crazed as I was at his age).

At the least it's Much le$$ expen$ive that way~~~~
I mean, really! did you know that lessons cost around 40-50/hr around here; Cowgirl country? home of the get along little doggie? It is! You have to be rich or crazy or both to afford lessons...not to mention the H-O-R-S-E itself! Not the actual price of the horse, (which I admit can be pretty steep...especially when we start talking about "Olympic Dressage horses..." and such) but what about that UPKEEP? A Set of shoes? Vet Bills? Feed? it all adds up.....
AND  hay is super expensive now too, In Arizona and the West especially because of the drought-  it's not like we have lush grasslands here in the desert.. Unlike how it was where and when I grew up, when it seemed every family had at least one funky broken down pony- now it's rare are the little kids with ponies..except for the lucky few who are born into Sonoita ranching families.
**ahhhh Nostalgia** if wishes were horses!
So, I'm counting on Groupon, and/or hoping that maybe I could qualify for some sort of theraputic riding program in Tucson...Anyone know any that take adults with nerve damage and no money?
:-) Still, (being the suburban girl who grew up dreaming to be a cowgirl) I believe Cosmo needs exposure to horses- (as much as possible)
I will be promoting every True horse opportunity possible- because I honestly believe that horses taught me some of the most important things in my life- They are like my "guri" for they almost all possess huge amounts of helpful generosity that is quite a gift!
Don't fret. I still haven't unpacked my fringe chaps. this is simply a possible scenario. Fact is, I enjoy working in my art studio so much that I found that I ultimately had to make a choice. Do I choose
the grit from the riding trail or do I choose the grit from the sanding sticks?
Art won.
And Horses are still Beautiful.
(and I still want a Pony)