Tucson Artist interview: Rameen Ahmed

For a new subject, I thought it would be interesting to introduce a few of my Tucson Artist friends!
The following is a short Q&A with my friend Rameen Ahmed.

MBZ: Rameen and I met while working at Krikawa, a local indie jeweler here in Tucson- where we worked as goldsmiths together for a few months. We have kept in touch over the years and have been able to enjoy time together recently as roommates at the 2012 SNAG conference. I consider her to be a good friend, and a fine metalsmith- her designs are whimsical, architectural and modern.
Here is her interview:

Me and Rameen at the SNAG conference in Scottsdale last spring

***************************************************************************
MBZ:How would you describe what you do as an artist?
RA:I take what I have learned in art and architecture and give it a 'wearable form'.

MBZ: what inspires your designs?
RA: Ideas, materials, mental acrobatics with form

MBZ: how long have you been involved in this type of making? (how did you start?)
RA: 10 years. Recent recollection of a long ago question, "What do you do with dolls?" Answer, "Play with them!" Mystified and proceeded to take apart my metal belt and making doll jewelry at age 7!!

MBZ: where are you located?( email if you want to share, or city/town that you live in)
RA: Tucson, Arizona. rameen@rameenahmeddesigns.com

MBZ: do you have a website?
RA: yes, it's at  www.rameenahmeddesigns.com

MBZ: what other ways do you market your work?
RA: Trunk Shows, Art Shows, Juried Submittals, Galleries, Membership(ADC, SNAG), Online Membership (LinkedIn, FaceBook, Crafthaus), Snailmail Postcards... working on making FB work page! (MBZ aside: Wow! that's great Rameen! you have to help me get more organized!)

MBZ: do you teach? if so, where?
RA: Mostly visual arts, architecture/landscape design. Part-time at Tucson Museum of Art, elementary & middle school - local Montessori & Rameen Ahmed Designs.

MBZ: Rameen, do you have any sage advice for newcomers that you would like to share?
RA: Yes! Let your passion lead you...

MBZ: where do you envision your work going in the next year? (artistic direction)
RA: Fearless deliberation, I hope!! By that I mean pushing ideas that are/have been percolating.

MBZ: anything else you would like to share? (your choice-how we met? What you wish for as a holiday gift? any good jokes? you can even put your flickr/twitter/blog links here too)
RA: One of the best parts of working at Krikawa was connecting with you and other 'benchers'. I do appreciate the opportunity to have improved my technical skills quite a bit at the bench there.
What else, let's see... I'm terrible at punch lines! But, here's one of my favorite quotes from the Dilbert Principle, "Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep."
MBZ: I love Dilbert! Thanks Rameen! :-)
Ciao, and May the Flux be with you! - Maureen

ps- yes, it was funny to work with someone who has a name that sounds like an echo of your own...Rameen, Maureen! LOL it's all good

New BLOG Title and address!

Hi there everyone-
I have decided to change my blog's name and address-
My new name is MBZ Metalsmith

and the new Address is http://MBZmetalsmith.blogspot.com .

I just decided that since my work is becoming considerably less about my production line (aka: Cosmo's Moon) and more about my artistic choices, that I should change the name to reflect the point of view.

Nothing is really changing as blog fodder however- I will continue to write about a variety of things that are important to me as an artist, a mother, an Arizonan, an eccentric and liberal practicalist.
I hope you all enjoy my posts- I certainly enjoy reading your comments!

thanks- Maureen


ps- pain update? the spinal cord stimulator did not work. I'm at the crossroads again and am looking in a few different directions to see if we can find an explanation for the pain and hopefully an end to it as well.

Metalsmiths Unite on the (internet) radio!

I'm going to be interviewed by Jay Whaley on Blogtalk radio Metalsmithing Benchtalk http://www.blogtalkradio.com/whaleystudios THIS THURSDAY at 3pm pacific time.
(I think this will be my 4th full interview- the other ones are archived in the Whaley studio channel on Blogtalk radio.)

This time I'll be talking about my metalsmithing Facebook group " Metalsmiths Unite" and how it has developed over the past 3+ years.

 I'd really love it if MU members came to the chat room during the interview- to ask questions, talk about Metalsmiths Unite/ Metalsmithing or if they just want to say "Hi." 

Please use the official chat room here:(this is the link to my interview)
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/whaleystudios/2012/06/21/metalsmith-benchtalk-with-maureen-bz-brusa-zappellini  

Don't be shy It's a lot of fun and a great way to connect!

Ciao for now- Maureen

Musings...

Heading to the hand/shoulder
expert on Monday-
cross fingers they will figure this out
ASAP.
Meanwhile, it's ice
every night and most of the day.
I believe I am turning into permafrost
or the tundra,
but where are the stinkin' reindeer?
*









Maureen Brusa Zappellini
Creative jewelry for creative people
http://cosmosmoonjewelry.etsy.com

Drinking Ironic Tonic

Well, the universe has a sense of humor. You may know that I've been struggling with chronic pain in my left shoulder and neck for the past year and a half, and how I've recently decided to try taking a break from the studio in order to really search for a cure and give my shoulder a break...

Now, I will admit, keeping me from the studio has proven to be almost impossible- One of my great joys in life is the hours of studio time I fit into my day. (In fact you could say I fit my days into my studio time..) I have come to realize that in order to keep from getting too depressed about my condition I really NEED to be in the Satori mind- the creative process and creative spirit support me: they are as vital to my health as breathing.

So- I've been puttering around my studio, but only doing no impact (no hammers) work....I was starting to think, "I can just make things that my body will let me make" and have been putting together a group of 8 pieces, which are almost finished..(image shows one of the pieces) I made them with almost no handtools, because my shoulder won't let me do much with my left hand.

Then, very unexpectedly, I won the Orchid Raffle!

What is Orchid?
Orchid is the social media (email q+a and discussions about metalsmithing) of one of the original metalsmithing websites, " Ganoksin.com "- I have been using this site since '98, when I first discovered it (I looked up how to make granules for granulation, an ancient metalsmithing technique)
Ganoksin is an incredible resource for the metalsmithing and jewelry community- It must have close to a million pages by now.... If you have never spent a few hours looking through Ganoksin I encourage you to try it- It's packed with information and eye candy.
"Orchid" is the name of the email forum in Ganoksin. 

Every year they raise funds by having a raffle- and every year I buy one or two tickets. I really love the metalsmithing community and believe in supporting our core services. This year I bought a ticket "early", in November, when flooding was at it's worst in Bangkok, Ganoksin's base. And this year...I won!

I ended up winning the grand prize, a very generous gift certificate for Rio Grande - one of the largest sellers of tools and supplies for the metalsmithing world!

And I still am in pain, and I still cannot do hardly anything- Whatever tools I get with the winnings are going to have to take me to a no impact studio. I'm thinking electro forming and torch- No stakes for me- I cannot use them now- (not even to kill vampires)

All the tools you want and no ability to use them now?
Karma is feeding me a little Ironic Tonic.
In any case, I am truly thankful for my incredible luck. The raffle winnings are a dream of any metalsmith- I am filled with Gratitude. Thank you Ganoksin! Thank You Rio Grande!!
and Thanks to my friends and family who have been so supportive
ciao- Maureen

Metalsmith Fashion

http://skreened.com/metalsmithstees/hammer-time

One of the things that I've been working on while I'm recuperating is making T shirt designs for my metalsmithing group "Metalsmiths Unite 2.0". (If you are a metalsmith and on facebook you may want to check out the group- it is really hopping!)

I've been enjoying this change of medium, and now want to share them with you- here is a link to this design, "Hammer Time"

The shop is called, "Metalsmithstees" and it is on Skreened.com . I am adding new designs, and announcing the new designs on the Metalsmiths Unite 2.0 wall. I have enjoyed having them to wear to the studio, and to the Tucson Gem show. (where I got some beautiful beautiful stones!)

Go check out Metalsmithstees at: http://skreened.com/metalsmithstees (and stay tuned for more designs)

ciao- Maureen

New Metalsmiths Unite Tees!

after thinking about it for a very long time I finally sat down tonight to create a Tee shirt design for my group "Metalsmiths Unite".

(if you don't know what Metalsmiths Unite is...the abbreviated version is that it is a metalsmithing community that I founded in 2008 on facebook. It's become a really interesting and dynamic community- one that merits cool tee shirts!)



Here is the link to the listing: http://skreened.com/metalsmithstees/mu-2-chain-and-flux?direction=asc&field=order&query=&start=0&count=20

I've got the design up on my new Shop I've opened on Skreened.com called "Metalsmithstees". I will be posting more designs soon! (including one with the original Metalsmiths Unite Bench Pin avatar!

ciao- M

DIY custom size your nose ring hoop

Custom Sizing your hoop-

want a slightly smaller nose ring hoop? there's no need to exchange/buy another one if you are ok with having me lead you through how to size it down yourself.....

Supplies Needed:
Nail clippers
Nail file
Pencil

1)trim a small (1/8” or less at a time) piece off of the un-balled end of your nose ring (use nail clipper- it should be strong enough to cut this thinness of silver)

2)once you have the perfect size use your nail file to sand the clipped end smooth

3) slip onto pencil point and bend your hoop closed again ( this will keep your round shape for you)

That should do the trick- I also have a little video on how to properly open and insert your nose ring - it's on YouTube at; http://youtu.be/Wk-z4JqOlhU


If you want a new sterling Nose ring hoop, I do have them always in stock in 22g and 20 g thicknesses- please visit my Etsy shop at: http://cosmosmoonjewelry.etsy.com to see what's in stock!

and if you want to keep up with my newest designs: 
Cosmo’s Moon Jewelry on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cosmosmoon

Ciao- Maureen

Stolen designs? Use Social media!

I'm involved in a few groups of highly talented jewelry designers and metalsmiths. Many of us sell our work online, or at least exhibit images of our work online. This leaves us vulnerable to be copied by big foreign "companies" that are trolling the internet and craft markets for designs to rip off. It is a big problem, for both the designer and the public who are duped by these scammers.

stop © theft in the arts!

Designers of course are being ripped off- their creativity being xeroxed and slapped on an inferior "product", which is equal to outright theft. Customers of these copycat outfits are partially to blame, because they have bought into the theft , lured by false promises and shoddy imitation. It's nothing new- Nike, Luis Vuitton, Chanel, Gucci, Pucci and Fiorucci have all had their designs stolen and sold on the street. The only real difference is that now the pirates are pillaging individual artists instead of corporations (which have the power of lawyers and the money to protect their goods and ideas).

What can a single artist do? Many of us are already undervaluing our work  and so doing are under paying ourselves. Even in good times thinking of coming up with thousands to commence a legal defense is usually out of the question.
What can we do? USE SOCIAL MEDIA to spread the word!

We are freshly entering a new era- Illustrated by global changes such as the Arab Spring and protest movements such as the Occupy movement.  One person can effectively disseminate information worldwide with very little effort in very little time.

One well written blog post that is shared, one tweet re-tweeted many times, posts in all group pages, across all social media platforms with links and images and discussions can be the starting point for illumination- We as artists can shine the light on this problem, flush out the cockroaches hiding in the corners and effectively educate and warn our communities and customers. All there needs to be is a plan.

So- this is what I propose- (as a start) ......
Anytime a piece is found to be illegally copied (ripped off) GET LOUD!
Post as many specifics that you can without opening yourself up for legal problems yourself (put the spotlight on the specific company/entity.)
Let other artists know what is going on-
ask for a re-post or re-tweet.
Artists- Re-post! the longer the chain of shares and re-tweets the more information is spread through the community, which will keep the conversation going, keep the community vigilant and bring us together as a force to be reckoned with.

Knowledge=Power

Above all- don't let the assholes get you down. Copycats have been around since the dawn of mankind, it's not going away. There is even a truism that says that copying is a form of flattery. (though someone who is losing business because of these rip off hyenas certainly isn't flattered, they are irate- for damn good reason!)

Power to the artists, come together as a community- let's keep this topic on the front burner and get organized to help protect our original designs!

And customers, remember- cheaper really does mean cheaper. If you value handmade, the artist has to get paid!

ciao- Maureen BZ
Founder, "Metalsmiths Unite!"

December news from the BZ Homestead

this pic is from a few years ago- an oldie but a goodie!

Hi Everyone-

FYI: Maureen needs mending
I am going in to the hospital on Thursday Dec 8 to have surgery on my 2 ruptured discs in my neck. (an artifact from my many years of being a test pilot for ornery ponies)
This will put me out of commission for a few weeks. I am going to keep my etsy shop open but will have some delay in shipping after this Thursday (I don't know how I will be feeling about standing in lines at the post office, so I will be bribing my best friend and Husband to take packages there for me...at least until the chocolate runs out)


RE: My holiday schedule for shipping/shop closure schedule........
(for http://cosmosmoonjewelry.etsy.com )
I will be closing for the Christmas break starting on Monday Dec 19th.  
LAST DAY FOR SHIPPING before Christmas is December 20.
I will re-open the shop on Monday December 26.
Thank you for all of your support this year- I really appreciate it- Have a wonderful Holiday season- Merry Christmas,Happy Hannukah, Happy Kwanzaa, Buon Solstice, Auguri and Cheers to you all
 <3 Maureen

November December news!

Open studio and Holiday Sales

---

---

Hi there- Now that the candy and costumes are behind us I thought I'd take the time to update you on the goings on here at Cosmo's Moon...

Cosmo's Moon studio has New designs for Fall/Winter 2011- This season I've added Sugar Skull designs (straight from the desert southwest) , Snails Lady bugs and Monster heads (for great kid's gifts) a beautiful Cuff bracelet featuring scenes from the Holidays in Florence Italy (available in Brass, White bronze, and Steriling Silver -by special order) and for our foodie friends a Bottle and Goblet design called "in Vino Veritas" (In wine, truth).

Plus, of course I also have a new collection of my classic strap bracelet, cuffs and chain bracelets, a variety of gear pendants, unique handmade rings and one of a kind designs.

In November I will have a few events that you may want to mark on your calender.

the first it the annual Tucson Open Studio Tour, which takes place Nov 12 + 13 from 11-5pm both days. I will be there in my garden studio (which will get it's annual cleaning for the occasion) and I'll have a large selection of work for sale - in fact, this is kind of the preview to my larger sale (at the Tucson Museum of Art ) the next weekend. I will have the largest inventory during Open Studios - If you have your eye on something, you may want to pounce Now or during the Open studio event- because after Open Studios, I'll be at the Tucson Museum of Art annual Artisan's Marketplace (the TMA sale) for three days of busy craft market!

The TMA sale will be held from

Nov 18, 2011 through Nov 20, 2011
10:00 am - 5:00 pm

New this year! Tucson Museum of Art's annual Holiday Artisans' Market is newly expanded featuring more artisans, food vendors, a kids play area, a live music stage, and more! Museum galleries featuring the highly anticipated exhibition: Who Shot Rock & Roll: A Photographic History, 1955 to the Present will be free and open to the public all weekend. Bring the whole family for a fun filled afternoon at the Museum!

The following weekend ( November 24-27th) is Thanksgiving weekend- I will be enjoying this with my friends and family in Tucson this year. I will have work available for sale by appointment only on "Black Friday" and throughout the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend. If you want to schedule an appointment to come and shop at my studio please contact me at MBZmetals724@gmail.com and we can set a time and date!

And my final sales event this season will happen on Saturday December 3rd at the Tucson Waldorf School's Holiday Craft fair. This event is near and dear to my heart- Our son Cosmo goes to this wonderful school, and I cannot say enough about how much we love it there. This fair will be a perfect outing for the family- there will be games and activities for children, handmade crafts and family friendly homespun entertainment. This event is also a great opportunity to learn about the school and to see the beautiful new buildings on the River road campus.

After all of those events, I will be taking a break, taking care of myself and family - and will have my work available only through my online shop at http://cosmosmoonjewelry.etsy.com through the Holiday season.

Dates to remember:
Nov 12-13....................Tucson Open Studio Tour
Nov  18-20...................Tucson Art Museum Artisan's Marketplace
Nov 24.........................Thanksgiving
Nov 25- Dec 2..............by appointment and online sales
Dec 3...........................Tucson Waldorf school Craft Fair
Dec 4- 20.....................online sales (mailed in time for Christmas)

Thank you for your interest in my Creations!
Edgy, earthy, handmade jewelry direct from the artist's studio.
Indie design meets old world craftsmanship and quality,
influenced by the beauty of Arizona's Sonoran desert and the cobblestone streets of Florence Italy...that's Cosmo's Moon.

ciao- Maureen Brusa Zappellini- owner, designer, metalsmith

Tucson, we have a problem

well, I have a problem. This past year I've been struggling with pain issues due to a couple of ruptured discs in my neck. It has forced me to rein in my activities some, and I've dropped a few projects (Box a Month was one casualty).
At this point I've done everything non surgical to try to get relief from the pain that is coming from a pinched nerve(s) on my left side. It has made my left arm numb and increasingly painful. After exhausting all other therapies it is evident that I either live with constant nauseating pain or I go under the knife for a discectomy.

my "good side"

I have an appointment with a pain specialist this week, and surgery scheduled for early December (which may get moved up if they can't find a way to make me somewhat comfortable between now and then)
I just wanted to let you know what was going on- I know I haven't been posting much on my blogs lately, and this is the reason why.
I'll be fine I'm sure- but until then- I've got to rest and take care of myself so I can be a good mom for my sweet kiddo.
ciao- Maureen the ruptured disc queen

red hook

red hook , a photo by cosmosmoonjewelry on Flickr.

Here I am Modeling my embossed and spray-painted aluminum "hook" earrings- They are a new style that I'm really loving to make (and wear) I love big earrings, but don't like the feeling of being dragged down by heavy earrings. I can recall some very sore earlobes in the '80's when I wore a pair of big blue glass and brass earrings that were amazing, but super super heavy. That was 20+ years ago and I STILL remember it!
These earrings are also versatile - they can be worn hooked front (like here) or back- and because they are aluminum they are big but LIGHT! (sterling silver ear wires)
I'm listing a few of these tonight (in red and green (they glow in the dark too!)
I mean, come on....who doesn't like Glow in the dark? :-)
I hope you are having a great summer- We are facing 111* here in Tucson tomorrow... I am setting up the pool tonight!

Confession and regrets

OK- it's been about a week since the SNAG conference in Seattle- last week at this time I was dining with a group of fabulous people from the conference in a great restaurant- trying to figure out what exactly a "dunkle" was..(lol, I still don't quite know, but I think it's like a turkey duck chicken thing)

Anyways- I'm writing this because I have a regret and confession- While I did go to the SNAG conference I feel like I really didn't even see half of the speakers- and I don't know why! Well, one thing was that I was kind of at the end of a longer trip- I went up early to teach a class...by the end of the week I was missing my family and dog really acutely. so, there's homesickness... And then my !!*^)^?***&(* neck started acting up again. (disc issues, long boring store- suffice to say OUCH!)

I'm really baffled how I could have gone to the conference- and not have seen so many things! I don't know- I think I kind of "checked out" when I saw how many people were there (over 900 attended).
I don't like crowds- but I've never been really phobic (I don't think) but maybe that had something to do with it- feeling a little displaced, hurting and kind of tired....OY VEY I'm kind of angry with myself for missing out on so many tidbits!

well- I did have a really good time- Maybe the trick will be to actually stay IN THE SAME HOTEL as the conference- even though I was only about 5 blocks away it was a disconnect- perhaps I could have left my heavy laptop in my room and returned every once in a while if I needed.

Le so< I guess what I want to say is- I'm sorry I didn't get to see/do everything I wanted- and I know there were more than a few people I really wanted to connect with but for some reason didn't. 

OK- now that this is off of my brain I'm going to stop beating myself up about it and move ahead- Next year is the Phoenix conference- and I'm working on getting a few things together for that one- I will stay at the hotel- will most likely have my hubby and son with me and if we can- I'm bringing my Daisy dog too- she's my rock.

If I missed you at the conference- sorry- I hope you had a delightful time! And I'll look forward to seeing you online , at the Yuma Symposium, and/or in Phoenix next May!
ciao ciao for now- Maureen
PS- have you heard the Whaley studios interviews from the conference?
Jay did a great job chatting with a bunch of interesting SNAGsters-
I even got a shot at the mike- My interview is about 3/4 of the way through the DAY2 interviews (right after Rachel Timmins and before Andrea and Les from NC Black) check out all the interviews Here

Facebook Flubs it again

Dear Facebook users-

Click the image to go to the "original" Metalsmiths Unite group

re: the archiving of your already established group....(I just went through this with my group of over 1200 members, Metalsmiths Unite)

if you are an administrator of a "group to be archived"
I just wanted to let you know how the whole thing worked out for us- because you may save yourself a lot of hassle in the long run.
last week:

• we were informed that our page was to be archived

• and told that if we didn't update that we would lose all of our members and most of our recent posts.

• then we weren't given an "update" button for our group- only a link to making a new page.

Not having a date of when they would archive the page led me to believe it could happen at any time- and that I would lose the membership and information that our group had accumulated over the past 3 years....

So......I made a new group- invited my friends, notified all the members of the old group....and started re-establishing the community.....

Click on this image to go to the "new" Metalsmiths Unite 2.0 group

a week went by....and guess what? Facebook then added an "upgrade" button to the original group- making all of the re-organization absolutely a waste of time, and essentially dividing my "metalsmiths Unite" group.  (Which is now cut in two- as "Metalsmiths Unite" and Metalsmiths Unite 2.0)

Needless to say I am really irked by the way Facebook fumbled this transition- if they had given a schedule to the upcoming archiving I wouldn't have been afraid of losing my group, and if they had put an upgrade button on the group in the first place I wouldn't now be sitting on a divided group.
And I know for a fact that there are many many more groups out there that are going through the same thing-
it's as if Facebook had NO CLUE as to how to transition to a new format- and no clue as to haw to inform their users how to make the transition.

They yelled "Fire" into a crowded theater....waited as  people panicked, blew out the candle then opened the exit doors

Nice job, Facebook.

BZ BZ busy

I've had a few topics lately I wanted to blog about- The Japan disaster, the rising cost of metals, the digital submission process...among others...
so, I'm jotting this down now- that way , once I'm finished doing all of this extra work in my studio I'll actually get some time to sit down and really write.
It's all a balancing act these days...I'm getting work ready for a show in April (Seedboat gallery in Silver City NM- opening April 1st) an open studio (mid April) Tucson fashion week (end of April) and the SNAG conference in Seattle (end of May). Plus, I've picked up an unexpected teaching gig, and I'm working for a local Opal dealer by making bezels.

New castings March 2011

OH, and yesterday I got my new castings back from the casting house (not like I have any time to finish them....)
I've always thought my initials sounded like "am busy" MBZ....
I think there's a conspiracy here! LOL

OK- I'm off to make some money for travel this summer-

Ring a day- Il Maestro

Titled "Il Maestro" extravagant gestures and impeccable taste for drama envelop
this phantom's being.

Made from Pewter, a broken skull bead and a bit of enamel paint- this is the ring for today..... (the ring shank is his bowed legs- fits size 8 (american)
"tis the season!

New website!

Handcrafted Confections

Cosmo's moon jewelry.com is still active, but I have decided to have my main website be at http://mbzmetals.com instead.
After struggling with loading  (on the phone with my website midwife tech support for 1 1/2 hours last night) it magically decided to crown this morning  and it is now a newborn website on our vast internet cosmos.
(see, clever huh, beginning and ending with the word Cosmo....) :-)

confection Sept 20 # 120

confection Sept 20 # 120
Originally uploaded by cosmosmoonjewelry

Here's a ring that's not a ring- it is, in fact a piece that I did in order to have a good photo representation of my work...and that's the complicated part...

Which work? the production steampunk granola goth work that I sell on Etsy? the whimsical found object stuff I show in galleries? the painted work? the formal jewelry? and let's not forget the pewter...

the story of my career- I am in many places at once- and sometimes it's hard to really pinpoint a category. Even back when I was a "painter" I was a "sculptor" as well- often building up forms in Styrofoam wood and cardboard as I painted..kind of like Frank Stella- but not as gigantic.

Anyhow- I see in this piece a correlation to many different angles of my work- some whimsy, a little goth, a touch of sculpture and painting as well. The piece is a brooch(horizontal and vertical) that can also be worn horizontally as a pendant. It's for an Ad in a magazine, so I'm going to bring it to a pro photographer for a glamor shot... No Hallmark filter please! LOL

It's as if my work has finally started to settle into a groove..and I'm excited to see where this integrated path leads!

Social Media and the arts

 Interviews and podcasts....
Whaley studios is a jewelry and metalsmithing school in San Diego Ca. For a little over a year they have been broadcasting interviews and discussions with metalsmiths, jewelers and leaders in the world of crafts and metalsmithing services.

Yesterday I did my 3rd interview- with Greg Masters, the media guru of Whaley Studios. The subject was social media- and how important it is as a tool for metalsmiths and craftspeople. The sound quality of the podcast is iffy at first, but it improves as the discussion goes along, at around 20 minutes in...
you can download and listen to the archived podcast at:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/whaleystudios/2010/09/09/metalsmith-benchtalk-with-maureen-bz-brusa-zappellini

You can also search the podcast archive for interviews with metalsmithing notables such as
Michael David Sturlin, Charles Lewton Brain, Harriete Estel Berman, Wendy Rosen (of the Rosen group's Niche magazine and shows), Andy Cooperman, S.N.A.G.'s Executive Director Dana Singer...
etc etc...
(I like to upload these podcasts to my ipod and listen to them while I work at my bench)
enjoy the show!