When I don’t know what to do first…

…I start with drilling rocks. After a good two weeks away from my studio, there are so many things I want to do, I am paralyzed by indecision. The best thing I can do is drill holes in rocks. I can never have too many to choose from, and it calms my mind to make slow but steady progress on something. There is not much creativity in pressing the lever of a drill press, peck after peck after peck, to work my way through a beach rock. But with each and every pebble I think about how I will use it, or what colors I have to combine with it, or how happy I’ll be to have so many drilled and waxed rocks to choose from when I am sitting down to make new necklaces. By doing something uncreative, I am opening my mind to ideas.

 

Sometimes there is even a reward to just leaving drilled rocks hanging around on the counter overnight.

 

10 Comments

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10 responses to “When I don’t know what to do first…

  1. holly

    i love the way you use the groupings of 3 flats….they always catch my eye….

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  2. Cute note!

    I love your pieces with the beach rocks – they are beautiful!

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  3. That is a lot of drilling! But how wonderful they look when you finally use them in a piece. Lovely!

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    • Barb Fernald

      Thanks so much Roberta. I think it would be a good thing to hire someone to do some of the drilling, but then I think of how much designing I get done while I’m drilling. It takes a while, but I get a lot out of it.

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  4. LeAnn

    I quite agree that there really isn’t anything like doing a repetitive task to get your mind filled with creative thoughts. Happy new year!

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  5. Susan White

    Drill baby drill! xoS

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    • Barb Fernald

      Ha ha. I’m actually missing Sarah Palin lately with the over exposure of Republican bozos. I wonder if she’s hoping to be someone’s running mate? Yeesh.

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