SWITCHING PRACTICES

stations, methods. Pomadoro technique, work flow, flow through disciplines

Over the past few days, I have set up my studio for some bead work and a sewing project. There was a time in the great hustle, where I was regularly making accessories and jewelry for Canadian stylist Georgia Groom’s seminal early 2000’s Dundas Street shop Georgie Bolesworth in Toronto, Canada. I was in my twenties and was willing to try anything. I love thinking back on those days. Early entrepreneurship, and in such an on the ground way. I have been craving a get back to textile/jewelry design and even have a couple of clothing patterns drafted and in the wings. I have a logo. I have a designer making me templates for hang tags and fabric sew in tags. I am savouring the build.

Since the portraits are all finished for a spell, I had in mind to make more of my signature necklaces, and to try to get a pattern done for a kerchief/headpiece idea that has been rolling around in my head for aeons. I wanted to re-oil the machine so to speak. I set up a beading station on my office table, and transformed my studio table into a cutting table and off I went. I see sewing/jewelry design as a palette clearing of whatever has just transpired in my studio. A little bit of sorbet in between courses. It has never really become a main practice, but I could see this as a small sustained practice. I would love to elevate it to a place where my designs are sold in shops again, and I do still have some connections to some lovely ones in Toronto, so you never know. Back in the day, I almost got an earring design of mine into Holt Renfrew. I went through a lot of the process, but in the end the sales team thought they were too weird to sell there. LOL. They probably were.

The dream is still there, but to mount such an enterprise is a full stop change of direction—or at least a large front loaded planning of a work flow that makes sense. This is the biggest struggle—to set up a means of production that is thought through and reliable. It requires testing and the patience to iron out snags and challenges. This first part of the process is daunting. It is easy to avoid it and not commit.

I think that keeping things to a capsule, and creating the branding and socials for a little line of clothing and accessories would be a fun design exercise and is one that I may just take on. The first step in this little side hustle is to accustom myself to the design process again. So, this foray into setting up the studio is important. It is a beginning. It is an energetic holding of something and is a challenging time, but also an exciting one.

I am a station girl. A rotator. It is the biggest win in my studio, if I have a painting set up, a textile project easily reached for, my computer and mss on my opium couch set up ready to go. My mind likes options. I am a fan of the Pomadoro technique, which is a way to manage tasks and create work flow with dedicated time segments and delegated breaks. Shifts of work. Little chunks. I seem to really thrive in this kind of a work environment. If I am able to flow in all of my creative pursuits, and am able in some way to touch them all over the course of a day, it is so wonderful. I feel very fulfilled with this kind of diverse and rich studio practice. Needless to say, I am good at being alone. I have had a busy summer, and am looking forward to getting back into my routine. Morning swims, followed by work on my book in the morning at Camp Coffee with one of their insane coffee tonics (so good omg), a lunch break with my pups, and a rotating studio practice for the afternoon. This is my ideal work day.

As I set up a new painting, a new sewing project and my old faithfuls (beads), I noticed all of the resistance I was having to populating my studio. The doubts and negative talk are very convincing at the outset of setting up the architecture of work—at least for me. It becomes a one at a time sort of process. Little wins. Patience. Before too long, and once the intentional ground work is laid, the studio gets busy with production. I spent the day yesterday, despite interruptions, making a prototype of my kerchief. I need to adjust the pattern a little bit, but I am onto something. I love being onto something.

I have a pattern cut—a simple kerchief is not so simple, as I have created a band and plan to do some beadwork on each of them. Each kerchief will take me 4-5 hours of handwork. So, they will have to cost a bit. Oh well. So it goes. Am going to make them anyways. I learned with the necklaces—all made with semi-precious stones and hand knotted—that it takes what it takes to make something beautiful. It costs what it costs. The end. I am not Temu.

I have a few more ideas for accessories, and look forward to getting this first one sorted out. I also have a new necklace design idea, that I look forward to trying. But alas, one thing at a time. I am first going to make a bunch of my original design and go from there.

I will keep you all posted with this new studio set up and how things build. I have settled on a painting that I have half finished as an entry point into my own work. I have three more works that I sketched out a couple of months ago, including two more of Elizabeth Street Gardens. This is a nice beginning into something new. First, lets honour what was already dreamed up.

Until next,

Mel