Originally I began making jewelry around 1995 when my brother Tony gave me a pair of clay earrings he had made.

My first thought was how unique they were in clay colors, orange and green, all swirled around together. He embedded a gold sphere in the center of the earring and there were three four inch posts of hand made rolled beads dropping from each one. I put them away for safe keeping or I would add a picture of them.

But, they were the inspiration that caused me to go out and get some Sculpy clay and then start to hand roll my own beads. I loved mixing various colors and creating unique patterns.

When I tried to use tweezers and pliers to form the findings, they were very crude and not done well enough to sell. I went into one of the bead stores in Berkeley and asked the store owner what he would recommend. I came out with about $60 in tools.

They made all the difference in the world. I had pliers that had round tongs so I could roll the wire to make the circular ends to hang one off another.

I had so much fun arranging the beads, rolling beads, and making unique combinations so that no two pairs of earring were the same.

The key to making it easier is using tools that are designed specifically for jewelry making.

Art is subjective!

Not everyone enjoys Picasso or Monet . . . and that is one of the mysteries of the world of art.

But when you can develop art in your own style, then you are engaging your right brain. Right brain activity is a great balance for those who are predominantly using their left/analytical  brain. Those who are CPA’s, computer specialists, doctors, even attorneys are more left brain focused than right brain/creative fields such as most entrepreneurs, chefs, retail store operators, most teachers, and those who have to create things for their jobs.

So you might not believe you are artistic, but everyone has creativity, it is just a matter of using your right brain to bring it out.

I was about 45 the first time I sat down and pulled out a sketch book. I had a picture of a dragon, so I decided to see if I could draw a dragon. I made really good progress and after about an hour I had a fairly decent looking dragon, except, I wasn’t able to figure how to stop the scales, so I ended up with a very pregnant dragon, but she was very good looking.

Next I tried water colors, but the paint just bled all over the place! So I ended up trying acrylic paints. They were easier to use, but took forever to dry.

So I ended up using oils and it was not only easier, but when I used a pallet knife instead of a brush, the paintings just flowed.

So developing your right brain activity is a great balance for all those days that become so demanding!