Not Ready but Doing It Anyway

I’ve been quiet, I know. I’ve been doing my best to get well and get back on my feet so I can start working and creating cool things again. So, even though I haven’t been posting, I’ve been busy.

Thank you all for being patient with me.

I don’t really feel like I’m ready to “put myself out there” again but, when I think about it, I wasn’t ready the first time either and it came out all right. So I’m just going to climb back on this horse, clumsily, and probably backwards and trust that you’ll understand; I’m doing my best.

I’m not quite back into making swords yet. I decided to start small this time. I was sick for a few years so a lot of my resins and other materials are expired. Some are unusable and have to be thrown out. I don’t really have enough of my usual “goo” left to make full swords. I’ll need to make some money before I can re-stock my supplies.

I’m really nervous but I’m going to take a leap of faith and try again. The folks who have bought things from me and followed my crazy crafting adventures have been kind and I hope that will continue to be the case.

Here’s my latest project:

These are meant to be worn as decorative buttons on a backpack, hat, jacket, or similar piece of clothing, or fitted with a magnet to be displayed on the refrigerator, filing cabinet, or similar metal furniture items. Hopefully, you can tell what they are.

I’ve avoided any association with politics in my business for years because I know you’re here for the art and not any heavy discussions. I don’t intend to talk about world events much at all, even now. But things have been going poorly for a lot of people lately, and I’m one of those people. I’ve got to try to make magic for you on a shoe-string budget this time. Things are financially tighter than they’ve ever been before.

Before you close the door on me, let me just say that I don’t want anything crazy or unreasonable. I just think that everybody deserves to have food, clean water, a home to live in, and medicine when they get sick. I think that people who work ought to be paid fairly for their labour, no matter how humble that job might be. That’s all.

As far as I can tell, if you’re a human being, we’re on the same team, even if we disagree on some stuff. I don’t want you or anybody else on Team Human to have to worry about where their next meal will come from, or where they’re going to sleep tonight. If you can agree with that simple statement of brotherly love, please stick around.

These decorative items are inspired by the French Revolution (1789-1799). They were made with resin and local Finnish pine wood.

I left one of them the natural wood colour and painted the other a bright red. I’m currently experimenting with what looks best.

These items are 100% made by hand. No AI has been used and I do not have a 3D printer so all the sculpting you see has been done by my own two hands, and a lot of swearing.

Here’s a brief view of my process. There was a lot of experimentation. A lot of mistakes. A lot of profanity. And a lot of learning.

Where do we go from here?

Well, I’d like to hear some of your feedback if you don’t mind. If you could comment either here or on my Facebook page, I’d be very appreciative. I need to know some things like:

1. Can you tell what the image is supposed to represent? If so, what’s it called?
2. Do you think it looks better with the natural wood, or painted?
3. What other colours would you like to see?
4. Does it look nice with a shiny finish, or should it be matte?
5. Does the image need to have the bit of rope between the blade and the top or is it clear enough what it is without it?
6. If you bought it, would you like it to be a button or a magnet?
7. If you wanted to buy it, where would you like me to sell it? On this website? On Etsy? On eBay? Somewhere else?
8. Would you like to have the design on something else such as a pendant, silicone stamp, sticker, decal, embroidered patch, etc?
9. I’m thinking of making a version with some text on it to support the message it’s intended to convey. For example: “I’m hungry.”, “Do you hear the people sing?”, or “Water the tree.” Would you be interested in such an item? If so, what would you like it to say?
10. How much would you be willing/able to pay for an item like this?
11. Would you be interested in an item like this that has a different design? For example: a burning match, a peace sign, a heart, etc. Please tell me your suggestions!
12. Would you be interested in seeing a video on how I make these items?

Thanks everybody for your kindness and support through this wild journey. It means a lot to me. I wouldn’t still be crafting and making art if it weren’t for some truly lovely people reaching out and encouraging me, giving me great ideas, and offering tips and tricks that make my job easier. You’re all amazing. I hope to post again soon, but until then, take care of yourselves.