Four Seasons of Jewelry - Week 1

This is my first of the Four Seasons of Jewelry project, which is part of the Creative Wire Jewelry Forum. I'm excited about participating this year. My goals are:

- to improve my technique and design (color, overall design, structure, technical details, etc.)
- to learn 3 entirely new techniques, specifically chain mail, double viking knit, and possibly stamping and/or riveting
- to increase my website visibility, professionalism, and effectiveness/profitability
- to participate in at least one decent-sized juried show

Autumn
This is one of the pieces in my Seasons Collection. Obviously, I was very much inspired by Eni Oken (one of my jewelry-making heroes!), but I tried to make her technique my own as well. The nuggets are carnelian, the chips are Mexican fire opal, the accent beads are sterling, and the coiling is done with fine silver over a sterling wire frame. I have to confess, this bracelet has been done for a while - I can't take pictures of any newer stuff because my digital camera went missing in our recent move to Texas from South Carolina (for grad school).

Also, I didn't use Eni's tutorial for this or any of my bracelets so far - I was inspired by her work before she had the tutorial up, and I figured out my own way to do the bracelets. This one is obviously a bit different in structure, being composed of two main frame wires, each doubled. This was actually my solution to a technical difficulty, but it resulted in a really unique bracelet I think. I'm very pleased with the way it turned out.

The theme this week was "Counting My Blessings"- inspiring jewelry artists, the fix for the technical problem in this bracelet resulted in the little curlies that look like I designed it that way

Shy Violet

Rita

Chase the Muse has already asked for another shipment of earrings in the next few weeks. Yay! Specifically, one set of earrings requested was the faceted rutilated quartz, onyx, and gold-filled earrings above. They are part of the Lotus set.

We're hunkering down for Hurricane Rita - the gas stations and grocery stores are like mad houses. Texas is pleading for some other states to do their share of helping the Katrina evacuees - we have something like 250,000 evacuees in Texas now. Houston is trying to accomodate evacuees from Katrina and prepare for possible flooding at the same time.

In other news, school is definitely picking up pace - I really feel kind of swamped, but I guess that's what grad school is all about. We had mock interviews today, done in class by classmates. Pretty scary - I'm shy, and that kind of thing is hard for me. It went off well enough, but still.... scary.

Soccer

I've had several sales lately from the website, which has been encouraging. The new look definitely seems to get a more positive response. The necklace above is "Saisons," the inspiration for the Seasons Collection. It is freshwater pearls, faceted garnets and diamond shaped garnets, citrine chips and buttons, and peridot chips. It is closed with a sterling silver hook clasp. You can also view it at Shy Violet.

I've also decided to play intramural soccer. I haven't played since middle school. I have no cleats, shinguards, or even workout shorts (for years I've been doing non-outside activities such as karate and even a brief stint in fencing). But tonight is our first practice, and I'll have to get some shinguards and hopefully shorts before then. Fortunately, we're playing indoors, so I don't have to get cleats.

Karate

I think I've decided which club to go with. Although they say they spar full-contact, the instructors and students seem pretty nice and not as if they would enjoy hurting anyone. Also, we've sparred once, and it was limited contact, and everyone followed the rule - it's sometimes hard to switch from full-contact to limited, especially if you do full- most of the time, so this is a good sign.

I'm thinking about offering to teach some self-defense combinations, etc. I'd like to be involved, but I don't have the time to teach alone.

On another note, my jewelry will soon be appearing in an art gallery in North Carolina, Chase the Muse.

I also have an interview this afternoon for my dream internship. I hope it goes well - they're pretty selective, so I'll be ecstatic if I actually get it.

Great Article

Go read this. I couldn't agree more.

Also, I will have new pictures up for jewelry in the next few weeks - I'm waiting on a new digital camera to come out before purchasing a replacement. Go check out the existing photos at Shy Violet.

Ebay

Once again, eBay has failed. Not that there is anything WRONG with eBay, but there are eleventy trillion items listed in any given category. How are the two or three buyers buying that week ever going to find my listing? Only by paying oodles of money to eBay, and probably not even then. I listed a bracelet that normally sells for $295 for $79, and no one bid. I sincerely doubt it was even seen by more than one or two people.

On another note - what is your opinion of full-contact sparring? I'm disappointed by the limited choices here in the martial arts clubs, and the two I am interested in both do full-contact. One is primarily a fighting-competition team, and I have the most serious problems with them. The other is more focused on instruction, but happens to spar full-contact.

I have a few problems with full-contact sparring, some general, some specific to me.
1. General objection - martial arts moves, done correctly and hard, are designed to injure or even kill someone. Padding up does NOT make this impossible. One of the clubs, the more competition-focused one, spoke proudly of having knocked out many people in fights before.

It is possible, although a bit of a stretch, to turn a martial art, or fighting art, into something suitable for sporting competition. Point-sparring is such an attempt. To win, you must be skillful, but you do not need to hurt each other. It is a step away from the self-defense aspect, but it can be a legitmate sport. If you do full-contact, you negate all attempts to make the art safe and it's simply a fight. I have a moral objection to being in a situation where my goal is to HURT the other person.

2. General objection - The primary goal of martial arts is self defense. Competition can be a way of refining your skills, gaining confidence, and a fun recreation, but it is not the purpose of martial arts. Martial arts were not designed to be a competitive sport. Focusing on the competitive aspect can seriously interfere with your ability to effectively defend yourself in a real life-or-death situation. If some guy tries to grab me and drag me into a dark alley to sexually assault me, I do not want my reaction to be to kick him in the head. It's too risky. I want my reaction to be to kick him in the groin, poke his eyes, break his knee.... whatever it takes to protect myself, whether it's pretty or not. This is self-defense, and I will do whatever it takes.

3. Specific objection - I have had 11 1/2 years of martial arts experience in 4 different open-hand styles and 1 weapons style. I have three black belts in different styles. I am fully capable of injuring or killing someone if I go full contact. I do not WANT to do this. I do not have any desire to hurt anyone. I am the person who, in the Nationals sparring finals, apologized to my opponent for knocking her breath out. (I did win, by the way, 5 to 1). I LIKE being nice, and I should not have to be mean in order to be respected as a martial artist.

4. Specific objection - While I am very skilled, I am also small. I am a 23 year old girl, a hair under 5 feet tall, weighing 98 lbs. I am NOT convinced that having a 5 foot 11 inch 200 lb guy, hit me as hard as he can is a good idea, regardless of his skill level. Knowing that we will be padded up helps, but doesn't mean that you can't get hit in the head hard enough to knock you out, or hit in the face by accident, or whatever. Accidents happen, and going full-contact is a good way to ensure that when an accident does happen, someone gets seriously hurt. And regardless of who made the mistake, being the smallest one, it would probably be me.

5. Specific objection - Being small, and yet being a black belt, I think I will be a target. Clearly in one club, there is no stigma associated with hurting people. It isn't outside the realm of possibility for some brown or blue or whatever belt to say, "Hey, I bet I can knock out that black belt." I am fully confident of my ability to stand up to anyone within 30 lbs of my weight in a structured fight, but I'm not so confident of my ability to stand up against someone who outweighs me by 70 lbs and is willing to hit me as hard as he can.

6. Specific objection - In a street fight, although small, I have an advantage in that a random hoodlum would not expect a 98 lb girl to fight like I would. I have the element of surprise, as well as the benefits of the training itself. That's one of the few benefits that being a small girl has in self defense. In a full-contact fight, that's gone, yet their weight/size advantage remains. I do not trust the people in the competition club to make allowances for my size when deciding how hard to hit me. Their coach clearly looks benignly, if not approvingly, on people going as hard as possible at all times.

7. General and specific objection - I am here for a purpose. I am in an extremely challenging and fairly exclusive graduate program focusing on national security, with the goal of working for the intelligence community. It is much more important to my life, long term, that I do well in school than that I win or lose in a martial arts competition. While competition is fun, I have more important things to do. Jeopardizing my ability to do well in school is not an option. I do NOT want to have to miss class or get behind in my work because I have a concussion or broke a bone. Aside from the basic desire not to get hurt, there is much more at stake here than my comfort... school is thousands of dollars, an 1100 mile move, untold amounts of student debt, and two years of my life (if I'm lucky). I do not want to mess it up by getting my nose punched through the back of my head.

I've taught before, and I'm capable of starting a new club here. It's a really tempting idea, and I think there's a definite lack in the martial arts instruction available. All the coaches are skilled, but at least one I have serious issues with. I could do it... except for the reasons listed above. Teaching takes time that I probably don't have to devote to it. I'll also only be here for two years (again, that's hopefully). I'd feel pretty bad starting something and deserting it after only two years.

So... that's the frustration of the week. Any thoughts, anyone?

Go to Shy Violet and buy some jewelry!

Counterpoint (Point?)

Here's my contribution to the school newsletter - part of a point/counterpoint on the drug trade. It's a drastically shortened version of something I did as an undergrad - the original was about 15 pages. As always, comments are welcome.

Drug trafficking, terrorism, and organized crime feed on and reinforce each other, thriving in the same environment of lawlessness and violence. Organized crime is focused on the financial benefits, the business, of crime. The less attention the activities involved receive, the better. Terrorism, on the other hand, seeks a wide-ranging public profile. However, the groups are often linked through the drug trade. Organized crime groups often run trafficking organizations while terrorists and insurgent groups often control the territory where the drugs are cultivated and transported. Both groups use funds obtained from the drug trade to finance their organizations and operations. Drugs are the chief commodity of organized crime and vital in at least 30 ongoing terrorist campaigns.

Heroin and cocaine are the most lucrative commodities on the black market. Because drug trafficking is so profitable, many different criminal and terrorist groups are involved in some way. Some of these groups are primarily organized crime groups, focusing on the business aspect. However, many criminal organizations whose main focus is something other than profit also turn to drug trafficking to finance their primary activities. Many terrorist organizations have seen a decline in state-sponsorship in recent years, and have been forced to rely on drug trafficking for an increasing percentage of their funds. Money independently earned gives them greater autonomy to pursue their own ends without interference or compromise with state governments.

Just one example of the national security implications of the drug trade is Afghanistan. The Taliban derived a significant amount of income from taxes levied on the opiate trade, and was an example of a state supported primarily by the illegal drug trade before the US-led invasion. Taxation was not standardized but was institutionalized to the point where the government issued receipts for collected revenues.

Groups that are chiefly politically motivated, yet still highly involved in the drug trade include: Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC), National Liberation Army (ELN [of Colombia]), Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso SL [of Peru]), Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK [of Turkey]), Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam [of Sri Lanka], United Wa State Army [of Burma], Shan United Revolutionary Army (Shan State Army/South [of Burma]), Al-Qaeda, Hezbollah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Abu Sayyaf Group, Basque Fatherland and Liberty [of Spain], and others.

The illegal drug trade funds attacks against civilized society and destabilizes democracies across the globe. Failing and failed states (such as Afghanistan and Colombia) are particularly vulnerable to the corruption and violence that result from drug trafficking. It is vital to consider drug trafficking within this context in order to minimize the threat to U.S. security. The drug trade undermines America’s culture, funds terrorism, and erodes democracy, presenting a clear danger to our national security. The illegal drug market in America is one of the most profitable in the world. Thus it attracts the most sophisticated, ruthless, and aggressive drug traffickers.

The “War on Drugs” is not in competition with the “War on Terror.” While some question whether America can fight both at the same time, they are not two unrelated campaigns. With an effective fight against drugs, the threat from terrorism is reduced because the financial base that supplies terrorists is starved. Organized crime and the illicit drug trade must be a target in an effective war on terrorism.

Ebay

I've decided to try ebay again. You can see the Autumn bracelet here. This bracelet took about 15 hours of work to complete. The colors of the carnelian and fire opal are absolutely gorgeous - to truly appreciate them you have to see the piece in person. Please go look, bid if you want, and also check out the new and improved Shy Violet website.

In school related stuff, my classes look hard so far, but not impossible. I'm sure my impression will change as we get into the semester though. I'm probably going to try the Taekwondo Team as my martial arts fix. I would also like to try the Shotokan Club, but I have gotten no response about practice times, etc. I am not sure how much I will like the Taekwondo Team because they seem very competition focused (ranked 2nd in nation), but there are really not many choices here. That's probably the only thing I am disappointed in here - the lack of martial arts options. Even our smaller school had 6 or 8 different martial arts clubs. They may not have all been that good, but they did exist, and if you liked them you could be part of them. Here, there are only 4, and 2 of them were not even visible under Club Sports - I had to go searching around "Student Activities" to find out they even existed! The Taekwondo Team may be a lot of fun - it all depends on the people.

Unfortunately, though, it doesn't look like I'll have the time or energy to start my own club here. I've taught my own club before, for two years - it was fun, but time-consuming. Grad school takes priority over my addiction to karate.