Inspiration Wednesday - Shameless Self-Promotion

The Bead Mavens have more than a few good things to say about shameless self-promotion, etiquette, and income.

Aluminum chainmail jewelry
Handcrafted aluminum chain mail jewelry

Inspiration Monday - Dream Big

After winning the People's Choice Award in the Bead Dreams competition, my goal was to win an award in an international competition. I found out on Saturday that I won two.

I'm still totally floored by how my pieces placed in the British Bead Awards. While I wait for the shock to wear off, I'm trying to think up the next big goal. With luck, persistence, and a bit of monomania, you can accomplish anything.

Vanessa

Aluminum chain mail jewelry
Handmade aluminum chainmail jewelry

Inspiration Monday - Knowing when to say no

I tend to embrace whatever opportunities come my way. I think saying yes to good things make more good things shimmy down the highway of life. But I also think that being in a relationship, job, or situation you don't want to be in anymore is bad karma... and not in a multiple lives sense, but in a "you're going to just invite more of this into your life now by sticking around" sense.

This episode of This American Life is about quitting. I'm a fan of quitting in small doses. I think it can dislodge you from a big rut and help you realize that you can be in charge of your own life and destiny.

Vanessa
Kali Butterfly - Aluminum Chainmail Jewelry
Handcrafted aluminum chain mail jewelry

Inspiration Monday - No risk, no reward

Success requires believing in the value of your dreams and desires no matter what other people tell you.

Vanessa
Aluminum chainmail jewelry
Handcrafted aluminum chain mail jewelry

Inspiration Monday (Tuesday edition) - A Year in Review

On October 1, I celebrated the anniversary of a big change in my life. One year ago, I embarked on my year of freedom project. My plan was to pour every ounce of energy I had in me into creating the foundation of a meaningful, joyous life spent doing what meant the most to me. The goal was to create a jewelry design business that would bring in enough income that I could support myself. A secondary goal was to establish myself as a designer. In the past year, I accomplished the following:

--I published an article on critical theory and feminism in Current Perspectives in Social Theory.
--Three wearable art pieces were exhibited at SNAG's Exhibition in Motion at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, TX.
--My beaded talons were accepted into a national juried exhibition: "Extremities: Exploring the Margins of the Human Body."
--I won the People's Choice Award and 2nd place in the Wirework competition in the 2010 Bead Dreams competition.
--My "Squares with Flair" project was published in Step by Step Wire Jewelry.
--I took home the grand prize in the Fashion Fever sewing and fashion design competition at the CHA Craft SuperShow.
--I was awarded first place in the Pendants/Necklaces category in the 2010 Jewelry Arts Awards and had my piece published in Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist Magazine.
--I am now represented in 8 stores, with two more orders in the works.

Looking back is always a little bittersweet because I wish that I had a sense earlier of what could be accomplished with a lot of dedication, passion, and hard work. In the course of a year, I have fundamentally changed the shape of my life. I am a professional jewelry designer. I think that's incredible.

Now that I've gotten my freedom mojo going, I've been thinking about what to do for this following year. My goal for this year is a) to establish myself as the aluminum chainmaille jewelry queen, and b) to purge myself of all my procrastination and anxiety. This is the year of fearlessness.

Vanessa

Aluminum chain mail jewelry
Handcrafted aluminum chainmail jewelry

Inspiration Monday - Crochet a Cthulhu

Etsy is a wondrous place. I'm not just saying that because they featured one of my necklaces on their blog. You can find all sorts of neat things if you know what to look for.

Example: I found a kit to make a cthulhu plush. It even comes with stuffing and a little beady eye.

For those of you who already have yarn and just need instructions, here's a link to a free crochet cthulhu pattern.

Vanessa

Aluminum chain mail jewelry
Handcrafted chainmail jewelry

Make Something Beautiful - Vanessa's Power Miso Soup

Today was one of those days that signaled that autumn was on its way. By the time I left work, it was downright chilly. It was the perfect day for some soup.

I've been wanting to make miso soup for a while. For a time I was addicted to Trader Joe's instant miso soup, but there isn't one for several miles, which means nothing to people with those automobile contraptions, but means an hour trip for those of us who take public transportation.

Whole Foods, thankfully, is much closer, and they had all the ingredients I needed. The following is a slightly modified recipe for miso soup found on the back of Eden brand organic shiro miso.

1 tsp wakame flakes
2 cups of water
1 small onion, diced (I used a boiler onion--worked like a charm)
1 carrot, shredded
1 green onion, finely sliced
4 ounces of tofu, drained and pressed (although the last brand I got didn't even need that--I'll update this post the next time I'm at Whole Foods)
2 tbsp of organic shiro miso, dissolved in 2 tbsp water

Bring the water to a boil. Add onions and wakame and let simmer for 3-4 minutes. Turn the heat as low as possible and add the miso/water mixture, simmering for another two minutes. After that, drop in the green onions, carrots, and tofu and get ready for some super-fabulous soup.

If you do try out the recipe, let me know what you think!

Vanessa Walilko
Aluminum chain mail jewelry