Pods are a popular form in metal work, but my modified pod refused to develop. Several month ago, I made the metal pod and tried to fill it, but nothing seemed to work. Inclined to pitch it in that big round file cabinet (the waste basket), I decided to remain patient and hope for the light. Last night, after looking at the June Bead and Button issue and examining the work on page 63, I nurtured that pod again. It’s getting better even if it’s not perfect.

I am not a patient person! I enjoy the process of creating more than the pleasure of looking at or wearing the finished product. Therefore, my tendency is to throw away things that don’t work and move on. Lately, however, I’ve been trying to remember that “patience is a virtue” and allow pieces to wait for their time. Inspiration appears from strange places and the beginning of an idea may require impetus from something at a later date in order to reach design completion.

Artists often keep a sketch notebook housing ideas to which they want to return. As a composer, I kept a file filled with manuscript paper containing a few measures of a musical motif. It would seem that unfinished objects, like the pod, need to reside in an idea box so the designer can return to them later. I have an idea bin, but during irrational moments (usually when someone is coming to visit and I’m straightening the studio), I often throw away its entire contents. While some of my objects need to go to that happy object place in the sky, others do not and a little design wisdom is all that I need. Unfortunately, there’s still the problem of knowing what to pitch and what to keep. Maybe one day I’ll be struck with both patience and wisdom. At the least, I can hope.