You’re never too young (or old) to pick up a hammer. I was privileged to stay with my  grandson for several days while his parents were out of town. On occasion, I would try to sneak in a little hammering on wire that I had configured while he was napping. Such a good little child . . . he wanted to help. Although I tried to interest him in his little toy hammer which had bells and whistles, he wanted mine. I was amazed that this 1 year old could wield the hammer and strike the bench block. I was, however, careful to keep my toes and fingers out of the way. He’s a strong little guy! I think his favorite part was the sound of the ping when the hammer met the block. Do you think we have a future designer or construction worker here? I think we just have a little boy who wants to do everything!

It makes me think how much fun we all have when we try different things. The wire work group with which I meet once a month tried etching and it was fun. I enjoyed this process, but was not fully captivated by it and realized that I can try something new without having to go “whole hog” into the endeavor. This is a phenomenon I’ve seldom experienced. I usually go overboard.  I looked around the room during our meet up and saw totally absorbed women working on their etching and seemingly not worrying about anything else. It resembled the concentration and joy I saw on my grandson’s face when he made the hammer go “ping”. Do you think we could market this to psychiatrists as “Creativity, the healthy way to improve your outlook”?

 

The pictures herein show some of the pieces I’ve done lately to “improve my outlook”. The first is a double strand of very rough cut turquoise and agate.

 

The next is a sterling silver wave adorned with cherry quartz, amethyst and pearls.

 

 

The third piece is made of shell with some spiney oyster and magnesite.

  

I’m definitely hoping for spring weather with the latter two pieces. I find that the boutiques are bulging with new spring clothes, so it’s time to think about pastel jewelry. All three of the pieces were new combination for me and another creative avenue. We don’t have to try something totally new to be creatively happy. It you can’t get to a brand new experience, just do a little juggling with the one you are currently tackling. I used to tell my gifted/creative students that if they were bored, it was their fault. They have to bring something to the learning experience. I think my grandson brought a great big hammer!