News from the Wren

My confession...  It's been way more than a month since my last blog.  Yes, it happens.  The past month and a half, I've been dealing with a frozen shoulder.  It is still with me, but I had a cortisone shot on Friday and I am able to spend a bit more time on the computer and in the studio.  It has forced me to slow down my crazy production compulsion and do a lot of introspection. 

One of the things I've been thinking about a lot is teaching.  I love teaching.  It is the ultimate art of giving of oneself.  I taught a beginner's metal clay class a few weeks ago and it really got me thinking about my future.  With the economy such that it is, people are spending less money on non-essentials, like jewelry.  They are going back to the old ways of making things again.  It is really exciting to see.  More and more people are taking classes.  So, being that I love to teach, and that you want to learn, I will be offering more classes this coming year!  A beginning schedule is up on the My Brown Wren website.  Expect to see more jewelry how to's and projects as the year progresses.  This is my modest stab at a beginning.

Speaking of my website...  I've been pretty unhappy with my website - enough so that I began taking an online class for developing a website in Wordpress.  It has not been a natural fit for me.  I took a web design class in the early years of the web and realized pretty quickly that if you didn't want to commit your life to this, you couldn't be a good web designer.  There is so much to learn!!!  With my shoulder bothering me, I had put the website on the back burner.  So, on Saturday, I made another stab at it.  While searching the web for some ideas, I came across one that stood out for me.  The site belongs to fellow jeweler, Stacie Florer.  It was developed in Weebly, which is what my current site was built in.  It had ecommerce, which is what I need.  This gave me the aha moment that I needed.  I didn't need to throw the baby out with the bathwater, I just needed to revamp what I already have.  Several hours later, at the wee hour of 3:30 am, I pushed the publish button.

Now, I have ecommerce on my website.  You can purchase classes directly.  Next to come will be jewelry.  That requires my photographer hat and a nice sunny day, which doesn't come very often this time of year in Washington.  The rains are upon us!

So, for now, I bid you a good day.  Hopefully, it won't be another month and a half before I share my thoughts with you.  However, it is my style to bubble up (my thoughts) and then spill over (my writing).