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Tuesday, October 23, 2012

The Importance of a Teacher

Handmade Artisan Jewelry by Francesca Watson Designs

I've been making jewelry since early 2008, when I took a bead stringing class at a local bead store with a couple of girlfriends. I was completely and utterly hooked, but it was hard to find local classes in the things that really interested me - stone setting, metal work, and metal clay - so I turned to books and the internet. And I experimented - a lot.

There is value in experimentation. The process of trying, failing, troubleshooting, and problem solving has a tendency to imprint lessons more deeply than just reading about something or seeing it demonstrated. But after a while, I hit the limits of my own ability to intuit what came next - I was failing more often than I was succeeding and I was on the verge of deciding that metalwork (which was the thing I was most interested in) wasn't going to be something I could ever really do well. I was even questioning whether jewelry making was something I should continue pursuing - while I got compliments on my work, it mostly left me feeling unsatisfied. I knew the work could be better, but I was really struggling with how to get there.

Handmade Artisan Jewelry by Francesca Watson Designs

Then, a year ago, I was re-introduced to a local studio called Wired Designs. They were primarily known for their amazing glass-work and related classes, and frequently brought in national level glass instructors. But I hadn't realized they also offered metal and wire classes, and I began signing up for everything they offered. I felt a little bit like someone who had been very hungry for a long time being ushered into an all-you-can-eat buffet. The first time I successfully completed a complex soldering project, I actually got a little emotional.

I want to be clear: I am not "knocking" books, written tutorials, YouTube videos, and online learning. I think they are all valuable and essential resources in the educational arsenal of today's artists. But I also think there is no substitute for real-time, in-person learning from someone who really knows their stuff - especially when it comes to the foundational skills on which so many other techniques are built. An experienced teacher can - in one session - pinpoint the reasons you're struggling with soldering connections, or sawing metal, or setting a cabochon. All the reading in the world isn't going to correct my sawing form if my technique is bad - but Thomas Mann told me I was sawing too hard and too far forward on the blade - just by listening to the sound my saw blade was making. In a single class and one session of homework, he had me sawing better than I had been able to saw in three years of trying to figure it out on my own. Gail Stouffer corrected the position of my torch and gave me the key to clean soldering and fusing that requires very little finishing work - in a matter of minutes, just by observing the way I was using my torch.


Handmade Artisan Jewelry by Francesca Watson Designs


It's possible I might have figured out how to fix those things myself - if I'd found the right books and put in the the right number of hours (or years) of practice and experimentation and broken saw blades. But it's also possible that I would have either settled for substandard work or gotten discouraged enough to quit. Here's what's certain: in the last nine months of working with good instructors, my work has leapt forward exponentially, both in terms of quality and creativity. My new policy is to take every class I possibly can, from the best teachers I can find - and to submit myself willingly to the kind of humbling scrutiny, criticism, and correction that will move my work and my technique up to the next level.

So whether you're self-taught or traditionally trained, stuck in a creative rut or enjoying an exciting groove, I encourage you to make classes with a good teacher a regular part of your creative, artistic life. You'll learn (or be reminded of) shortcuts, tips, and creative ideas from people who have been doing this for a very long time and have created efficiencies around a whole range of skills. As an added bonus, spending some time exposing yourself to someone else's creative energy is a sure-fire way to jump start your own - especially if you take the occasional class in disciplines completely outside your own.

Until next time!

Francesca Watson of Francesca Watson Designs

The photos featured in this post are examples of my current work that would not have been possible for me even six months ago. I'm grateful for the investment of time I've been given by gifted and skilled teachers, especially Gail Stouffer at Wired Designs in San Antonio, Texas.


20 comments:

  1. I could not agree with you more!

    I learned a lot on my own but am totally grateful for the knowledge gained by taking classes with Teva Chaffin (PMC) in Nashville and Steven Donnelly (metalsmithing) in New Orleans. All the travel (esp. back and forth to NO every week)and related expenses were worth it.

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  2. What a valuable post, Francesca. Beadweaving is a little different than metalworking, but it is still a true concept for my medium as well. My example is bead crochet. I had struggle for several years trying to master it, and had put it down, frustrated. I had the opportunity to visit one of my mentors, MaryLou Holvenstot, of Time2Cre8, and she showed me exactly where I was interpreting the instructions incorrectly. Eureka moment indeed!

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  3. WOW! wonderful post! I do think that the fundamentals are best taught 'live.' I took 2 classes (1 hour each) for wirework. Two of the best classes I've ever taken. I learned single wrapping, double wrapping, how to hold my tools, finishing ends .... these solid basics gave me the foundation of my wirework today. Now I can watch tutorials on Youtube, or just read a pattern and understand exactly where I can switch up a style and just how to do it.

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  4. GREAT post! Thanks for sharing. I haven't taken any classes in a while...it might be time to sign up for something :-)

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  5. All those do-it-yourself tools are a great step forward, but I wholeheartedly agree that there is no substitute for an up-close-and-personal session, Francesca! It's a shame that the cost of travelling to a larger centre for classes is out of reach for many.

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  6. Awesome, I couldn't agree with you more! I'd love to have YOU for a soldering teacher, Francesca!

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  7. I'd love to have you as a teacher, Francesca! Great post!

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  8. I can totally relate to your post and I feel like we've been walking on the same journey as I started back in 2008 too! Love your work both jewelry and your writing!

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  9. I agree with you. I miss having classes that I can take with a live teacher. I have to go somewhere else for a class. It is nice that you give credit to teachers!

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  10. Fabulous post! I love taking classes, and wish I could afford to invest in more.

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  11. Learning on your own helps a lot to develop your style and your rythym of doing things, but there is nothing like an instructor to show you shortcuts, to show you how to fix "mistakes" and to inspire you. I love metal clay and read lots of books and watch videos, but nothing helps me like spending time with my friend Trish, of Zeffers Farm Studio in Ohio. She is a wonderful teacher who has an enthusiasm and a genuine desire to see her students succeed. I love teachers!

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  12. I totally agree. I've been taking as many jewellery making classes as I can, and there are other disciplines I want to take lessons in - ceramics, screen printing etc. I also take part in a regular glass course. Sewing, on the other hand, I can't stand lessons in and would much prefer to teach myself via books and the internet.

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  13. I totally agree that learning right there with someone is so much more than just exploring on your own. What an amazing post!

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  14. This was such a great post! TFS!!!

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  15. I've got tons of books on metalsmithing, wire work, enameling etc., but I finally realized I learn better in a classroom setting. Unfortunately we don't have any venues with the classes in the mediums I want to try. And a one-day class will not cut it for me. Great post!

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    1. Alice, have you tried colleges? We have 8 or 10 or 12 weeks long courses on pretty much everything. You might be surprised how little time it takes to get the perfect understanding of a technique in a face-to-face environment. And the week in between is wonderful to try more of the technique(s)

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  16. I completely agree, Francesca. Self-teaching from tutorials and books and videos has its own advantage. But there comes a moment when no matter how much you read, you won't be able to fix the form or technique... What I usually do is read *a lot*, experiment a little bit and I can figure out very soon if a face-to-face teacher will save me hours of frustrations :) If it does, I try to find one close-by.
    Thank you for such a wonderful article!

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  17. A fantastic post Francesca! I completely agree with you about a teacher observing your work - I can tell from across the room if a student is having trouble with their sawing technique simply from the sound. It took me several years to get to the stage I'm at now, and although I always plan to keep learning new techniques and improving the ones I've got now, I'm glad that my students can learn from the mistakes I've made along the way! I've also found that teaching metalsmithing improves my techniques as teaching really makes me concentrate on exactly what I do and understand why what I do works so that I can break it down into steps to teach.

    Those of you who don't live near a jewellery school or an adult education college - if a metalsmith whose work you admire lives within reach of you, try emailing them and asking if they could do a one-to-one session with you. You never know, they might be thrilled to say yes!

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