The Struggle

     Lately, I have been struggling as a designer to find and keep my inspiration.  I started this year off strong, making two beautiful chandeliers.  The act of creation stimulated me so much that I created a whole business around the selling of housewares.  Starting with an online Etsy shop: (https://www.etsy.com/shop/BlestIndustrial?ref=si_shop), my business quickly grew into physical space, and I am now selling out of a booth at the Monticello Antiques Marketplace in Portland.  Unfortunately, my inspiration to design has dried up.  I go down into my work space and just feel overwhelmed.  Admittedly, the basement, where my work space is, has become over crowded with the influx of stuff from my new business endeavors, as well as quantities of stuff I have collected with which to build new chandeliers.

I'm beginning to feel like a bit of a horder....

     The worst part, is that even with all this stuff, I find myself unable to start a new chandelier.  In fact, I believe it is because I have collected too much stuff.  The possibilities are unlimited.  For an artist, however, unlimited possibilities are not necessarily a good thing.  All one has to do is look at the Star Wars movies to see this principle in effect.  The first three, when George Lucas was working with a limited budget and limited special effects technology, changed not just how movies are made, but the very culture that we live in.  The last three movies, when he had everything he could possibly want at his finger tips, had a much more minimal impact.... to put it nicely.  While ruminating on the nature of limitations, sitting alone in my basement work space, I've also realized that I spend far too much time by myself.  So I've decided to try an experiment.  I am putting out a call to my Facebook friends, asking for ten people to commit to bringing me one object each.  From these ten items, I will attempt to craft a beautiful (fingers crossed...) chandelier.  I did not put any limitations on what they may provide or what constitutes an object.  These objects, I hope, will give me some needed limitations, as well as challenges (who knows what I may get!) that will guide me as designer.  I will provide all the electrical components, any binding agents, and a base structure if necessary.  I have no idea what to expect, or even if any of my friends will care to take part in this experiment.  But I am hoping that this not only re-stimulates my creative fire, but also helps me connect more with my community.