Handmade jewelry with a unique source of inspiration: YOU

Feeling lost and not knowing how to begin designing?

You’re not alone. No one can create something out of the blue.

You have to feed your mind.

Here you will find the ultimate secret of design success for your handmade jewelry.

Intuitive design is good, but the results are best when a conceptual path has been carried out. Design is about solving problems.

As we said before, nothing is created from nothing. An intention or a purpose always guides a design.

Think about your previous jewelry projects.

Even if it’s not a client’s commission and you’re just making a conceptual object, there’s a question, a thought or an idea that guides you.

Are your motivations coherent with your designs? Can you answer the why question without doubting?

Nowadays, reflecting upon the basis of our judgments is not easy.

We are used to being constantly occupied, bombarded by zillions of images. We are in a sort of workaholic frenzy; permanently doing, doing and doing. The ever changing market and the vertiginous nature of trends add up to that crazy race for making sellable designs, always trying to beat “the next big thing”.

Sit back for a bit and reflect on your work.

Discover frequent themes or concepts. Search for constant ideas, thoughts and interests.

In general, trace your personal motivations, think about this:

• Is there a topic that prompts your design ideas?
• What impels you to go on one direction or the other?
• What kinds of things provoke your curiosity?
• Are there any themes or styles that you haven’t worked with yet?
• What kinds of thoughts push your creativity?
• Can you identify a material or technique that triggers your muse?
• Is there a manufacturing technique that you haven’t tried?
• Are there any ideas, themes or topics that you persistently reject?
• Can you recall making a doubtful design that surprisingly raised admiration?

It’s not only about lateral thinking and whacking your creativity.

Above all, it’s about finding your own way.

Your singular handmade jewelry designed and conceived in your own language. Of course you have to consider fashion trends; it would be foolish to do otherwise.

My experience says to start a design having a clear purpose and idea in mind.

Having a clear sense of the purpose of the design has been my fundamental approach. It has been my major learning curve. And it has worked wonders. Driven by a significant purpose, I have the perfect mindset to design and make unique handmade jewelry.

When you have your design purpose clear, it will act as a lighthouse and allow you to obtain the results you wish.

All your handmade jewelry designs have a purpose.

But if you manage to establish an explicit purpose before starting any of your future jewelry projects, that purpose will liberate your creative juices. And you can have many intentions; they can and should differ all the time, just as life changes.

Purpose is the motor that drives all your design processes.

You can determine your purpose with questions like these:

• What is the essential aim of this design?
• What is the importance of this specific jewelry?
• What do you want to learn after making this jewelry?
• Do you want to concentrate on a certain sensation?
• Do you have a message to get through?
• Would a metaphor be useful to express your intent?
• Could you use an analogy?
• Do you want to transmit an emotion?
• Are you seeking to refute a belief?

If you keep changing your mind you’ll be wondering about endlessly.

I’m not saying you should stubbornly stick with it at any cost; just try to encompass your handmade jewelry designs with a fulfilling purpose.

You may find lots of useful design ideas from a full range of concepts, themes and disciplines to suit your design purpose.

With time you will establish your personal bank of ideas, which you should continually top up. Develop your design research mentality, look around for ideas.

Then organize them to take full advantage of them, this is a must for your handmade jewelry design success.

Do not be tempted to throw your ideas around. They will very likely be lost. And you never know when they might turn out to be useful.

Making handmade jewelry is a creative process that yields a wearable bit of art.

As any kind of process, it has a beginning and an end with a series of steps in between.

Whatever the type of creative process you prefer, you’ll find here important tips on how to make that chain of events more efficient, less costly and more gratifying. Once you assign a purpose to your designs you are in a better position to develop a unique artistic expression.

Only then your handmade jewelry will acquire a distinctive and original flair.

Get going, lift your inspiration with these design researching tips.

Go from Handmade Jewelry back to Design Process

References used in this section: Olver (2003); Dondis (1973)