A lot of artists want to make a living from their art. I used to think that was what I wanted too; I even got my degree in art. But, I eventually realized that art as a job doesn’t work for me. The stress of trying to build an art business sucked the joy out of my creative process, and I ultimately realized it was more important to take care of my mental health and actually enjoy creating art. So, I work my humble day job, which allows me to devote most of my free time to pursuing art projects that I feel very passionate about. It would be nice if my art was making more money, sure, but I think I’ve managed a nice balance
Occasionally, I will take on commissions. This week’s blog post is about one of those commission pieces – a custom royal blue and white cherry blossom kanzashi set with silver butterflies – one smaller piece for the flower girl, one larger piece with shidare for the bride. Now that the set has arrived to the client, I feel it’s a good time to share it with you all. I didn’t have the time to take photos in the style I normally do, but I hope you enjoy the few snaps I did manage to get!
I took on this commission for a couple reasons. First, it was not a colorway I’d ever worked in before; I tend to favor the ‘natural’ colors for flowers. Second, I actually don’t like making shidare (hanging petals) and it’s been a couple years since I made a piece with lots of shidare. In essence, I took this commission because it pushed me to do a couple things that were outside of my comfort zone; it was an opportunity to grow. And also, I really like making bridal pieces – something about working on wedding items just makes me happy.
Aside from the dye work I did to get the rich royal blue color and two tone blue and white, I also made the silver millinery stamens that feature in the large accessory. I used offcuts of thread from old stamens, a mix of pva glue and flour, and silver glitter. I made some white glitter millinery stamens before, and was happy to try it again. I like knowing that if I need a color or style of stamen that I can make it myself instead of having to rely on store bought ones. If anyone’s interested in DIY millinery stamens, leave a comment and I’ll see if I can slap together a tutorial for you.
Despite the delays in production, the bride and I were both very pleased with the results.
Anyway, that is about all I’ve got for this week. I hope that you check back again next week for more art, crafts, and creativity!
