Week One

Well, one week down, 16 to go. So far classes are going well, though I think I will be pretty busy this semester. In jewelry and sculpture, I have to write a statement of intent that explains the projects I plan make as well as the concept/purpose behind them, and I have to write an abstract/statement of intent for my honors thesis. For jewelry this won't be too challenging because I have a very clear idea of what I want to do this semester and next semester, because I'm working towards my senior show. Because my thesis deals with the functionality of jewelry during the Renaissance, I plan to make pieces for jewelry that are functional. I'm going to try to include small containers and objects in the pieces that blend into the overall piece, but are actually functional in some way. During the Renaissance, people wore useable, jeweled toothpicks as pendants, so I'd like to incorporate that into one of my necklaces.

Sculpture is another matter, though. I have spent all summer trying to decide what I want to do for sculpture, and I'm just stuck conceptually. I could come up with something that I know I'd enjoy making, but I have no clue what concept I'd like to represent in my work, and that's pretty crucial at this stage, especially if I decide to go on to grad school or want to display this work in a gallery. So by Tuesday, I have to have enough of a concept figured out to turn in my statement and start working. No pressure :P

My thesis is also gonna be more of a struggle than I anticipated. I'm writing a paper about the functionality of Renaissance jewelry and also making a piece of jewelry or two that are similar to the pieces I discuss in my paper. However, on Friday both of my thesis directors decided that it would be best if I used jewelry techniques that were used during the Renaissance, rather than the modern techniques that I've been learning for the last two years. So I'm gonna have to learn new techniques to finish this piece while writing a paper about it and then before Thanksgiving I have to present and defend it all in front of a live audience. They also want me to make something [small] using gold, that I must somehow pay for. I have no clue how I'm going to afford that, since it will probably cost around $500 for the gold to make even a very small ring or hair pin, and that's in addition to whatever silver I have to buy to make the larger piece. Plus whatever materials I have to buy for my other jewelry and sculpture work. I don't know if my professors understand that I'm not made of money and that my job as an RA doesn't earn any cash; I guess this is one of those times that all I can do is pray for a miracle and trust that somehow God will provide. I know in my head that money is not the most important thing, but sometimes it feels like it :(

On a happier note, I had a lovely weekend with Kendra, a good friend from my jewelry classes. She invited me to spend the weekend with her and go see God's Not Dead at the drive-in theater in Ponca City. It's always nice to get away from my tiny room for a little while and not think about German homework or when I'm gonna find time to hang out with my residents. Sometimes I think I'd go crazy if I didn't have people like Kendra to get my mind off school for a little while!