Some time ago Marla said on Creative Bead Chat that we should get out of our comfort zone now and then. I like my comfort zone which is making jewelry and wasn’t sure I wanted to go out of it. After that thought ran around in my head a few days I started to think what I could do that was different.
I had an old Carol Duvall tape where Becky Meverden made a cat. It looked so easy when Becky did it. She had a bunch of balls of clay all laid out and one by one she shaped them into: the body, the head, the arms, the legs, eyes, eyeballs, ears, mouth, puffy cheeks, etc. I thought maybe I could make a cat with a long tail that would serve as a ring holder. I watched the tape a few times and headed for my studio in the basement.
I started making a ball for the body. It seemed too small so I added some clay. When I rolled a ball for the head, it was too big, so I took some off and rolled again. That was the story with each ball I made - it was either too big or too small, and not just once but several times for each one. I wasn’t sure I was ever going to make another cat.
The next week a friend of mine saw my cat sitting on the shelf and just loved it. She said if I’d make more she would like to give them to her three friends - and one for herself, of course.
I can’t wait to get back in my comfort zone!
