Tootsievalentine

www.tootsievalentine.com Jeweller, designer-maker. A general blog. All photos I post are taken by me.

[tootsievalentine]

loved your cyprus trip! i was there ages ago and will never forget the cuisine- absolutely amazing- i was a collector just like you, lots of sea urchin shells & loved the drawings!

Thanks for your message :-) Cyprus really is such an inspiring place for the artistically inclined. I had to really limit myself with the amount of 'treasures' I brought back with me, could've done a whole load more!

[tootsievalentine]

A parable

'About one hundred years ago, John Ruskin told the story of a man who boarded a ship carrying his entire wealth in a large bag of gold coins. A terrible storm came up a few days into the voyage and the alarm went off to abandon ship. Strapping the bag around his waist, the man went up on deck, jumped overboard and promptly sank to the bottom of the sea. Asks Ruskin: “Now, as he was sinking, had he the gold? Or had the gold him?”'

~ Peter L. Bernstein. From his book The Power of Gold The History of an Obsession.

[tootsievalentine]

Mediterranean treasure hunt

Following on from my holiday in Cyprus, I am finally getting round to sorting through all the found objects I scooped up and brought home with me. I do like a treasure hunt, so being in a foreign country only adds to the excitement of what I might find! Some people get their kicks from drugs, I get mine from stumbling across an unusual feather or beautifully patterned rock. Each to their own, and I am about to present you with mine!

Most of the bits and pieces I picked up were beach finds. I spend a lot of time in the woods and countryside normally, so being near the water presented a wonderful opportunity to collect things that I wouldn't normally come across on one of my walks. If it wasn't for the extreme heat and the fact that I needed to restrict myself because of the size of my suitcase, I would have happily trawled the Limassol beaches for hours looking for more natural treasures. During the trip I allowed myself 3 tubs worth of finds and no more. What I found (apart from tonnes of gorgeous shells) included a sea cucumber and a sea urchin and a few crab carcasses. Much to the horrified cries of my friend "it will make your suitcase stink!" I did bring them all back to the UK, I just sealed them well in a container. 

Today I have been going through the tubs of stuff and sorting them all out. I didn't realise quite how much I brought home with me. My curiosity box is already stuffed full, so the next thing on my shopping list is a cabinet of some sort, for storage and display. But that's another story. Here are the various piles of Mediterranean treasures....

The picture below shows the crab carcasses.

Below shows the sea urchin.

The photo below shows the sea cucumber (top left in the pic, white slug-like creature). You can't see it very well here but it is actually a glittery, opalescent colour.

Below is the whole collection from my trip to Cyprus. All organised into piles.

Underneath shows some quick sketches I did earlier today. Just initial analytical drawings in case I want to use the objects as starting points for a collection. It's useful to have items of specific interest drawn out already so I can develop them more easily in future.

The grey objects below are a type of fir tree bark. I fell in love with the pattern, texture and shape, not to mention the colour when I visited Troodos mountains. These pieces of bark had flaked off (I didn't pick them off the tree) and I found them on the ground surrounding the firs. There was so much of it. It was as if the trees were shedding a skin.

Just as on the beach I found the collecting and sifting for finds quietly meditative. So it is now with the sorting and categorising at home. I find it relaxing and comforting in a way. Of course the objects hold happy memories, but it's also the fact that nature produces such endless beauty and I love having these tiny treasures to hand to marvel over whenever the moment takes me.

[tootsievalentine]

Cyprus

Did I really go on holiday? Or was it just an illusion? As I sit here in the same seat typing away in the same place as I did before I went away, I am asking myself this very question. Back to reality seems so real that it's almost as if I dreamt I had got on a plane and visited my friend for a week. But such is life and the relentless speed by which we all seem to be whizzing along. Nothing has changed in a week, which is comforting and yet frustrating a the same time. What did I expect? I don't really know, maybe my life to be more sorted?! In my mind I was dreaming and planning all kinds of things while I was away but coming back home, the physical aspects of my more 'sorted' life have yet to catch up with my thoughts! Still, it's all work in progress. More importantly I have an immense amount to be incredibly grateful for.

I visited one of my best friends who now lives in Cyprus and the first day I was there, we went to an outdoor concert in Limassol. It was in aid of all the families who had lost their jobs and homes in the aftermath of the recent Cypriot/EU financial crisis. Instead of paying for tickets, gig-goers were expected to bring food and sundries such as dried pasta and canned food, toiletries and supplies (within their own means) to be given to those who have recently found themselves both jobless and homeless. Instead of presenting a ticket at the gates, you had to go to the street in front of the concert entrance, where a kilometre long main road had been turned into a sorting and packing station, with hundreds of volunteers collecting food and supplies and boxing it all up to go to stricken families. This was the first time I had seen the effects of the EU financial crisis first hand. I couldn't believe that there were so many thousands of families in Limassol alone who now could not afford bread, let alone toilet paper and nappies for their babies. It was truly heart breaking. To be suddenly left jobless then homeless is something you don't expect to happen in a first world country, which was all the more shocking to me because it seems so much closer to home. In a way you feel a little sheltered by living in an EU country where you take it for granted that you'll always be able to buy the basics in life and you certainly don't expect this to happen.

Each major town in Cyprus had a concert like the one I attended in order to collect supplies for locally affected families. In Limassol, they were aiming to get enough food and supplies for 2000 boxes to be taken to families in need. By the end of the night they actually got 5000 boxes worth, which was an incredible feat of rallying around but nonetheless made a lasting impact that an event like this was needed in the first place. 

I took these photos at the end of the Limassol concert when most of the boxing up had been done.

As far as work was concerned I decided to have a complete switch off. I decided to take my sketch book with me in case I had the time, inclination or inspiration to draw. But apart from this I decided that I wouldn't consciously use the holiday as a time to think up new ideas. The day I arrived in Cyprus I switched off my phone and didn't turn it on until the day I left. Nor did I check my emails or any other social media. This was a very deliberate attempt to see if I could indeed survive a week without it all. And I'm pleased to say I could! It was really nice to be able to take myself off into a little bubble and tuck myself away from everything for a while. Above all it was lovely to be able to spend some distraction-free time with my friends, who were the reason I travelled to Cyprus in the first place. 

As it turned out I didn't open my sketch book and no new ideas flooded my mind. However I was filled with inspiration from the surroundings and stunning landscapes. From the sea to the mountains I was bombarded with beauty at every turn in the road. And so it turned out that photography was my medium of creative expression for the week and I came home with 582 pictures on my memory card. That would be a slide show to test the patience of Buddha, so I have refrained from inflicting this on family and friends (and blog readers!) Instead here is an edited snap-shot of some of the things that really fired up my creativity.

It's not that I intend using everything I saw for ideas, it was just nice to appreciate the beauty of different scenery, just for the pure enjoyment of it. I really loved going back to photography too. It's been ages since I picked up my SLR and shot something a little bit more artistic than family Christmases!

Of course a massive thank you goes to Nicole for inviting me over and allowing me to glimpse a little bit of ancient heaven!

The best thing about holidays is the way they make you forget your troubles for just a short while. Moments when everything really is alright. And I can't tell you how tempting it is to get back on that plane and not come back. But until the next voyage, you can find me in my usual location, in the workshop, nestled in the Chiltern Hills hammering a bit of gold and dreaming of the next episode of escapism.

[tootsievalentine]

The Conversation

Well it seems to have been ages since I last wrote a blog post. Lots has been happening, not least a much longed-for holiday to Cyprus, which warrants it's own blog post later on. But this post is a little update about one of the things I've been doing 'on the side'. Kind of in addition to the goldsmithing and jewellery rather than instead of it. I'm now a contributing writer to Amanda De Cadenet's The Conversation website, which accompanies her TV show. I submit articles to them every few months. I mainly write about personal development based on personal experience. It's something I love doing and it's definitely a community that I absolutely love being a part of. So I thought I'd share them with you here too.

This is me: http://www.theconversation.tv/view-people/?person=jo-taylor

One Easy Trick To Make Negativity Work For You http://www.theconversation.tv/career-finances/the-word-no/

The Importance Of Writing Your Own Self-Help Book http://www.theconversation.tv/truth-wisdom/the-importance-of-writing-your-own-self-help-book/

Making Peace With Each Other's Bodies http://www.theconversation.tv/beauty/making-peace-with-each-others-bodies/

Will update as and when the next one is published. In the meantime you can find me on twitter @tootsgoldsmith 

Jo

xx

[tootsievalentine]

Why I love winter

Winter is my favourite season, very closely followed by autumn. Right now I can tell you that I am secretly doing cartwheels whenever it is grey, cold or wet. No, I’m not being sarcastic, no I’m not clinically insane and yes I am serious. I used to think of winter-love as an affliction because no-one else seemed to like this cold season. But the last few years I have decided to embrace the fact that I am a winter lover. I now know I’m not the only one and have since found a few fellow enthusiasts. Loving winter is a bit like loving Tori Amos, I think it’s perfectly normal, everyone else thinks it’s weird.

 I was born in the winter, the bleakest month, February. Everyone I speak to moans about February being depressing and dreary, but I love it. Not because of my birthday, but because it is what I call  Winter-Absolute, in other words no fairy lights or festivities to pretty it up and make the season seem more bearable. February is true winter at its most glorious, just dense cold, greyness and a stark feeling of being face to face with nature at its most exposed, raw and wild, when the elements take over and Mother Nature holds us at her mercy. Petals and foliage are gorgeous of course, but in winter, the bare branches take centre stage, all gnarled and twisted, boldly  breathtaking silhouettes against a moody backdrop.  As I write this, we are heading towards December I am filled with glee the fact we have only just got started. If Mother Nature had brakes, I would be slamming them on right now.

I don’t understand people who love summer any more than they understand my love of winter. I spend March til August longing for it to be September and the onset of cooler weather. I don’t feel the cold and I hate the heat. Give me grey, cold, wet and dark any day. To many people this sounds miserable and just plain odd, but I feel happier and far more balanced in the winter. My mood lifts, I complain less, I smile more, I feel like I’m in my element. Even though it’s chillier in the workshop and the heating sometimes struggles to warm my bones, it’s the season when I feel the most inspired. Winter will always be my greatest love.

 On a practical level, I love winter because:

 I don’t sweat

My pale skin loves it

No matter how cold it gets, you can always put another layer on whereas in summer you can only take so much off and you’ll still be hot

Cosying up

Log fires and wood burning stoves

Winter clothes

My black wool cloak

Knee high boots

Mulled wine

Crisp mornings

Cashmere

Rich comfort food

Proper puddings

The woods becoming wild and uninhabited

Grey skies

Frost

Sparse landscapes

Muted colours

Scarves

You are of course more than welcome to join me with a glass of mulled wine or Scotch whisky and raise a toast to winter, we could even start a club....

[tootsievalentine]

You are one of my favorite blogs! :D I got tagged in one of the chain-ask "favorite blog" games, so I'm letting you know. :)

That's really lovely, thank you! :-)

[tootsievalentine]

I'm pretty much jumping up and down on the spot with immense excitement the fact that it's now autumn!!! My favourite season (along with winter - yes I said winter!) The first of the leaves are turning and falling, so I've been collecting and swooning. Beautiful found objects abound and I cannot wait for conkers!

[tootsievalentine]

Other people's kindness

Today I was sent a beautiful gift. It was given to me by a dear lady called Gloria. The gift was a set of two beaded bracelets brought over from Nigeria. They are beautiful, I will post a picture of them. Really though, it's not about what the gift is. Although they are beautiful and I couldn't have picked better myself, it was just the thought behind it. The fact that she had thought of me, thousands of miles away and had picked something out for me. I was so touched by her kindness that I felt myself welling up. It was so unexpected, it's not my birthday, it's not Christmas, there is no other occasion that I am due to celebrate. I know I've always been a sentimental old fool, but this type of gesture hits me right in the solar plexus and makes me melt with happiness. So thank you Gloria, you made my day :-) xxxxx

[tootsievalentine]

Some super stunning early autumn days here. It's perfect, the air is cool and the skies are bright and blue. I do love this time of year. Have been neglecting the blog and other comms recently...been head-down in the workshop! Quite a bit to do to get things to the place I'd like them to be so it's full on with making and with admin bits & bobs. Will endeavour to keep a toe in with my updates, but if I don't you'll know why!

[tootsievalentine]

Pharmaceutical glassware

[tootsievalentine]

Roses, autumn,

[tootsievalentine]

Enjoying the last few dry days before the woods turn into a bog and the sunshine disappears til March....

[tootsievalentine]

The Importance Of My Little Bubble.

Today was the first day in a long while that I have had a major creative block. It follows on from a good couple of months of easy-flowing, couldn't-get-ideas-on-paper-quickly-enough creativity. So naturally the first sign of it waning has put me into full panic mode. It's not like it hasn't happened before, because of course this does occur from time to time, it's just that I feel like an alien in my own body when it does. It's going to seem melodramatic when I say this but when I feel like I've lost some of my creativity, I feel like I've lost a part of myself. It's temporary, it'll return and then one day in the future it will go on holiday again and leave me in another tailspin. It's like a relationship. Sometimes creativity needs a break from me. It's just I don't feel the same way. I never want a break from it. Who has the upper hand here I wonder?!?

But since my creativity has seemingly gone on a long weekend it has given me time to wonder why. Did I do something to upset it? Why did it need a break now of all the times to choose....in the middle of designing a new collection that needs to be made, photographed, assayed and marketed by mid-October? Oh, there it is, there's my answer (it sent me a postcard). Deadlines. Understandable really, no-one likes them, least of all a whimsical, ethereal flibbertigibbet like creativity. 

But seriously, deadlines aside I have realised there is another reason why I stared at a blank sketch book page for hours without so much as a coherent design being formed. Other People's Work. There I said it. Feels awkward but it's out there now. I’m not blaming other people’s work for my own stymied flow, I actually love looking at other designer's work, it's most often inspiring, encouraging and informative. But I have come to realise that there is a time and a place for me to be able to appreciate it and admire it. And that time is not when I'm in the middle of designing my own work. Which by the way doesn't happen every day.

Yesterday I went to the V&A museum in central London. I normally love it there and I mean Love with a capital 'L'. I went to see Thomas Heatherwick's exhibition. I am a long-term admirer of his designs, his work ethic and his lateral thinking, so I was really looking forward to seeing his work up close. And it was enthralling, I am so glad I went. I had a stroll round a few more rooms of the V&A that I hadn't been in for a while and so by the time I left I was buzzing! My head was full of ideas, full of potential designs, full of inspiration! What a great feeling to have when you come away from a cultural and artistic hub. So this morning when I started work my head was still full of all these ideas....seed cathedrals, rolling bridges, The Raphael cartoons, 18th century brocade ball gowns, all these images from my V&A trip spinning around my head, dancing a merry jig. Ordinarily this would not be a bad thing at all. But today, I wanted to be able to continue my work and carry on designing a collection of jewellery. However all I was able to see in my mind's eye was other people's designs and other people's work. I don't know if it was just image overload or visual and material over-stimulation. But I could not get anywhere near my own thoughts and my own ideas and my own designs because all I was thinking about was Heatherwick Studio's buttock-contoured upholstered bus seats and glass bridges.

Concentration wasn't the problem, and once I'd managed to bring my thoughts back to my own workshop and the task in hand I realised it wasn't about thought control either. It dawned on me that I had clouded over my creativity with superfluous information and I could not see my own ideas because they were lying underneath a thick layer of other people's. Of course I only had this revelation after I decided to pack up for the day. But I have been mulling it over for a large part of the evening. So much so that I felt compelled to write this blog post about it. Complete catharsis.

It feels like relief to have come to this conclusion.

I now know that when I am designing a collection, I need to tuck myself away in My Own Little Bubble in my workshop. My ideas flow better when I have a blank canvas in my mind and no clutter from distracting images. This is when I can hear my own creative voice and get my own thoughts down on paper and into metal.  There is absolutely no ban on seeing other people’s work again. This would be counter-productive too, especially because peer support can be so valuable. I think the timing is important though. Therefore, until I have another body of work, there will be no design exhibitions and no craft gallery visits for me.  It’s a steep learning curve. I’m finding things out as I'm going along, knowing what I can do and what my own limits and expectations are as well as discovering my own way of designing and working.

So if you need me, I’ll be at the workbench with my head buried in my sketchbook. I’d be very grateful if you could please bring me a cup of tea from time to time! And creativity you elusive creature, I’ve had the evening off, I realise where I went wrong, please can you head home now? I need you! Thanks.

[tootsievalentine]

My latest craft project, a winter jacket made from British wool. I had made up the pattern before and have since worn the previous jacket to death! So time for another. I found a really beautiful oatmeal coloured wool so I made the jacket up in this.

Easier to make the second time round for sure, even though it had been 5 years since I used the pattern. Now I just need some cooler weather so I can actually wear it!

[tootsievalentine]

Wheat field finds, post harvest.

[tootsievalentine]

Here's an interview I did with Designs On Earth. The article was published today. It's about sustainability within the jewellery industry.