EMJC-PR6-Part 1-Thursday "Meet the Designers"

Our EMJC-PR6 challenge is wrapping up with interviews from the participants.
WE have a surprise for you, we had planned on launching the

"Finale Part 2 Mini Collections" this evening alongside the PR show.

But do to time constraints, we will be posting a fun little surprise

"Pop Challenge" tommorow instead!

The "Finale Part 2 Mini Collection Launch" has been postponed until

Friday November 27.

"So please meet the last of our designers who submitted interviews!"

Victoria Takahashi

Seattle, Washington, USA.

1-How has this experience enhanced the way you create?
This experience has been so enriching and valuable to me in so many ways. For starters, it has allowed me emotionally to make things with complete freedom. You may think, well you have complete freedom, but I don’t because I seem to hold myself back in a lot always thinking about the wearer, if it will sell, to keep it affordable and trying to keep the integrity of my vision albeit stifled, of a piece. It has allowed me to make things I want to make and have put those ideas on a back burner to make later, things that I didn’t even know I wanted to make. It has also pushed me to try new methods of fabrication to achieve my desired outcome. It has allowed me to open a door and leave it open. I feel like it has given me an ability to think about future projects in a different aspect. IF I didn’t actually force myself to do the challenges I couldn’t say I would of learned this lesson. It seems so easy to think in concept, but to force oneself to make things with a deadline with certain parameters and boundries really was refreshing for me. I feel like I can take these lessons with me now to enrich my future works.

2-What have you gained from participating in the EMJC’s?
I have gained a new way of thinking and a new process of pulling creativity. I have also learned a great deal about basic blogging. It has forced me literally to figure it out, another thing I was putting off. I seem to learn new things when I have to. I have gained a deeper feeling of team spirit working with Etsymetal, I have also met a few new artisits out of the deal. I gained a new sense of hope to finding my creative path. I gained knowledge about myself that I DO work best on a deadline however unfortunate and uncomfortable and as much as I hate the stress, it is true. Can I change it? I don’t know, maybe next season I can work on that.

3-What was your most favorite piece you made and why?
The Customator 6.4: Patience: "Bracelet, Wood, Steampunk"

Most definately the one that challenged my patience for sure. This was a love-hate piece. I can't even say that this was my favorite!? But it hurt the most! There was so much pre-planning, futzing and fitting to make it even work. I just jumped in blindly with an idea and hoped it would work. Had to call in the big guns(my partner) and get his advice. He kept me from giving up with supportive words, and after finishing I feel stronger for completing it, thank you honey! tee hee, I think the best part was dressing up for the photo shoot!

4-What was the hardest challenge for you and why?
6.5 Paper Challenge, because it is so far out of my materials I would normally use in jewelry fabrication. I was kind of dumb-founded at this one. I’ve always wanted to do collage and I love collecting its and bits of paper and ephemera, but to use it in a piece of jewelry made me question its overall durability and stability. So I laminated it, so now it is nice and sturdy!
I'm glad I had a chance to explore a little bit of paper though, it definately made my wheels spin and that is the exact reason I am doing these challenges!

5-Will we see you again next season?
YES! I can say I am very ready to be done this season, but I will be refreshed and rearin’ to go again in Season 7 2010! I have one wish for next Season, and that is that they get all crazy on us with more unusual edgy challenges, so it is uncomfortable and painful, so it pushes me far out of any comfort zone. I say this now, but I probably will regret I said this later!?

Beth Cyr
Athens, Geaorgia, USA.

1-How has this experience enhanced the way you create?
I really enjoyed working on projects that didn't need to be for sale. Its fun to just create something beautiful that could be worn, but not necessarily an every day, easy to sell piece of jewelry. It got me remove some of the boundaries I seem to put on myself all the time!

2-What have you gained from participating in the EMJC’s?
I think I have gained back some of my artistic and creative nature that can be lost by making the same pieces over and over, or custom pieces that are dictated by a customer. It was very freeing to just make something because I wanted to. I liked having the group participate and find that doing this sort of challenge pushes me to create something more unique since it will be next to pieces from other artists. I also experimented with a few things that I will start incorporating in to my work and do on a more consistent basis.

3-What was your most favorite piece you made and why?
I think my favorite piece was for the 'Create a Character' challenge - the crown/tiara for the Spider Queen. There were so many elements to that whole challenge that let me go in different directions I would like to go in, but find difficult to make the time for regularly. I also have always wanted to make a crown or tiara and it just seemed like the perfect chance!

4-What was the hardest challenge for you and why?
The hardest challenge.... though I know this is meant to mean which week's challenge... the hardest challenge was finding the time to make the piece. I was sad to miss out on two challenges that I was out of town for and simply couldn't make the time to do them - though I would still like to go back and finish them up to have a full 'collection'. The most difficult week for me was the 'Customater' - having to add in a different material and make it fit in to a certain style was very difficult and really pushed me out of any comfort zone. It seemed like the most restricting challenge of them all. I also had my on personal challenge of making all my pieces work together, not just simply fulfill the challenge.

5-Will we see you again next season?
Definitely!!!