EMJC-PR6-Part 1-Tuesday "Meet the GUEST Designers"

Hi ya' all! Our EMJC-PR6 challenge is wrapping up with interviews from the participants. We wanted to take all this week before the "Finale Part 2 Mini Collection Launch" to meet our fabulous designers on this project!
Please check back every day until our Finale!
"So please meet some of our GUEST participants below!"

Guest Participant: Tiffany Nelson

1-How has this experience enhanced the way you create?

It has really made me start thinking outside of my normal constraints, especially when the challenges required me to work with materials I have never used before.

2-What have you gained from participating in the EMJC’s?

Of course an appreciation of all the great artists that participated but a drive to "just try it and see what happens" mentality. During the challenge I did my first copper etching, my first cabochon setting, and my first time working with paper and wood.

3-What was your most favorite piece you made and why?
Its a toss up between the wedding piece and the motherhood piece. I was really happy with both of these pieces and think they are things I would not have normally made given to my own devices.

4-What was the hardest challenge for you and why?

The hardest was definitely the 3 categories one, trying to find a way to incorporate metal and wood into a form that I was happy with was a big challenge. I never work with wood, if I ever have it has been premade beads not something totally made from scrap so this was the hardest for me.

5-Will we see you again next season?

DEFINITELY!!! I loved doing this, I only wished I had more time (between my job and other things going on in my life this took a back seat some weeks) but since quitting my job to pursue my jewelry full time, I hope there is more time to devote to challenges.

Guest Participant: Jo Hollingsworth

1-How has this experience enhanced the way you create?

The Project Runway challenges have forced me to move from concept to finished, photographed project in a week. I tend to contemplate a design for weeks or months before I fabricate it, so having to work so quickly has been a real challenge for me. But it's shown me that I *can* design more quickly, and I can come up with some fantastic pieces when pushed. And now that I know that I can work more quickly, I've started to turn designs into finished pieces in a much shorter period of time. So you can expect a lot of new designs from me in the near future!

2-What have you gained from participating in the EMJC’s?

I've gained a lot of confidence in my ability to design well under pressure.

3-What was your most favorite piece you made and why?

I absolutely adore my Little Pot necklace, which I made for the wedding challenge. I worked for years as a sculptor in clay, so making a three dimensional piece comes very naturally to me. And I love the volume of this piece - I constantly run my fingers over it. It's become the first piece in a line of perfume bottle necklaces, which I'm currently working on.

4-What was the hardest challenge for you and why?

I think the wedding challenge was hardest for me, both because the necklace was technically hard to make, and because I was never a typical bride, so the concept of wedding jewelry is pretty foreign to me. I find it really interesting that my hardest challenge resulted in my favorite design. I guess I need to challenge myself more often!

5-Will we see you again next season?

Absolutely.

Guest Participant: Kathryn Cole

1-How has this experience enhanced the way you create?
This experience has given me a new direction in my creating process. I am very inspired and excited to see where my designing takes me. In the past I created from my own drawings that I created mostly from images in my mind. I love to draw and watercolor. I usually see where a watercolor takes me and then find the one that could be transformed into a silver piece. I will now expand my creating process to search out inspiration from Art and Architecture and other specific things. I am quite excited about this new outlook to my designing process.

2-What have you gained from participating in the EMJC’s?
I have a new desire to research Art and Architecture to be inspired by. I was also very inspired by everyone else's beautiful creations. I am amazed by all of the talent.

3-What was your most favorite piece you made and why?
I only made one piece for this challenge, but I am inspired by everyone else's creations and wished I had joined in earlier.

4-What was the hardest challenge for you and why?
The challenge I entered was the last one. It was very challenging for me to find a piece of Artwork in a limited amount of time to interpret. I could have spent hours looking through the entire Getty Museum website. Once I found the photograph I wanted to interpret, it was very hard to interpret it and be able to express the beauty of photograph into metal. I kept changing the lines of the flower to try to match the photograph.

5-Will we see you again next season?

I look forward in joining in next season! Thank you so much for having this challenge!