With the markets out of the way, it is time for me to buckle down and finish all those commissions before the year ends.
I don’t know if you have heard, but I do have an Etsy page (that’s the shameless self promotion out of the way!).
Recently I got my first (and only) commission through Etsy, and it was a truly wonderful experience. I work by myself so much, that I really relish having to answer to someone else once in a while.
My customer saw a drawing of a sunflower that I had made, and commissioned me to design a ring based on it  for his girlfriend, who apparently loves sunflowers. I have never designed for jewelry, so I was fairly terrified by the prospect; but as it happens, the challenge of working to someone else’s specifications and tastes was just what my tired, old brain needed.
There is almost nothing more rewarding than a happy customer. Why ‘almost’? Well, I used to teach at a middle school, and it takes A LOT to beat the satisfaction of successfully getting a seventh grader to fall in love with a project. When it comes to rewarding experiences, teaching is a hard act to follow, but this comes pretty close.
Here are some images from the whole process:
