Becoming a teacher and a student.....

This week marked the beginning of my 34th year on this planet. As a gift to myself, I decided to take a class given by new friends and fellow teachers at Bali Studios. For a long time, I think at least the last year, I've felt in a constant state of flux, a feeling of transition that I haven't been able to put my finger on exactly. This class was a celebratory act in moving towards that direction, this direction I've been feeling pulled towards but couldn't quite see yet...sort of like trying to orientate one's self to a compass.

One of those steps is teaching and in terms of magnetic poles, and compasses, an aspect of that is also learning...learning in a broad sense, both teaching and learning. Learning about myself, about teaching, and of course, learning from others.

Now, I don't think it's a secret that teachers learn as much from their students as they teach them, right? It's sort of one of the basic philosophies of teaching....This part is the part that has me most curious. This two way avenue of learning....this teaching and being taught.

I haven't taken a class in years....maybe since college. I'm a very visual, hands-on learner....and I'm quite content to teach myself....so I think this class for me was a very important step in this journey to becoming a teacher....to also learn and to UN-learn. To learn from other artists, their own approach, how it differed from my own approach and to do it by another method.

final gathering photo by Deb Taylor

Our class was about creating a personal soul passport, a handmade book. In this case, it was already something I was familiar with, art journal-ing and bookmaking....There was much emphasis on creating a finished mostly blank book in a very safe, welcoming environment in which we were able to create.

I put it in my mind before I even went that I would push myself into this with my whole heart and create something very different than what I was accustomed to....

As I was learning and as I begin to teach new classes, there is this thread I feel between students and teachers....

Students are often reluctant to take a class because they either feel:

A) They WON'T be able to learn what's being taught.

or....

B) They won't be able to learn anything new.

and teachers often similarly feel the same anxieties about teaching....they won't be able to teach anything right and students may not "get" it or their students won't learn it.

So, as I sit here with my heart full of teaching and of learning, I've been asking myself, "what is this common thread?"

For me, it becomes creating this safe, loving, sharing, environment.....This place, where as a teacher, I can enable my students to feel safe and confident learning....but also a sharing environment, where we'll all be able to receive and bring our collective experiences together as a community of learners and makers.

snippets from my soul passport and beauty of a day of learning....

If you are (mostly) a teacher, what has been your greatest learning experience?

If you  are (mostly) a student, what has been the best learning environment?

If you've never done either, what types of experiences would make you feel the most comfortable?

forever learning

mary jane dodd

this necklace (which is my submission for the art spark this month) is a result of years of practice and 3 techniques... 

i love learning... i love books and tutorials... the leaf above was born because i bought charles lewton brains's fold forming book, barbara lewis' enameling tutorial (though now she has a fabulous book) and took a class with ruth rae... not all at once of course, they built upon each other during 'what if' moments... 

but the first things i tried to do on my own were those that could save me money - like making my own hook clasps, ear wires and ball end headpins... once i figured those out - i got inspired to try more things on my own... it's addicting... 

there are so many wonderful retreats and large teaching venues - like some of you, i sigh and wish i could go... because of distance or money, some of us simply cannot... 

but what i have found is that there is a wealth of teaching out there... and most of it is very affordable... 

www.beaducation.com - has some really great online video classes... like bodacious bangle with kim st. jean... 

www.fundametals.net - has tutorials that start at $4

you can learn how to patina metal with missficklemedia for $20... this is an incredibly comprehensive tutorial that has taught me about more than patina... it was a great investment...  shannon has other tutorials on her site as well for $10 a piece... 

because i love books (and had some sales on etsy) i am going to treat myself to stephanie lee's 'handbook of elements' online class... 

our own patty lakinsmith has lampworking technique tutorials... 

one of my new personal discoveries is  nancy l hamilton - her videos are terrific... 

search etsy for all items - tutorial and there are 17,809 results... 


how about 'creating beautiful bead caps'? you can find it here...

purchase a jewelry magazine like step by step wire, belle armoire jewelry, or others and you will get stepped out directions and often photographs for each project... 

and what about youtube? free!

afraid to use a jeweler's saw? get some tips from susan lenart kazmer 

www.riogrande.com has over 100 videos there... 

the point is, there is so very much to learn and know - and you can do it at your own speed... at your financial comfort level... 

another nice thing about the videos is that before spending money on tools and supplies, you can get a feel for whether something clicks with you or not... 

personally, it isn't usually about the projects that i get excited (though they are beautiful and inspiring) - it is about the technique or some wonderful tip that takes me to the next level... 

and that is what i love so very much about this community - sharing and supporting so that we all can reach our potential... 

joys of learning/teaching

mary jane dodd

last spring, i got up the courage to ask a bead shop about 30 min from my home if i could propose classes for their schedule... and so i got to teach my first class... 

the fall schedule is getting ready and i wanted to come up with some fun classes that would not be too complex, yet would build on the basics of the etching class i taught this summer...

i wanted to use layering on a cuff, but to somehow do it a bit differently - after all, cuffs are very popular right now and they are the perfect kind of bracelet to use riveting on... resin is one of my favorite materials to work with - but ice resin (my resin of choice) takes a bit too long to work with in the time frame i will have available... 

enter staci's blog post from last week about magic glos... i picked some up... the sun broke through yesterday after a good number of days of rain - and so i was able to try it... this is definitely a resin that leaves you with a more rustic type effect, which is fine with me... and it was very well suited for my idea... 

i also tried it in some rustic bezels that i made and will offer instruction on... 

and then there will be a class on using a butane torch with sterling... making a rustic fused link bracelet along with things like ball end headpins, ear wires, clasps... just a practical class designed to expand one's ability to construct  their own components and save money... even learning how to ball end headpins is such a valuable skill in terms of design and cost... i remember being so excited to be able to do that and not have to buy headpins anymore... to never run out of them because i could always make more...

confidence grows when you learn how to do things, leaving you ripe to take on bigger challenges... it is a beautiful cycle, really.... learning how to do-it-myself has been really important to my growth... and you take it with you in to other parts of your life...

** etching is a really great technique... i first learned from stephanie lee's book 'semi-precious salvage'... but barbara lewis has a great section on it in her new book 'torch-fired enamel jewelry' ... perhaps i should do a tutorial on it... 

student teacher

mary jane dodd

'curiosity is the wick in the candle of learning.'

~ william arthur ward

etching is one of my favorite techniques... you can take plain metal and give it a life of its own... at a bead shop i began noticing the possibilities for a lot of the components they had displayed - trays of vintaj, boxes of brass and copper shapes... so i asked if she would be open to an etching class...

the pieces above were made to place around the store so that people could see another side of what was available... i thought about just asking her if she would like me to etch some for sale... but i thought that teaching people how to do it would be so much more fun... 

and, girl, was it!

busy... i love that about classes... how focused everyone becomes...  how people talk and work together... these 7 wonderful women and i spent 3 hours together... (& i learned that 3 hours is not enough time...)

my favorite question - 'what if...'  it is drives me daily... and i love to hear/see that in others... learning something new by whatever avenue then integrating it into your personal arsenal is magical... 'what if... ' is why i keep a journal for my work - because surely i would forget everything that flits through my head... 

it was a fantastic way to spend my friday... i feel badly there are no images of finished work... i had forgotten about taking pictures  as the class went on...