6 Reasons Why You Need A Jewelry-Making Theme

 Stay Tuned For The Artsy/Funky Jewelry Show

Wild Woman

Think of your jewelry as a TV show. 

Think about your favorite TV shows. Remember why you've watched what you've watched over the years. You know the characters by name, Earl, Raymond, Lucy, Meredith, Superman, and Mr. Spock, and Meredith Grey. You tune in to the right channel at the right time, depending on your mood. When you're watching television, you check the Guide in search of the theme that suits your mood and that's what you turn to.

Think of your online shop or arts and craft booth as your very own television show. Think of your jewelry as the funny or abstract or whimsically fresh theme that brings customers back time and again. You don't have to make every piece of jewelry based on a theme, just enough to make your point. 

Six reasons why you should have a theme

1. Your theme can be you, the concept or ideas you return to time and time again when you create your jewelry. With themes to fall back on, the ideas keep coming.

2. Your theme will become part of your creative process, nudging you to productivity. 

3. When creative block strikes, you can think DANCING LADY BUGS, which will not only make you smile, but it can also be the key to creating something instead of nothing. 

4. At arts and craft shows or when you list online, you can talk about your theme as part of your 'Process.' That will make you sound like the artsy type you truly are deep inside. 

Discussing your theme will give you something to say to customers besides, 'How are you today?' 

5. People will come to your booth because you're the person who has the ladybug or fairy or teddy bear jewelry. 

6. It's better to be known for something than to be known for nothing in particular. 

What is a jewelry-making theme?

Your jewelry-making theme is the consistent set of creative ideas and concepts you think about as you sit down to make jewelry. When you work with a consistent set of ideas and concepts (a theme) people will remember you as the jewelry maker who always has that thing they want... whatever that is. It will be the thing you're known for. 

Who are you anyway?

Your body of work, the things you're compelled to create again and again, shouldn't come 

Dancing

from a magazine, or a book or from someone else's head. They should come from you, whoever you are. 

Really, who are you?

Of course, you know who you are. I'm talking about your jewelry-making self. Have you ever thought about your creative self enough to commit it to paper? Enough to think about it every time you sit down to make jewelry or post it online or stand in a booth at an arts and craft show to sell what you've made? 

Children

Do you think of who you are every time someone asks, 'Who's the artist?' If you don't, you need your own theme. It's an idea that may sound gimmicky but it works.

Stars

Make a list of your favorite things

To figure out your theme–your jewelry concept–make a list of the things you like: Teddy bears, ladybugs, fairies, cars, cows, flowers, hearts, love, religion, war, peace, War & Peace, Minimalism, or Funk. You get the idea. 

Now, narrow it down to one thing. 

Let's say ladybugs because you like black and red and polka-dots, and you see yourself as the whimsical type. Of course, your theme doesn't have to be ladybugs. And if you simply must have more than one theme, think of two things. It's your theme, you can do whatever you want.

Be The Ladybug Lady

Do you think ladybugs are feminine and wild? Sexy even? Do your friends and family buy you red and black polka-dotted gifts or feminine sweaters with cutsie ladybugs embroidered on the sleeves. It's obvious. You are a Ladybug lover. That's the perfect theme for you.

You can be The Lady Bug Jewelry Lady. You can use red beads with black polka dots and ladybugs or wings as your consistent set of ideas and concepts--the theme you think about when you sit down to create. And if you don't like the first theme you choose, you can always find another. You can be the Angel Lady or the Doggie Lady or The Peace & Love Diva. 

Now Make a list of the activities you love to do

Wild Woman

TV shows have a theme. They're legal shows, or house-husband shows, or doctor shows. Each week they have the same actors with the same quirky personalities. But they're doing different things, otherwise, who would watch? 

Your theme should work the same way. If you love angels, for example, every angel piece you make should different based on activities you love: skating, dancing, singing or playing baseball? 

To come up with jewelry ideas, combine your 'thing you love' from your first list with an activity from your second list, for example, ladybugs dancing, angels singing or teddy bears playing baseball. You could generate enough design ideas to last a year or two. 

Beaders need themes too.

As a bead artist, you may create from a theme, interpreting it however you decide. Use color combinations or abstract configurations or work from your own patterns. 

As a beader, you can buy beads compatible with your theme, for example, use black and red beads as part of your ladybug theme. Add a charm to complete your themed look. 

So, Who Am I?

Since we're talking about themes, I'll tell you mine. I'm The Nice Lady. I create Wild Woman, Hearts, Stars, and Children themed Jewelry (I'm flexible.) I don't always follow a theme, but it helps when I need to make jewelry and I'm stuck creatively.

I write poetry to go with some of my jewelry and when I do art shows, I use quirky display pieces.

My booth and my jewelry call out to anyone who passes, "Welcome to The Nice Lady Show!" 

Sometimes people stop by just to read my poems. 

Carol,

The Nice Lady

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©2010, 2018

Updated from my original article on Yahoo Voices