If I could only watch one TV show for the rest of my life it would have to be Project Runway. I'm totally and utterly addicted to it! The drama, the fashion, crazy Michael Kors, bitchy Nina Garcia, uber-fun Heidi Klum, and the wordy Tim Gunn. This man is like a walking thesaurus, and I love it! He sent poor Anthony Williams (my favorite designer from season 7) running for his dictionary when he told Anthony to use his viscera. I'll be the first to admit that I'm occasionally a little slow on the uptake, but this is a whole new level of slow for me... It's taken me seven, yes seven, seasons of Project Runway to realize that designers of all kinds (jewelry included) can learn something from the loquacious Tim Gunn. The man knows his stuff! We should all be so lucky to have a mentor with nearly 30 years of experience in our fields to show us the ropes! The lessons in design that he doles out each week to the contestants are applicable to us all.
I have to say the single most important thing that I've learned from watching Tim Gunn on Project Runway is to use 'an editing eye'. The judges speak so many times of how they would change a garment, or that a design looks 'overworked'. I've discovered these issues don't just plague clothing designers, but all designers in general. It is easy and tempting to throw a piece of jewelry together just because you thought the colors looked nice or because you got those two strands of beads to use in the same piece. This doesn't always work in the world of design. There are of course those happy accidents while designing, but they seem to be few and far between. Tim says that if you get stuck on a design then it probably isn't a good one.
I have to say the single most important thing that I've learned from watching Tim Gunn on Project Runway is to use 'an editing eye'. The judges speak so many times of how they would change a garment, or that a design looks 'overworked'. I've discovered these issues don't just plague clothing designers, but all designers in general. It is easy and tempting to throw a piece of jewelry together just because you thought the colors looked nice or because you got those two strands of beads to use in the same piece. This doesn't always work in the world of design. There are of course those happy accidents while designing, but they seem to be few and far between. Tim says that if you get stuck on a design then it probably isn't a good one.
This poor necklace-to-be has been in it's beginning stages since Christmas! I threw a bunch of beads I thought would look nice together in a small bowl (typical design strategy for me). I liked what I saw so much so that I took a picture that now graces my business cards, facebook fan page, and Etsy shop banner! The only issue was how to assemble it all without looking 'overwrought' as Tim or Michael would say. I've spent hours staring at the design I have in place thus far, but to no avail! I think I'm going to have to take Tim's advice and scrap the whole thing. The most important thing to remember is that if you can't make a go of a design then it wasn't meant to be. I think I'm going to hide this project away for awhile, so that I can get a fresh perspective on it in a few months.
Happy Beading & 'Make It Work!' -Jessica
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