Creative instinct...and babies

I have been taking a bit of a break from jewellery making to have my first child, Jesse. Before he was born and feeling pretty exhausted in my pregnancy, I felt I needed quite a bit of time off from making to focus on him and motherhood. In the run up to Jesse's birth, I had not felt up to doing some of the more heavy duty silversmithing activities like hammering and sawing, particularly with a big bump in the way! Aside from that and with my mind elsewhere, my creativity had also done a runner.  I wondered when my mojo would come back... 

Jesse was born in April and a few weeks in, I am pleased to say I was hankering to get back in the studio to have a potter about, particularly when Jesse was sleeping and I was at a loose end. The trouble was, I was in desperate need of sleep after being up most of the night (it seemed) so any free time was being used to snooze or catch up on chores (or endless washing!).

A few months in and I am pleased to say it is a different story. I am managing to get some time in the studio as Jesse has longer sleeps in the evenings. I think having a bit of a break before he was born (and after) has rejuvenated my creativity. I purchased many gemstones before Jesse was born and I have been excited to start setting them in various pieces.  You will see that I have been very enthused about making lots of rings (tap on the photo below for slideshow). So... watch this space for additions to the website shop over the coming months. This, of course, will depend on Jesse!