It's only been 1.5 years since I bought myself a Little Smith torch & sucked in my breath to take the very scary leap of soldering outside of a class, on my lonesome. If you are just starting out in jewelry making- you know exactly what I mean by very scary. You fear (and likely envision) blowing everything up. The propane tank feels menacing. Unsupervised fire-play takes a hot minute to get used to; but you can do it! And with the proper safety precautions- guess what: you'll be just fine!
If I could turn back time (yes, Cher should be playing in your head for one sec) I would have done 1 thing different in this business of making jewelry. Unfortunately that's not how things work, so at least I can impart my wisdom through experience unto you.
My big advise is to take a monthly picture of your progress. With every 1st week of the month- take a photo of what you've created that you're most proud of. Create a new folder on your phone & store these photos there. Being able to see side by side & steady increase of skills & confidence is just amazing! Pick one photo to represent the month.
In all fairness my skills got the unique chance that only an international pandemic could provide: hella time. With my other jobs shut down- I was able to lean in entirely to my "hobby", & experienced faster growth than your average bear normally gets, as life usually keeps us busy in normal times.
The photo on here is my first batch of pigeon brooches & necklaces that I made that I thought were good enough to sell. I couldn't believe they were something I'd produced! What a thrill!
What's really important to know is that you will get to where you want to be with dedication. The speed of how fast you (continuously) arrive just may pleasantly surprise you.
You're bound to goof. You gotta goof to get better. Don't be afraid to try & keep trying; to go on walks even if just for a block if you keep hitting the wall; to return to breath & know you're on your way to creating what you see in your mind.
Best of luck- you got this!
