{"id":10507,"date":"2015-05-15T11:00:09","date_gmt":"2015-05-15T17:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/daveonline.net\/thepolymerarts.com\/blog\/?p=10507"},"modified":"2015-05-15T07:20:09","modified_gmt":"2015-05-15T13:20:09","slug":"soul-searching-leaps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thepolymerarts.com\/blog\/soul-searching-leaps\/","title":{"rendered":"Soul Searching Leaps"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/chriscarlsonjewelry.weebly.com\/primitive-polymer.html\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"10509\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.thepolymerarts.com\/blog\/soul-searching-leaps\/chris-carlson-bigbold\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thepolymerarts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/chris-carlson-bigbold.jpg?fit=558%2C810&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"558,810\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"chris carlson bigbold\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thepolymerarts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/chris-carlson-bigbold.jpg?fit=430%2C624&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-10509\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/daveonline.net\/thepolymerarts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/chris-carlson-bigbold-480x697.jpg?resize=480%2C697\" alt=\"chris carlson bigbold\" width=\"480\" height=\"697\" align=\"left\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thepolymerarts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/chris-carlson-bigbold.jpg?resize=480%2C697&amp;ssl=1 480w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thepolymerarts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/chris-carlson-bigbold.jpg?resize=103%2C150&amp;ssl=1 103w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thepolymerarts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/chris-carlson-bigbold.jpg?w=558&amp;ssl=1 558w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" \/><\/a>First, thank you to every one who wrote me offline, in the comments or on Facebook about the last post. I have to say, this is one brave community! It was lovely to hear affirmation that constructive criticism and encouragement to push oneself is something many of you would really like to see more of. Because this blog is so public, I won&#8217;t be changing up what I do here, but that has resurrected an idea I had a few years ago that was shelved because Voila was covering the peer critiques quite well ,and I was otherwise occupied too. Not that I&#8217;m not overly occupied right now, but when things slow down a little, I have some ideas that I&#8217;ll explore concerning ways to get honest feedback. If anyone has their own ideas and you think we can help, do let us know!<\/p>\n<p>In the meantime, let&#8217;s explore that idea of doing something unusual, of pushing oneself into trying something new. In this case, we are looking at jewelry artist <a href=\"http:\/\/chriscarlsonjewelry.weebly.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Chris Carlson<\/a>, who worked in traditional and natural materials for many years before\u00a0finally\u00a0making\u00a0the leap to polymer after a period\u00a0of uncertainty. In her own\u00a0words:<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;After years of using only the most beautiful stones, pearls, bone and other natural materials, it took more than a little soul-searching to take the leap to incorporate a material as different from those as polymer. \u00a0 I hope you&#8217;ll agree that while the materials may be radically different, the designs are true to the philosophy I&#8217;ve held from the beginning.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Her\u00a0philosophy encompasses the idea of working in a primitive spirit with a contemporary simplistic approach. \u00a0If you take a look at <a href=\"http:\/\/chriscarlsonjewelry.weebly.com\/jewelry-galleries.html\" target=\"_blank\">her work in natural materials<\/a> and then in <a href=\"http:\/\/chriscarlsonjewelry.weebly.com\/primitive-polymer.html\" target=\"_blank\">her polymer work<\/a>, you&#8217;ll see the leap she took and\u00a0the\u00a0freedom of form she has embraced with polymer, but you&#8217;ll also see she doesn&#8217;t stray from her own aesthetic approach to do so. Her inspiration for her polymer looks to be\u00a0her own prior work and love of the &#8220;spirit of primitive tribal and ethnographic artifacts that touch the soul.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Bravo&#8221; to another brave soul.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>If you like this blog, support The Polymer Arts projects with <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thepolymerarts.com\/Subscribe.html\" target=\"_blank\">a subscription or an issue of The Polymer Arts magazine<\/a>, as well as by supporting our advertising partners.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.neverknead.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"10420\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.thepolymerarts.com\/blog\/summer-is-coming-peek-at-the-cover-of-the-upcoming-issue\/never-knead-125x125-april2015-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thepolymerarts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/Never-Knead-125x125-april2015.jpg?fit=125%2C125&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"125,125\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Never Knead 125&amp;#215;125-april2015\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thepolymerarts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/Never-Knead-125x125-april2015.jpg?fit=125%2C125&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-10420 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/daveonline.net\/thepolymerarts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/Never-Knead-125x125-april2015.jpg?resize=125%2C125\" alt=\"\" width=\"125\" height=\"125\" \/><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/polymerclayworkshop.com\/cane-builder-subscription\/\" target=\"_blank\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"10419\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.thepolymerarts.com\/blog\/summer-is-coming-peek-at-the-cover-of-the-upcoming-issue\/polymer-clay-workshops-mandala-may-blog\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thepolymerarts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/Polymer-Clay-Workshops-Mandala-May-Blog.jpg?fit=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"150,150\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;5.6&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS REBEL T3&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1429488000&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;29&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;800&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.008&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Polymer Clay Workshops  Mandala May Blog\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thepolymerarts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/Polymer-Clay-Workshops-Mandala-May-Blog.jpg?fit=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-10419\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/daveonline.net\/thepolymerarts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/Polymer-Clay-Workshops-Mandala-May-Blog.jpg?resize=125%2C125\" alt=\"\" width=\"125\" height=\"125\" \/><\/a>\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/store.barbaramcguire.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"9600\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.thepolymerarts.com\/blog\/re-imagining\/tpa_mcguire_blog-ad\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thepolymerarts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/TPA_McGuire_blog-ad.jpg?fit=125%2C125&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"125,125\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;3.5&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;COOLPIX S9300&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1393575581&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;4.5&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;125&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.025&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"TPA_McGuire_blog ad\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thepolymerarts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/TPA_McGuire_blog-ad.jpg?fit=125%2C125&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-9600 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/daveonline.net\/thepolymerarts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/TPA_McGuire_blog-ad.jpg?resize=125%2C125\" alt=\"TPA_McGuire_blog ad\" width=\"125\" height=\"125\" \/><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.shadesofclay.com\/\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"8586\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.thepolymerarts.com\/blog\/outside-inspiration-reflecting-uncertainty\/tpa-blog-newsletter-ad-shadesofclay-1014-v2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thepolymerarts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/TPA-Blog-Newsletter-Ad-ShadesofClay-1014-v2.jpg?fit=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"150,150\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"TPA Blog Newsletter Ad  ShadesofClay 1014 v2\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thepolymerarts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/TPA-Blog-Newsletter-Ad-ShadesofClay-1014-v2.jpg?fit=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"rvrfiihaynuxewticywo udbadfbriqnkkrcngxba ojbwihciksrzzvwwzljv qegadzawlajpkpvjpice xtrbyhrgdyfzgzxpyqsw jgvidxlabzjzuifzpqbd aesqnixstnvwbglgpyla jkdntkifrawtqpyjqiod cgqqyzqnspbngnmnrznq inedolfkrbfekqnrnarl cliynywqlyuumvmkywlj aqdvkasbrevtixaltrww keyhadrxhpheumnavnxp 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href=\"http:\/\/www.christifriesen.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"9649\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.thepolymerarts.com\/blog\/drawn-on-and-a-lovely-contest\/sfxpaad-diffuse\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thepolymerarts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/sfxpaad-diffuse.gif?fit=125%2C125&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"125,125\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"sfxpaad-diffuse\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thepolymerarts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/sfxpaad-diffuse.gif?fit=125%2C125&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-9649\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/daveonline.net\/thepolymerarts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/sfxpaad-diffuse.gif?resize=125%2C125\" alt=\"sfxpaad-diffuse\" width=\"125\" height=\"125\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>First, thank you to every one who wrote me offline, in the comments or on Facebook about the last post. I have to say, this is one brave community! It was lovely to hear affirmation that constructive criticism and encouragement to push oneself is something many of you would really like to see more of.&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[1716,25,13,4158,4163,4162,32,157,17,4165,12,4164],"class_list":["post-10507","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-inspirational-art","tag-artist-inspiration","tag-artistic-influence","tag-artistic-inspiration","tag-being-brave-with-design","tag-bravery-in-design","tag-chris-carlson","tag-constructive-criticism","tag-creativity","tag-design","tag-exploring-new-designs","tag-polymer-art","tag-taking-design-risks"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2O0Lm-2Jt","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thepolymerarts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10507","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thepolymerarts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thepolymerarts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thepolymerarts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thepolymerarts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10507"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.thepolymerarts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10507\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thepolymerarts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10507"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thepolymerarts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10507"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thepolymerarts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10507"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}