Midwest Craft Con 2016!

I just returned home from the Midwest Craft Con, which happened in Columbus this past weekend. It was great! It was a weekend packed with heavy hitters in the craft/art/maker business world including Abby Glassenberg, Tara Swiger, Mei Pak, Lisa Congdon and Jennifer Ackerman-Haywood (among others) with all of them offering up advice, guidance and support to do what I'm trying to do (grow my enamel jewelry hobby/business). It attracted about 150 other people (mostly women but there were some brave men too) who are also trying to make a go of it. It was full of positive energy and "can-do" attitudes -- which is always a good thing of which to partake! :)

Saturday morning's opening panel talking about The Future of Handmade.

 I have to admit, I didn't socialize too much. I know that sounds funny but it's what I needed to do. This was my first "Con" and being who I am, I needed to get the "lay of the land." So I basically kept to myself and observed. I drove down by myself, got a hotel room by myself and ate my meals by myself. Buuuut, I sucked it all in as much as I could possibly do! That's the thing with the quiet ones -- you never quite know what's going on and how crazy-busy it is inside their heads!

Tara Swiger from the Explore Your Enthusiasm podcast. 

So I took notes and watched and listened and registered things so I could learn and use it later (or sooner) -- and I'm ready to go. Ready to work on Blooming Enamels. I want to learn more about enameling and jewelry and business and putting it all together to do this thing I have called Blooming Enamels Jewelry. I feel so fortunate to have found torch-fired enameling as an outlet for my creative energy. If you would like to to know more about what I am up to I'm getting active on my Instagram account so you can go check things out over there.