I keep a notebook, where all of my design ideas are drawn. This notebook contains the date, manufacturing questions and details, resin amounts, and test results. Of course other less pertinent information, like to-do lists and phone numbers find their way into my notebook. This is the anal engineer part of my personality. I still have design notebooks, going back 30 years.
The idea for the new series of mermaid bracelets that I am currently working on, came to me early one morning. I had the idea, but could I make the design work? There are so many issues to resolve for every new design. Would the mold be easy to make or nearly impossible? Which type of resin or combination of resins to use? Approximately how much finishing time would the design require? Would I need to order any new materials to complete the first piece? What range of sizes do I want to offer? All of these questions, and more, go into my notebook, to be answered as the idea progresses.
Sometimes, I hit a real snag, and the whole design is shelved, until a later date. I periodically go through my notebooks and look for these ideas. Maybe, I’ve discovered a new material, that will allow me to proceed with the old idea. Or, as sometimes happens, my brain has had more time to stew over the details and I have one of those “a-ha” moments.
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