One of the things I’ve always been fascinated by is the passage of time and our perceptions of how that unfolds. For example, the “crossover” between December 31 and January 1 is an instant, but we begin anticipating it long before it happens and greet that moment with great excitement and anticipation. That instant is […]
The end of the year has always been a time for looking back to the past and, more importantly, forward to the coming year. That quiet time between the holiday hubbub and the launch of a new year is the perfect time to regroup, reassess and redirect, to consider what worked well and what you […]
The headline above is from one of my favorite editorials about the gem and jewelry field. It was written by Mitch Gilbert, former publisher of Lapidary Journal, who died more than 20 years ago. Mitch had been the executive editor of JCK, and he loved the gem and jewelry world personally as well as professionally. […]
As Harry Beckwith astutely observes in his wonderful book What Clients Love, some of the most successful innovations of our time – the personal computer, Automatic Teller Machines (ATMs) and other things we now use daily – emerged not in response to customer demand or focus group results, but because someone got the inspired idea […]
Thanksgiving is right around the corner and it is a holiday where we get together with loved ones and express gratitude for what we have in our lives. But I give thanks every morning. It’s a 5-minute exercise in which I think about all the things I’m grateful for in my life. I start with […]
A friend of mine is a phenomenal artist who works in large (5-foot) woodcuts of animals. She’s amazingly talented and also busy. Mother, sister, daughter, employee, and friend to many people. She lamented the other day how she feels like she doesn’t have time to do the thing in life she’s MOST passionate about: creating […]
If you’re like most people, your interest in jewelry was converted into artistry by imagining – first – what that piece of jewelry would look like. By now, you’ve done that many, many times … imagining what the piece will look like, and then making it happen with gems, beads, metals and more. You created […]
There is no question that times are difficult across the country for many, many Americans. It’s likely that you know at least one person – and probably several –impacted by the economy. It’s a strain on families everywhere, even among the wealthiest people I know. There’s been an interesting phenomenon, though, that jewelry makers […]
If cognitive psychology has it right, thinking precedes feelings and behavior. That means that your attitude about your prospects and your jewelry will impact how you act. This explains why often, when you’re frustrated or upset before a show, home party or other live selling event, it can radically impact your outcomes. A bad mood […]
I recall my maternal grandmother saying “onward and upward” to motivate us when I was growing up. The funny thing about memory is that it’s not always precise, and my mother swears my grandmother never said that phrase. Like Mark Twain, I can remember everything from when I was young whether it happened or not, […]