fanciful devices: Why? Because Science.

A Stone Is Nobody's

A man ambushed a stone. Caught it.
Made it a prisoner.
Put it in a dark room and stood guard over it for the rest of his life.

His mother asked why.

He said, because it's held captive, because it is captured.

Look, the stone is asleep, she said, it does not know whether it's in a garden or not. Eternity and the stone
are mother and daughter; it is you who are getting old. The stone is only sleeping.

But I caught it, mother, it is mine by conquest, he said.

A stone is nobody's, not even its own. It is you who are conquered; you are minding the prisoner, which is yourself,
because you are afraid to go out, she said.

Yes yes, I am afraid, because you have never loved me, he said.

Which is true, because you have always been to me as the stone is to you, she said.

Russell Edson

FAQs

1. Are you a Southeast Asian dancing girl from the 1800s?

No, sorry to disappoint. My avatar and banner images are from an ancient book I found in the depths of my grandmother's cabinets. More on that here.

2. How do you make everything look so old?

First, you need a good oxidizer to brush on every bit of metal you can reach. I'll tell you all about it here.

Then there's this wax. I first mentioned it here. You'll have to scroll down a lot.

3. How can you be so productive?

I'm insanely obsessed and I have no offspring. I do nothing else- I don't have a day job, I don't clean my house or cook, I spend all day in pjs, often completely abandoning personal hygiene... I only interact with other humans when I walk my dog. And I like people! But I prefer dogs.

And I'm sloppy- but I make that sloppiness work for me.

4. Any tips you'd like to share?

No! Except for these 16 posts about techniques and this one about how to find your aesthetic.

5. Would you be offended if I took some inspiration from your designs?

Well, I'd be happier if you outright copied them.

No really, imitation is how we learn. I have enough ideas to go around. And even if I don't- please. No one's going to do this obsessively enough to threaten my business. (Probably.) I learned by copying others and I've seen others copy me as a step toward developing their own voice. So feel free. (I'd love if you tossed me a link in my comments, so I can feel like a proud momma.)

6. What do you look like?

Why, what have you heard? Really? Wow.

5/14/13

Why? Because Science.

What I really stopped by to say is - SALE!
Hmm, lets read my shop announcement for deets:
!!!SALE!!!- Enter 1ITEM10 for 10% off purchases of 1 item. Enter 2ITEMS20 for 20% off purchases of 2 items and 3ITEMS30 for purchases of 3 or more items. Everything EXCEPT tutorials. (If these coupons are used with tutorial purchases the sales will have to be cancelled.) Chick "apply coupon code" under "how you'll pay" in your cart, these discounts CANNOT be applied after purchase.

Seems clear enough.

Harumph.

Y'all, recently I realized I've been w/Mr. Devices for 10 years. It freaked me out. How does life fly by like this? I also found myself having a vague sort of nervousness about this blog. What's it for? Is it providing ... something... to anyone... other than just updates you could just as easily get on the shop.... I feel like I used to have stuff to say. Funny or interesting stuff. Or techniques... Maybe if I blog less often. But then I'm concerned no one would check on it and give me the encouragement I so pathetically need. So maybe that' what it's here for, for you to provide me with encouragement? Sigh. Sometimes I look at what I've made in the past and think "I knew what I was doing back then." Which is silly, I've always been making it up as I go. Maybe I'm discouraged because of slow sales, but that's also always the case, thus the sale. We all have slow sales. People who like our style of stuff seem to just... start making it and become one of us.... so not a huge buying public. I'm working on some bangle stacks since those always sell... Hope all y'all are well. I'm doing my hermit thing as always, chilling with my doggie and having nothing to say. Harumph.

10 comments:

Unknown said...: You are my lifeline to ..., well, to ... um, everything that is important. First and foremost, a touchstone or gateway to the realm of things that beat (heart beats, drum beats, raves and rants for example,) and old footprints from things and persons from the past who have walked before me, and whose marks I can maybe follow, so that my marks can be left alongside and might be found by someone one day, and animals and such from the wilder side of things. Oh what am I saying? Everything is wild here. I feel like having a nip of whiskey when I visit you. For, you know, medicinal purposes. If this can be considered a love letter [of appreciation for you and your thinking and creating] then consider it so. By the way, I think your muse[s] are the luckiest sentient beings in the universe. Love your take on things. Norma, x
p.s. people practically accost me on the street to view and comment on a pendant of yours that I purchased on your etsy shop. I am not a woman of means, so I purchased it on sale, and it wasn't priced high to start with. I adore it. A-D-O-R-E!!
p.p.s. and you have inspired me directly. For years I've been sculpting things from plasticine, then making plaster of paris molds from the plasticine shape, and then making cast paper from the plaster mold, and then making things (puppets, marionettes, dolls, etc.) from the cast paper. Because of you (and some youtube tuts.) I now am inspired to make BIG pieces for jewellery bits (like heads that have faces with small teeth that are embedded bone chips or something whacky) and I am investigating kiln baked porcelein possibilities. I'd love to sculpt the porcelein clay. Maybe bake the bone chips right in the piece in situ. Lots of ideas. Because of you. You are a gateway for me. Thanks for being you.; 5/14/13, 1:13 PM
Beatnheart said...: i could have signed my own name to that post as it relates so much to what is going on with me as well except my bangle stacks aren’t selling...well they were but not they are not again. I know it’s not right, but my mood does go hand and hand with my sales...when I sell I am happy, well at least for a little while and then the slump hits again and down i go.

you are here for us...we are here for you...

i am he as he is she as she is we and we are all together.

So feel the love and I’ll feel it too ...; 5/14/13, 2:35 PM
Jackie said...: Marina, we still love you whether you have something to say or not. We also seriously love your work. So keep on keeping on!!; 5/14/13, 4:35 PM
Rebecca S. said...: I, for one, love your blog and check it everyday! Not only do you dig up the best, smartest cool stuff for us to look at, I also am eager to watch your ideas evolve and emerge.

Sales are slow because times are tougher than they have been in the past for most of us. What seemed like plenty a few years ago isn't quite covering it anymore. On the one hand, lovely things to wear make the pill a little easier to swallow. But then again, it is a luxury, only slightly less necessary than electricity and gasoline. Acquiring gorgeous baubles gets triaged into third place...unless you count food as well (but that is probably a tie, unless your family likes to eat and doesn't get to wear your jewelry as much....then the food wins out, but it IS a touch call).

Keep doing the blog regularly, because we ALL always need the community and creativity. The rest will work itself out sooner or later.; 5/14/13, 5:22 PM
Anonymous said...: I enjoy reading your posts AND seeing what you are creating. You are an inspiration and I am glad to see you have started teaching. Some day I hope to take a class with you.; 5/14/13, 10:50 PM
StaroftheEast said...: Thank you for the cool science film!
And, Marina, your blog is most of all, for yourself. To get a community, feedback, friends. In fact, a blog is more about getting than about giving. Artists work mostly alone and need to reach out to keep getting fresh ideas, encouragement, solidarity.
You are a source of inspiration to many people and you have great humor, what is not to love?
Please, keep going, I'm always happy to see your blog appear in my blog roll. You rock!; 5/15/13, 5:33 AM
Carrie said...: I haven't been around lately at all but not only do I read your every post but my hubband does too. He's a big fan of your lolpic curation and he digs your jewels too.

As for slow sales, maybe some more tutes? I'm afraid that like you I don't actually wear a lot of jewelry love it though I do. I'm also on a tight budget where we've classified supplies and literature as "ok" purchases but anything decorative like actual art jewelry would be only a special occasion buy (as in next to never).

Destash and components are also on my legal buy list. I seriously doubt I'd be fast enough to snag anything like that from you because they'd probably sell out pretty promptly. (I don't know what I'm talking about btw, these are just my suspicions.); 5/15/13, 3:12 PM
Anonymous said...: thanks for being a funny fun loving inspirational
talented artist who shares with an open heart-I read your blog and yours alone everyday. I make jewelry so it is very very hard for me to wear another person's
creations but you inspire me, your make me laugh, I love all your friends and you.; 5/15/13, 7:47 PM
Penelope said...: Well the reason I blog is for myself primarily- though having said that, I do leave a LOT of stuff out of my blog because i don't think anyone would be interested, so i stick to art/craft. There is quite the handful of rants on my hard drive cause i get annoyed about something and think 'i'm fuckn bloggin this' and then I don't.

But it quickly comes to the point (for those of us who blog for free) where our blog can mean more to other people than it does to us. What happens then?

Sales are all frozen in some weird state of nothingness right now, I've chosen the best possible time to get rid of welfare and go it alone, it would seem! I refuse to blame the economy but rather the fact I haven't listed much in the way of new things, and that I no longer understand how to reach my customers. Also what Etsy promotes and what we sell are two different worlds away.; 5/16/13, 3:29 AM
annamei said...: I don´t post much because of my not very good english...
You´re moving..there is a change ..maybee..you have questions...GREAT!!!
You are an inspiration with your jewelry creations,with your blog full of fun,tut´s,humor,questions,doubts,pics and ....now you´ve become a teacher,WOW!
you reflect back,maybee just with the black glasses on..try the pink one to see some highlights:)))
you are still yourself!
keep on going!; 5/17/13, 11:39 AM