This week's topic is the top 5 Things that are on our minds - in no particular order: 

1. Astral Collection - the next round of pieces is being plotted... and some are actually being worked on!

2. Bernie Sanders - I've taken over a twitter account for our local Athens office. I've never really been in to twitter before, but I'm beginning to get the hang of it! I'm always on the search for good articles and memes and paying attention to events that are happening around GA or the southeast. 

3. New additions to nature collection this spring - With the amazing comments about my little turtles, I've been thinking about a whole spring collection based on woodland type creatures or plants. More than just my usual tree bark or leaf designs. I don't have much planned out yet, but I have things rolling around in my head.

4. Wholesaling - For years my business was simply dominated by only doing wedding rings. The market has changed and though I will still be doing a majority of wedding rings, I will also be working on other things that I can wholesale. I got an account last week and sent some stuff off. I was just accepted to Etsy Wholesale and will be putting some things out there. There are some other exciting things in the works that I am not announcing yet though... 

5. Teaching yoga - I've been teaching yoga every other Thursday for a few years now. Students come and go. Since the new year it's been very sparse and all the regulars have a lot going on. The other teacher and I have busy lives (she's a judge) and building a yoga class is not on our list of things we want to focus on right now. It isn't feasible for us to leave work early if no students end up showing up that night. We're considering taking a break for a little while or canceling the class all together. Or just keep it going as is... though that doesn't seem to make the most sense. So, while it is not a big deal, it is something that is very strongly on my mind right now. 

Check out the other participants this month:

Andes Cruz: https://andescruz.wordpress.com/2016/02/20/thoughts/

marie bell :: http://www.pencilfox.com/2016/02/five-things-on-my-mind-february-blog-o.html

Kathleen Krucoff ~ http://wp.me/pA5jX-OB

Robyn Hawk: http://flyviewsandreviews.blogspot.com/ 

I had initially planned to do the launch on Feb. 1st, then I realized that is the Iowa Caucus! I'm sure there will be lots of social media buzz for a few days, so I figured Feb. 5th would be better. Now that I'm writing a blog about it, it is set in stone! hahaha!!! 

It will be a continuation of the meteorite and rough stone pieces I've been working on, but expanding to include rings, particularly, unconventional engagement rings! I'm really excited about these and I hope they find homes with other ladies who love the night sky or science and don't want a traditional diamond ring. And of course, they do not need to be engagement rings at all! I wear one every day just because I love it. 

I'll be doing a mix of metals - some in palladium sterling silver, some in yellow, rose or palladium white gold. The dark gray of the meteorites I think looks best in a contrasting metal, so probably not too many pieces in palladium white gold. Here is a sneak peak at some of the waxes I'm working on! If you see one you would like, you can choose the size and the metal before I cast! 

This month's topic is to post pages from my sketchbook! I've been just playing around with different possible formations of meteorite rings (or pendants). It is interesting with the meteorites - they're all different shapes and sizes, so some of these probably aren't realistic, just a way to think about planning out a collage of stones - I don't have them in front of me when I sketch out designs.

It's funny because on one of the pages - I ended up orienting a pendant just like the drawing without even realizing it! Maybe there really is something to this sketching thing... 

You can follow me on IG for finished pieces! @BethCyrJewelry or @BethCyrArts

check out pages from the other participants this month:

Cynthia Del Giudice: http://cynthiadelgiudice.blogspot.com
2Roses: http://jewelrytutorial.blogspot.com
Amuckdesign http://amuckdesign.blogspot.com

Because chances are I'll not have any more productivity tips! This is my new favorite though. I've been making a list in the morning first thing when I get in the studio. Next to each taskI write a time that I'd like to spend on that item. 

Something like:

Eat: 20 min

Fb: 10 min

Instagram: 10 min

Pinterest: 15 min

Blog: 5 min

Email: 20 min

And then..... I have Siri set a timer. I just hold down the button and say "set timer for 5 min" or whatever the time. Siri often likes to give some witty come back about how she can't take the suspense. It is so much easier than going in and setting the timer manually. It also keeps me realistic with how much time do I really want to spend doing this thing. If the timer goes off and I'm not quite done, that is okay. I can either reset it or just finish up as quickly as possible. 

It helps to keep me focused and moving on to each task instead of lagging behind or wasting time. I also think there is something to just saying it out loud, like verbalizing I'm only going to spend 5 minutes doing this thing tricks my brain in to acting accordingly. It is also a good way to realize how much time you actually spend on any one thing. Like setting a timer for 20 min for my email and I finish up in 15. Or setting a timer for this blog post for 5 min and realizing it takes 20 min.  

You should give it a try and let me know how it goes! 

January's topic:  "What has impacted you recently?" (and how/why?) ( a book you read, movie you saw, something happening in the world around you, something someone said to you....What made you stop and think? Maybe it expanded your mind, or you learned something new as a result, or think something new?)

Two things come to mind fairly quickly. One is that I've been reading The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron. It is a great tool for looking deeply at how all things in our lives, past and present, affect the way we are creative. 

The second is the new challenge I started at the beginning of the year to make something every day. I love it!!! It is by far the best challenge I've started and I know I will finish this one. It is so freeing to just have the mentality of making something, anything. The fact that it doesn't have to be jewelry is super great. I tend to work slow and most of my processes mean it takes several days for me to finish a piece, so making one thing a day just didn't really work with the way I make jewelry. But just making something is really fun. It helps me to feel like I've accomplished something every day, even if it is just a small little drawing or an origami napkin when I went out to dinner. I don't have a desire to make jewelry every day, but I definitely have a desire to make something every day. I feel like it makes such a difference in the creativity I feel when making jewelry as well, which is something I'd lost at one point in my career... 

If you're interested in following along with the Make a Day 2016 project - you can follow me on Instagram @bethcyrarts, or you can search Facebook or Instagram for #makeaday2016 or check out the FB group - Make A Day 2016 - and join if you'd like to participate in making something every day!