In The Studio

When I started reading the book “Your Brain on Art” by Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross I was expecting to find out how viewing art affected my brain.  Instead I found that creating art is what changes your brain.  For example, the simple act of coloring for 20 minutes can have an effect similar to that of meditating.  Given the choice, who would rather meditate?  😉

The authors encourage everyone to have a daily art practice, regardless of your skill level, because they cite research that shows 45 minutes of art making, even just once a month, can extend your life by ten years. First responders and military service members are treating chronic and traumatic stress by actively making art, such as masks, because it can diminish symptoms they have had for years.
 

It was fascinating to learn that participating in any of the arts from knitting to dancing to writing poetry can decrease the stress hormone cortisol and increase mental functioning and life satisfaction.  Based on the fact that I create art every day, I should have the most stress-free life possible, right? But unfortunately, that is not the case.  All of the endless details of my work can easily put me on edge.  Keeping track of them and executing them can be nerve-racking. There is the underlying fear that things will not go right. What to do? Enter music.

 Anyone who knows me well knows that I never listen to music. I have been working in silence for years, frequently relishing the use of earplugs in the studio. The reason is that when I listen to lyrics they get stuck in my head and I literally hear them for weeks thereafter. Sometimes I even leave retail establishments when they are playing music I know is going to get stuck in my head.  It’s called the “stuck song syndrome” or “earworms” and I have a class four case of it.  UGH!

So naturally I was skeptical when the book mentioned how important sound therapy is to reducing stress.  But they make an important distinction between sound and music: sound is just vibration and frequency while music is organized or composed sound, not to mention the lyrics ;-(

It was interesting to learn that the couple of thousands of lightning storms on earth at any given time produce electromagnetic waves that circle the earth below the ionosphere.  Some of the waves combine and increase in strength to create a “repeating atmospheric heartbeat” (per NASA). That is the Schumann Resonance and it has a frequency of 7.83 Hertz.  This Earth core frequency has been imitated in instrumental music and so I listened to “7.83 Hz Schumann Resonance” by Music Body & Spirit while gluing the hundreds of lifters for the new piece, “Topo Treasures.”  Am I more relaxed? Possibly… stay tuned.
 

Left: Color Study 27 – 10.0” x 6.0” x 1.75”, 2024, $200
Dumortierite, marble, ruby with zoisite; discs of jade, tiger’s eye; sphere of silicified porcelanite (“mookaite”); turquoise plugs
Right: Apophyllite in Bloom: Red Earth – 16.375” x 9.875” x 2.0”, 2024, $1,800
Slate, marble, jasper; apophyllite crystal; tumbled: amazonite, opaline silica, agate
 

In The Field

After the American Exploration & Mining Association meeting in Sparks in early December, I took a side trip to central Oregon.  It was interesting to see the remote parts of northeastern California and southern Oregon.  Klamath Lake shocked me with its size!  My lifelong friend, Mary, and I went hiking along the Metolius River and around Suttle Lake.  It was fortunate to have some good weather before the cold spell hit. We’ve been trying to keep warm ever since then, as I am sure you are too. 😉

Hiking with Mary & Ollie at Suttle Lake, OR                     Our deck with recent snow

In The Exhibition Hall – Tucson Reimagined

This year we decided to move closer to the hub of the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show.  It is a two week show this year so there is plenty of time to stop by. The show opens in ONE week and I would love to see you!
 

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