The winter issue of Stringing is out today. I have a necklace inside ("Jazz Baby"), plus a bracelet and pair of earrings.
I've been submitting designs to magazines for a few years now and I still learn something new every time.
Simple Does It
My necklace "Jazz Baby" was actually quite a struggle to make, although it doesn't look it. A simple design with lampwork beads (Art Glass Adornments) and two types of gunmetal chain (Rings & Things, Hip Chick Beads), I worried that it was too plain. For a few consecutive nights, I added more beads and then took them off. I liked the way it looked and felt with fewer beads. It was the kind of simple, pretty necklace that I could wear all the time. It felt like me. But at the same time, I realized I was Designing for A Magazine and worried that it wasn't Special Enough. I almost did not submit it.
The Cool Kids Club
I admit, I do this with my writing sometimes, too. I submitted an entry to a literary short story contest late last year and in the editing phase there was a little voice in my head wondering if I had used enough metaphors and whether my story title was suitably "arty." I'm used to wondering about characters, plot, and language. This was different. This was not about quality. What I was really worried about was whether I was worthy of admittance to the Cool Kids Club.
Take a Chance
The happy ending to this story is that I stayed true to my original vision of the "Jazz Baby" necklace and sent it off anyway. Time will tell whether my short story will be greeted with the same warm reception as the necklace. Even if it doesn't, I won't have any regrets. I wrote the best story I could, the one that only I could write, and that's what really matters.