Thursday, March 29, 2012
Exciting Stuff
Researching Finishing Techniques and Pricing materials today.....coming soon visuals of a the first finished piece of art!
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
An Adventure into Entrepreneurship
This venture was born out of a general frustration of re-entering the workplace from my 2nd Maternity leave. Though I loved my former job (well its still current as i have 2 weeks left before my last day), it just wasn't the same coming back this time. I felt like i lost my credibility and they really didn't know what to do with my skills or just stopped appreciating them, either way i was basically UN-officially demoted and informed that i should spend the next year letting the "tough girl" out and re-prove myself to re-earn my position. After some heated thought and simmering down reflection i decided, i don't want to fight for something that i already earned and don't really enjoy doing anyway. I've already come too far away from my "credible" engineering profession for comfort in that environment anyway. So my husband suggested I get into "Belly casting" doing plaster molds as keepsakes for pregnant women. We did one for myself in my last pregnancy and got many compliments on it, so i did some research and got inspired!
In order for this to work i had to figure out what would set me apart and why some expecting mother would want to pay me to do a casting for her, instead of buying herself a $25 kit to do it herself at home? The answer came in the form of high-definition. The ability to capture minute detail and exceptional smoothness would be the key - tied in with a high level of creativity in finishing. Dusting off some of my old manufacturing engineering experience i started to research plaster molding and uncovered the art form of LIFE CASTING. Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding! Light bulb lit - i can do more than just pregnant bellies, this could be be torsos and hands, and baby feet. Creating molds using professional grade materials and techniques to achieve high-quality body sculptures. I even found a class to take that will teach me techniques and certify me. Who needs a boring old Sales Engineer job when i could endeavor into an exciting art form that will not only be a great creative outlet on my own time but will also allow me to utilize my engineering expertise.
So decision made - I'm starting my own small business. Right now I'm in the learning phase, did my first mold this past Sunday for a willing pregnant friend. We created a mold of her bust & belly using alginate and cast using gypsum plaster. Though there were definitely some learning experiences in that endeavor, i have to say it wasn't too bad for a 1st time ever try. Later this week i will be working on the shaping, smoothing & finishing of that cast and will post progress as I go.
In order for this to work i had to figure out what would set me apart and why some expecting mother would want to pay me to do a casting for her, instead of buying herself a $25 kit to do it herself at home? The answer came in the form of high-definition. The ability to capture minute detail and exceptional smoothness would be the key - tied in with a high level of creativity in finishing. Dusting off some of my old manufacturing engineering experience i started to research plaster molding and uncovered the art form of LIFE CASTING. Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding! Light bulb lit - i can do more than just pregnant bellies, this could be be torsos and hands, and baby feet. Creating molds using professional grade materials and techniques to achieve high-quality body sculptures. I even found a class to take that will teach me techniques and certify me. Who needs a boring old Sales Engineer job when i could endeavor into an exciting art form that will not only be a great creative outlet on my own time but will also allow me to utilize my engineering expertise.
So decision made - I'm starting my own small business. Right now I'm in the learning phase, did my first mold this past Sunday for a willing pregnant friend. We created a mold of her bust & belly using alginate and cast using gypsum plaster. Though there were definitely some learning experiences in that endeavor, i have to say it wasn't too bad for a 1st time ever try. Later this week i will be working on the shaping, smoothing & finishing of that cast and will post progress as I go.
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