Do you want to learn to make jewellery and centre yourself at the same time? Check the available workshops and dates here: Mindful Jewellery Making Each workshop is for 2 people only so each student will benefit from personal attention throughout the day. Workshops are held in my studio in Dalston, Hackney.
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Make your own ring and pendant in a Mindful Workshop by Marcia Vidal
Creativity and getting stuck into a new craft can be such a positively rewarding experience that is not only good for our mental health but perfect for a smal and intimate wedding. I was so excited to see these amazing workshops by Marcia Vidal who made our wedding rings for our wedding in September.
I love Marcia Vidal's jewellery so much, not only because they are 100% recycled gold but 5% goes to help refugees too. We chose the hammered rings in white gold for our wedding. Because the exchanging rings part couldn't be done due to Covid restrictions, we're really looking forward to doing that part next year when we get to do the whole wedding thing all over again! We decided to have the same indentical rings as one another and I was looking for a quirky cool ring that was different from the norm that would be perfect for our personalities. I've never been a traditional bride and always been a little on the alternative side!
I love these workshops, so good to see things like this which are designed to help us in body mind and soul. Numbers are restricted to two, which means that you and your chief bridesmaid could got have a lovely, memorable experience to share with your loved one in the lead up to the wedding - and something super fun, and relaxing, all things that are much needed to keep all those anxious nervouis feelings at bay ahead of the big day. Couple make your own rings workshop for couples will be something that Marcia will be lauching at some point in the not too distant future.
. Marcia is such a lovely person too, you can't go wrong!
Workshops begin on Saturday 10 October in Dalston, and can be booked here.
10am - 5pm Shacklewell Lane, Dalston E8
Here's what Marcia says about the workshops
Come and join me for a day of mindful jewellery making. Workshop 1 is for beginners with little to no experience. We will start the morning with some pranayama (a breathing exercise) to prepare us for a gently guided meditation* to centre us and bring us into the present. After which I will introduce you to some of the core jewellery making techniques. We will play with annealing, piercing, filing, texturing and soldering, all of which I will help you to approach in a mindful way. We will work on making a pendant and a ring. As well as learning a new skill and going home with one or two pieces of silver jewellery made by your own hands, you will enjoy the mental health benefits of slowing down and being in the moment with the craft. My workshops are for maximum of 2 people only which means each student will benefit from very personal attention throughout the day. All silver is included in the price.
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the guided meditation is suitable for everyone and doesn’t require being able to sit in awkward postures! We will practice both the pranayama and meditation sat in a chair so no need for special yoga clothes
Mental Health Benefits Of Mindful Jewellery Making
If you’re anything like me, you probably spend way too much of your precious time trying to fight your way out of self-spun webs of obsessive, negative thinking. Hours wasted picking over things you wish you hadn’t said or panicking about future happenings that will probably never happen. This obsessive panicking has been turned up to, erm, a MILLION since we’ve all found ourselves stuck in this bad trip of a pandemic. I’ve been desperately rummaging through my spiritual tool box every damn day to see what I can pull out to help me keep it together until bedtime. My morning meditation practice is an essential part of my self care and I always feel a bit more wobbly if I miss a morning. Deep in lockdown the noise was often too loud for meditation to work as well though. After spending most of April staring at the wall in shock, I started a Facebook group for other jewellers called Lockdown Jewellery Challenge, where I’d post a theme a week and we’d all make something inspired by it. I’m going to write more about that another time but I feel like those projects saved my soul for a couple of months. Getting lost in designing and making a piece of jewellery purely for the sake of making it was an active meditation in itself.
It’s so easy to become obsessed with the outcome of a creative project and lose sight of the joy that can be found in the process. I totally reconnected to that joy with the pieces I made in that group….savouring the journey rather than rushing to the destination. I used each of those projects as a mindfulness practice, working on being as present as I could with every little stage of making so each piece became an extended meditation. Making something mindfully can serve as a much deeper and more healing meditation than sitting in silence when your brain is babbling away like an abusive maniac!
I’ve been wanting to start my own beginners jewellery making classes since I taught at a jewellery school last year. After all these years of being a jeweller, I’m still so excited by the craft and I loved sharing that passion with others and seeing the first sparks of jewellery-making-addiction light up in a students eyes! So many mental health struggles have emerged from or been exacerbated by the fear and isolation of lockdown and this unsettling Covid-19 world we’ve been thrown into. It made me think about what skills I’d like people to leave my workshops with. I want students to come away with a basic understanding of the fundamental techniques of jewellery making but also learn some simple methods to turn each step into a meditation that quietens the chatter of their minds. These mindfulness techniques can also be applied to most areas of everyday life outside of the studio.
Read more about me and the workshop here in my blog post: BLOG
Covid-19 Measures
I have set my workshops up with your utmost safety in mind during these times. My studio has windows we can open to ensure a good circulation of air. The two benches are 2 metres apart from each other. Each bench is set up with it’s own tools, all of which will be suitably wiped down before each class. Each workbench and seat will be wiped down in advance too. I provide hand sanitiser and hand wash in the studio. I will wear a mask at times when I need to be close to students and advise students to also wear masks when we are in close proximity.
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