Critique & Creation:

One of the hardest things about my work as a Jewelry Designer, Goldsmith and Business Woman is putting my work out for the world to see. When is something good enough? Now that I am in my own space, in my studio in Houston, there are fewer people to validate or give feedback on my work as compared to when I worked at the jewelry studio at Dartmouth. Everything feels like a test now, how much will I put out to the world to see, how much will I trust my intuition on when something looks and feels good.

We are our harshest critic, and people will almost always have an opinion about a million things, including your work. Keeping a balance between allowing criticism (self and from others) to push your work to higher heights and using your creative license to allow yourself to experiment and play is essential.

Learning from every project and wanting it to be better, making mistakes and learning from them is part of the creative process. It is part of what differentiates artistic work from that of machines—it comes from experience and inspiration.

One of the most valuable lessons I have learned about evaluating your work is from a few years ago when I gave a presentation in front of an Architecture class I was taking. As I presented my work to classmates, I mentioned a few things I was unhappy about in my final project—Professor Wilson (my class professor), was quick to advise me to present my work and give space to the viewer to make their analysis. That is when I realized there are enough critics already, why add to the list?

As a creator, you have to be in your world so often that after a while—of focusing on every detail, it is easy to second guess yourself. Finding mentors and friends who you can trust and will give you helpful feedback is essential. At some point, you have to let your art run free into the world. With peace of mind that while seeking perfection: you created beauty for you and the world.

Nelly giving a short talk about the Assyrian Reliefs (pictured). Hood Museum of Art at Dartmouth Circa 2019

Photo c/o Emily P. Levine