To Vary One’s Style or Not …

Bettina Welker has been quite busy of late. This Spring she was featured in The Polymer Arts’  Creative Spaces (Spring 2012) issue with a peak into her studio. You may have seen her very nice Pixelated Retro Blend Cane bracelet on Polymer Clay Daily. She recently completed a tutorial on her intriguing Jellyfish earrings that you can find on CraftArtEdu.com. And recently on Polymer Clay Diaries this beauty was posted.

All of these pieces have very different elements and I would not have guessed they were all Bettina’s. But whereas some artists work in a very narrow and much perfected style, Bettina explores the material, approaching it from a variety of aspects. There’s nothing wrong with that. Some of us get more intrigued with the possibilities than anything else.

And there is nothing wrong with sticking to and constantly evolving a particular style or approach. I do think it is a great idea for every artist to do a little of both. If you  spend a lot of time exploring, try taking something you have really been intrigued with and really testing it, improving it and trying a variety of variations. This kind of approach is necessary if you want to get into wholesale or brand yourself as an artist. If you work primarily with one technique or style, try out a few new ideas every month or two. Even if you don’t get into the new work, its amazing how stretching your creative muscles can help you improve and expand the area you prefer.