What I Learned About Myself In Nashville

  So, three months alone in what was basically a foreign place for me. Was I nervous going down? Of course. Was I scared that I might tank a couple projects during the class. You bet. Did the long days (8:30am-5pm with an hour for lunch) take a toll on me. Not really, surprisingly. Oddly I didn't miss home too much. I was too caught up in the adventure of it all to notice much. It was basically go to school, come back and chill out five days a week with the weekends to explore the city and recover. I met some great people down there, ate at some amazing restaurants ( a little too often) saw the sights and learned more than I had ever dreamed about what it really means to be a goldsmith, all in three short months. The whole trip was like one long dream. It seems so far away now that it could have been a dream, save for my memories. So what did I learn down there and how does it relate to Asperger's you ask. Well, let me clue you in.
  As far as fine motor skills go, and our ability to learn them, they can be learned with time and lots of practice. Blaine had us living in "little land" with some of the pave stone work and other nuance things we had to do as far as stone setting a graver work goes. When you are cutting a seat for a stone, whether it be with a graver or flexible shaft machine, the bur can be as small as .6mm and the razor sharp hand graver tip is much smaller than that. We took 'frog hairs' of metal off of pieces to make them fit better. I went from not being able to hold one to having the ability to castrate a gnat in three short months. I looked under a 10x loupe and magnification for hours some days. All this was to get us accustomed to being able to spot and correct fine details. I could shave my face with a graver now if I had to. Do yourself a favor and look up what those are, you might be surprised. Fine details don't just need to be used with hand tools but, also and equally as important, with the torch itself.
  Although it's called 'The Little Torch' this thing packs a punch. Using the #5 tip we soldered everything from  fine parts to a platinum setting, and everything in between. The 3,700F flame although small, can melt things quickly, so great care had to be taken in moving it in and out at the pace needed to be able to solder things accurately. I didn't have as much trouble with this at first because I had already used a torch for some time, although not one this powerful. Initially, and this was back in 2005, I was afraid of using a torch. The flame was big and sometimes it would make a popping sound when I cut it off. The flame used for platinum sounds like a jet engine and that's what is needed for platinum work. You just have to be careful and always hold onto the torch firmly and respect what you are working with. Other than that, I did melt a couple small things, but nothing major. That is why we were there and using tools we were, to get a greater understanding to what to expect when using them. I have not melted anything since. Another thing I learned, reinforced rather, was my love for precious metals in general.
  The whole idea of me loving metals is nothing new (and no, its not a sexual thing) and this drove it even further into my head. I knew I loved silver and gold but once we got to the platinum week I was simply smitten. It's the only metal I ever want to work in now. It's properties are nothing short of amazing. The heat it takes to reach its sky high melting temperature, the glow when it does, how it can be worked and the magnificent weight of platinum have me in a death grip. I realize it is an inanimate object but having a strong attachment to those is a hallmark of AS. I'm sure glad it's something I actually love working with. It's not work if you enjoy it. The social side of things went OK for me down there.
  As far as the other students most were around the same age. We went to movies and restaurants just as people always do. We hung out, drank and played cards on the weekends, even went out for a couple wild nights in the city. Everyone there is a little more adult than most people I had encountered and that is just part of hands on training I guess. We had plenty of laughs in class, that's for sure and Blaine always led us in the right direction, often without us knowing it. I did make a my share of typical social faux pas but that was expected. My brain wasn't as tired at the end of the day as it usually was when faced with a social or work environment. I guess this was because, although in the same room we were each at our own bench doing our work each day. The hour lunch did help immensely in brain recovery. I feel as though I should sum everything up now.
  So what did I learn in Nashville? I learned that speed bumps can be overcome, given enough effort and the willingness to never give up. Humans can learn to do anything given enough time, and that includes me. I have things I still am not great at, the hand engraving week was more of a challenge for me than anything else I did, but most tasks can be done at a level that most jewelers cannot do, detail/speed wise. I still find this funny, but then again a lot of people were not instructed the right way and leave their work sloppy, just not any of the NASJ students. I got exactly what I needed down there. As of right now I am making things freelance, only what I see that is selling, and looking for a job somewhere. It could be far away or close to home as long as its the right one for someone with my great skill set. The school gave us such an advantage over everyone else that I'm going to look for my opportunity to show itself and then, pounce!


Questions or Comments?