Growing up in Franklin, NC, the gem hub of the Southeast, rocks were always grabbing my attention. Sometimes it was just a nice piece of gravel or a rock from the woods, sometimes it was a baggie of

colorful stones from my favorite rock shop/gem museum, often, it was a piece of jewelry for a family member at Christmas or a birthday. Once I got a real job, the rocks got nicer and more plentiful until it was a little embarrassing how big my gem collection was because it was doing nothing but gathering dust.

In December 22', I was shopping for gems at the Bellpoint gem show, and one of the guild members was helping out at one of the booths. She asked me what I was going to do with them, and I said, "I don't

really know. I'm really looking for settings to put them in because the ones online are too expensive." Then she told me about MAGG and recommended I try taking a class there to learn how to make my

own settings. (I'd rather make something myself than pay somebody extra to make it for me.) So I started taking classes the following January and I've been taking them ever since.

I still can't draw a good stick figure... but I'm having lots of fun putting my passion into practice and discovering that creativity can be learned (slowly). I'm proof that you don't have to be an artist to make art and if you're willing to risk embarrassing yourself, you might have fun and make something you will be proud of.