Sometimes you have to make sacrifices in order to have the life you want. With that in mind, I have been spending more time in the studio, making things happen.


Metalsmithing is a time-consuming pursuit, but the beauty that one can create is what makes it worth the time and energy. That is what led me to metalsmithing in the first place--that feeling of alchemy, creation, magic. It leaves you with a sense of wonder--the ability to take a flat sheet of metal and create something three dimensional out of it. And that is what I hear time and time again in peoples' stories of why they became metalsmiths--it is a magical experience.


I am all about the magic right now--not in the "I'm a unicorn/mermaid/fairy" sense that requires one to dye their hair multiple colors, dress in costumes, and drink questionably bright smoothies--I look for it in the small things. The tiny moments that many people have stopped paying attention to. Like seeing a hummingbird speed by as I am running in the wetlands with the pup. Or noticing an incredibly bright orange lichen that is almost a perfect circle. Or bonding with new extended family members and reveling in how one person can bring so many together. Life is fully of magic--we just have to look outside of ourselves, and really pay attention, to find it.



And sometimes, you are lucky enough to have the ability to create magic right in the studio, time and time again. This is all part of me designing the life I want to live. Here's to making it happen.

(And to all you beauties who are unicorns/mermaids/fairies, you do you! You and your creativity are part of what makes this world wonderful!)

It has been many years since I've worked full time.

Well, worked a job full time. Going to school was definitely full time, plus some. But there was flexibility. There were mornings, afternoons, and weekends. Now, my weekends fall on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and every other Sunday.

This means that blissfully, I have the whole house to myself for two days each week. As a gal who really needs a good amount of alone time--quiet time--this is sacred. I generally spend one day working on the house (more on that soon), and one day in the studio. Wednesday evenings are reserved for Studio Time with my dear friend (and semi-student) Eddie. He is a woodworker/banjo maker/leather worker and I've been teaching him a thing or two about metalsmithing.

Funny enough, I've been spending more time in the studio in my spare time than I thought I would! Between having a student, and handling repairs and custom jobs for the store (as seen above), as well as my own jewelry, I've been in there a lot.

Above is a custom order I recently finished for one of our very good customers. Using the customer's Larimar, I set it in 18KY bezel, with labradorite and amethyst charms as well. The gold accents are all 18K and the rest is sterling silver. I really hope she loves it.

Today I'm taking a mini-break, though. Today I am working on the interior. The home.

We live in a two-bedroom apartment with our two kitties. With us both working full-time and having engagements outside the home, there hasn't been quite as much effort put into the interior design aspect of our living space. That paired with renting. Recently, after lamenting about not being able to buy our own home, I sat myself down and said, "Put that effort into the space you have now. Work on the garden. Invest some money. Paint if you must. Put up shelves. Make it yours."

These are all things I remember reading in Apartment Therapy years ago, and they are finally sticking. I recently went to the Rebuilding Center and fell in love with massive chunky lengths of wood that must have been cross beams or something. They're rough and barely sanded. I had them chop them into 4' lengths and have been slowly installing them all over the house. The kitties now have window-sills to sit on and gaze out into the world. The bathroom now has a shelf, and I have space for my books. I have never been so excited about shelves in all my life. That and soaker hoses (I finally got some to expedite the watering of the garden and am so glad I did! I need a few more, and to install the edging in the back, but that will come).

I want to be surrounded by beauty. I want to feel at home in my own home. Art is going up, things are shifting around. After 2 years I am finally settling in.

Life moves so quickly. Suddenly, that week you thought you had to do x, y, and z is gone.
I can't really remember when time didn't move so fast, though. Time has always been a strange thing for me--one week often feels like two or three. Perhaps it is based on how much I experience/do/absorb in that time period.

I have been thinking a lot lately about simplifying. On my days off work, I have a hard time motivating because it feels like there is so much to do. The garden, the house, the studio are all calling my name. I have taken to writing lists for myself again. Schedules. It may seem silly but it simplifies things for me.

That, and getting rid of clutter. Not just personal belongings, but things like social media. I wonder, who is out there? Who is paying attention? Why am I spending my time on this? Reflecting back to my senior year, I remember one of our presenters telling us "Find your outlet, and just focus on that." For him, it was instagram. And it worked for him! With social media, there's this weird pressure to have our names/presence in every space. Facebook, twitter, blogs, flickr, instagram, etc. etc. In the back of my mind, I have been mulling over this (I do that, a lot). Where do I want to be seen? What do I want to spend my time on? What do I want to be known for? Do I really want to spend my time searching for and posting interesting articles that have nothing to do with me? Not necessarily.

So...I'm taking a step back from a few things. I'm refocusing. Twitter is the first to go--it's good for me catching up on news and such, but it's not really where I want to "be." I love facebook for its social aspect, and to be honest I have actually found a lot of opportunities through it (AND I've met some amazing people). I don't know how much time I'll really be spending on it going forward though. Flickr is interesting but has already fallen to the backburner.

What I want to put out to the world is images, and words. I want to show you what I'm making--and be known for it. I want to "talk" to you (whoever "you" is) and write. I'm not a writer per se, but I have always explored through words. Now that time is so precious, I want to make it quality time. It's all about prioritizing, my dears. What do you prioritize?

As for what I have actually been doing with my time....
At the top, you'll see an image of some new explorations. I was trying to create a hollow form for a special project--at first I played in paper clay (I am definitely not a ceramicist), then moved on to sheet metal, and finally to this lighter version in wire.


I am making a few things to have at Silverado Portland soon--earrings galore! Exploring ideas old and new, and playing with my signature shape. Above are Spirit Earrings at their beginnings.


Explorations with my signature shape.

 And, exciting news--my dear friend Eddie Miranda has been joining me in the studio lately for some collaborations! Eddie is a woodworker and luthier, but has some experience in metalsmithing. It's been so nice having someone else to share the space with.

Whew! I tell you, it has been a time. The past two months have seen some big changes in my life. I have been working 6-7 day weeks for two months straight, and by last week, my ability to filter or process much was just gone. I was exhausted. Luckily, I was also dog-sitting so I was able to get some much-needed alone/quiet time in the evenings.

I have finally retired from nannying. That was probably the most major change. I have been with the same family for 9 years. Almost an entire decade! When people ask if I want kids, I kind of laugh and say, "Nope, I've already raised kids." I love those kids like nothing else, and when I made the decision to leave, I nearly had a panic attack. But I couldn't pass up the opportunity I was given. Now that things have settled, I can schedule some time with them!

I also left my post at OCAC as Studio Manager. I thought my new job was going to be part time, and that I could handle both jobs...not so. I ended up working full time almost right away, and barely made it through May in one piece.

Which brings me to the new beginning--you are now looking at the Assistant Manager at Silverado Portland, a jewelry store in Bridgeport Village. I am loving my new job. It's fun, it's fast paced (most of the time), we have really lovely customers, and I get to sell jewelry without worrying about making it. Plus, we represent some great artists. Perk: I get to wear different jewelry every day. I am in charge of their website, social media, marketing, and am also working on repairs and custom pieces (I'll be starting a very exciting one this next week!). Soon, I will have more balance as well, and can really truly get back into my studio.

In the meantime, I have been sneaking in some studio time to finish my piece for The Contemporary Jewelry Exchange (I can't wait to show you!!!) and have discovered some fun things along the way. I'll post pictures soon.

Yesterday and today were my first weekend in two months. I definitely felt the effects of exhaustion this morning--spacey, tired, unable to focus. But I had a date at the spa, and spent a bunch of time in the garden, and felt much, much better. Back to work tomorrow!

If you have been following me on any social media platform, or here, you will have caught wind that 4 months ago, one of my dearest friends committed suicide. Sonya Scott was an incredible artist and designer, and I was so lucky to have her as a good friend. We were working on a collaboration for Co:Operation Garnish, an upcoming exhibition. We had been talking about salt and all the possibilities and significance of salt, and how we could use it for this project. I have since been referring to it as "The Salt Project."

When Sonya passed away, I decided to keep the collaboration going. It took her husband about a month to find the journal she and I had been sharing, and in the meantime, I got to writing down everything I could remember that we had spoken of. Once the journal was found, her words gave me a lot more focus and direction.

I am now making two neckpieces--one is a locket which doubles as a brooch and pendant, and the other is a statement necklace meant to signify the value of salt as a trade in ancient Roman times. So now, I am faced with the prospect of naming these two pieces.

Naming a piece is always an interesting process. I tend to start out with an intention, or idea, and let it mull around in my head for a while. For instance, for the locket, there is a quote of Sonya's I have in the journal. I may use the entire quote for the title. Or, I may shorten it.

For the statement necklace, ideas such as "What Value We Bestow" are floating around. Sometimes I tackle the dictionary and thesaurus for ideas--even just changing one word can make the difference I was looking for. In a name, there should be enough intrigue to keep people guessing a bit. I am a big fan of innuendo and imagination. I am rarely satisfied with "Untitled," although sometimes that is the best title there is.

This is happening.

The Halite is here.
The new pink notebooks are on their way.
There will be trips to equestrian stores for salt licks this week (and somewhere to pick up carving tools).
And copious amounts of salt will be purchased.
Possibly a trip to the coast for saltwater.

This is happening.

When Sonya passed away, I wavered. Then I stood firm. The notebook we shared, which she had at the time, has gone missing. I wrote down everything I could remember that we talked about, and I have a few pictures of the notes as well. I started developing ideas. Then I wavered again.
Finally, I listened to the podcast on Bench Talk Radio--an interview with Rachel Timmins and Brigitte Martin, the founders of Co:operation: Garnish.

I thought, "Is this hopeless? Should I just...give up?" But then, the interviewer asked about the ration of collaboration between two artists. Is one person putting in 10% and the other 90% okay? It is. It is still a collaboration. In Sonya's absence, I can still move forward and bring our designs to light.

Her fascination with ancient roman jewelry, my (well, our) love of clean lines. We talked about necklaces, neckpieces, something for the shoulders. She had drawings of cameos in her notebook. She talked about tears, salt of the body.

This is happening.

Next week, I will be participating in OCAC's Annual Holiday Sale!!

All proceeds go towards student scholarships. Come on out, get your shopping done, and support our students! I was one of those scholarship students, and I can attest that I would not have finished my degree if not for the assistance I was given.

There's always amazing art for sale made by OCAC's Students and Alumni. Hope to see you there!!

Artists are notoriously attached to their work. I think it is really only with practice that we learn to detach. I realized the other day, as I was finishing up some orders from my clearance sale, that I had finally reached a place of truly saying goodbye to old designs.

In the past, I've always wanted to leave some of them behind, but I loved them so much that it was hard to.

I still love them. They are part of me! These designs, much like friends, have made me into the person/artist I am today.


For instance, my Flower Earrings are actually the very first earrings I ever designed. I worked diligently on them in my first year of Jewellery & Metalsmithing in Australia, taking on feedback, and improving them.


Similarly, my Seed Pod Earrings have always been a staple. These were made with the first matrix die I ever made during my production class at UniSA. I have always loved the design of the hook and the movement it lends to the earrings. Honestly, I wear my own pair of these most days of the week.

These, and other designs, have a huge place in my heart.

But as I was standing there in my studio, packing things up, I finally felt this sense of relief at letting them go. I am ready to move forward. It is a difficult step to take--I see artists and musicians go through this often. They get stuck in a certain format and can't truly move forward. I never want to be stagnant. I think it takes serious guts to move out of what you and others know of your work--to break boundaries. And I cannot truly express how infinitely rewarding it is to give yourself permission to do so.


New things are in the works. This is a shot with a mix of old and new work on my desk last week. I am striving for cleaner lines, focusing on shapes, form, and a few one-of-a-kind pieces along the way. New things are on the horizon and I couldn't be more excited!

I am looking at colors, fibers, metal, forms. I am seeing things in a new light. The last three years of being in school and finishing my (2nd) BFA have definitely changed my view of things--my love of fashion and couture was reignited during my thesis year, as was my passion for indigenous adornment from across the globe. I can't wait to show you what's next.

You may have noticed a few new things happening lately.

New shapes.

New inspirations.

New goals.

Over the past three years, my little Etsy Shop has puttered along, kind of in stasis. Now that I have graduated, I find that the more time I spend with old work, the more I realize I have changed. A lot. It's a good thing! I'm excited for all these changes.

And changes generally mean....out with the old, and in with the new.

So, I am having a clearance sale! Starting midnight tonight (Friday a.m.), everything in my Etsy Shop is 50% OFF for one week. It's time to shake off the dust and begin anew!

This week, I embark on a new journey. Rather, a new leaf in a continued journey--because what else is life? My work schedule as Studio Manager at OCAC has changed, which now allows me a lot more time to work in my own studio!

This means new beginnings in a whole host of ways--new routine, new studio, new designs, new business identity, new contacts--the list goes on. Over the past 3 years of finishing my Bachelor's degree, my little business has floated around, rather static, with little ups and downs. Now, when I see things like my stone collection, or old designs, I realize how much I have changed. I have been transformed.

Everything feels so fresh and lively, so full of hope. I have much more confidence in myself and my abilities. I know that if I want to source and use a ton of fiber in my designs, I will figure out a way, and they will be beautiful. I have faith in my own aesthetic.

I know that if I want to create a conceptual series relating to salt, that I can. Nothing can stop me.

I am open to new ideas, more determined to make things work, and I have a better grasp on just what it takes to do that. The future holds so much possibility, and I cannot wait to show you what's next.