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I can honestly say that one of the best things I’ve done for myself so far this year is buy this stromanthe for my new studio. Sure, I’m loving all the plants I’ve been accumulating, but the stromanthe definitely steals the show. Any time I need a pick-me-up, I just need to glance at the beautiful foliage! (It’s especially helpful for getting myself through winter.)
If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll know this new year has brought a bit of a transition for me. I’ve had to temporarily relocate out of my beloved studio so that we can repair some damage to the subfloor. (The result of some flooding that took place last summer.) While it’s definitely not ideal to have to move studio spaces (especially while I’m prepping for two trade shows) I’m doing my best to see the positives in the situation.
Fortunately, I’ve got a lovely space to relocate to while we do the repairs. Last winter, I did a little cosmetic renovation on our den (including painting the floor) and it’s made for the perfect happy space to relocate my business to for a few months while we do the repairs on my studio. And while I don’t love giving up my skylights in the middle of winter, I’m focusing on making this new space a bright, happy oasis filled with paintings and plants!
It’s no secret that my I’m obsessed with big stones. Especially when I get to turn them into big statement necklaces. But it’s hard to find big stones that are really great quality. Which is why I was so excited to get my hands on this stunning stone! Read on to see what it became…
Anyone who knows me knows that I’m a huge Parks and Rec fan. Growing up, I basically was Leslie Knope. And if I hadn’t gone into art, I definitely would have gone into government. (Ok, let’s be honest. There’s still a chance of that happening. When I turned 35 last year, I celebrated it as my presidential birthday.)
And while I identify most with Leslie, I feel so strongly towards many of the characters on Parks and Rec. However, there was one character that I never really got. Ann Perkins. I never really thought much about her, and truthfully, it didn’t really bother me when she left the show. (Other than being sad that Leslie was sad, of course.)
But all that changed in the aftermath of the election. As I watched so many of my friends turn to despair, I felt the need to rewatch the Recall Vote episode of the show. In that episode, Ann and Ben form the “Leslie Knope Emotional Support Task Force” with the goal of helping Leslie get through the recall vote. And after Leslie loses and Ben fails at his job (almost letting Leslie get a tattoo), Ann is the one there to remind Leslie of what makes her great and motivate her to get working again.
And for the first time, I truly understood the point of Ann’s character.
There’s no shortage of products floating around the Internet with the phrase “Be the Leslie Knope of whatever you do.” But in the days after the election, as I watched the passionate, driven women I admired falter, I came up with a new rallying cry.
“If you can’t be the Leslie Knope of whatever you do, then be somebody’s Ann Perkins.”
And for the next few days, I ran around the Internet trying to be the best emotional cheerleader I could be. I left comments, hearts, and fist bumps on Instagram. I wrote emails and tried to motivate others as best I could.
In that moment, I realized that the Leslie Knopes of the world (myself included) need an Ann Perkins to pick them up from time to time. And so I tried my best to be everybody’s Ann Perkins.
Which is why it gave me all the feels when Jill shared this blog post about the impact of my email in the days after the election. Jill took my call to arms about the importance of teaching art to heart, and started teaching workshops making fabric banners. Inspired by a how-to on creating protest banners, Jill realized that making fabric banners was a simple yet powerful way to unlock others creativity.
As weeks slid into months after the election, I had almost forgotten my mission to be somebody’s Ann Perkins. As I found my footing, I reverted back to my more typical Leslie Knope self. But Jill’s blog post reminded me of my mission to be somebody’s Ann Perkins and actually made me feel like, if only for one person, mission accomplished.
If you’ve ever waded through the archives of this blog (though I don’t blame you if you haven’t, there are a LOT of posts) or if you’ve been following me online for a while, then you’ll know that a few years ago, I took some time off from designing jewelry to experiment with painting.
While my decision to play with painting coincided with some deep loss in my personal life, it also reflected a bigger challenge I was facing: I’d lost my passion for designing jewelry.
For years, I’ve struggled to find the balance between making my production jewelry line and making something that feels like art. In the early days of my business, I’d spend hours in the studio, creating new jewelry and experimenting with new metal work. But as my business grew, my focus became much more on managing the business than on making work that felt like art.
When I started painting again, I was freed from many of those pressures of running a business that had been heaped onto my jewelry line.
Now that the craziness of Christmas is over, I’m looking forward to a much calmer introduction to the new year. Truth be told, I’m hoping for some serious studio time over the long weekend. That’s partly because I can’t think of a better way to ring in the new year, and partly because I’ve been feeling incredibly inspired to work lately. Some of that inspiration comes simply from the gorgeous stones that have been piling up on my work table, but I’ve also been inspired by a number of books I’ve picked up over the last few months. These three in particular have me itching to get into the studio and make something amazing:
Without a doubt, one of the most exciting (and if we’re being honest, nerve racking) moments of the last year was having my studio photographed for Where Women Create magazine. (Ok, that and being on the same flight as Tim Gunn.) Since not every photo from the epic shoot made it into the magazine, I’d thought I’d share a few of my favorite images here.
Read on to see more images of my space and be sure to check out Where Women Create magazine for more about the inspiration behind my jewelry!
Since I’ve started painting, a number of friends told me they could see my paintings as textiles.
It’s not a stretch. I’ve always been inspired and influenced by textiles, surface design, and fashion. My graduate thesis, despite being made in metal, was all about textiles, and I even designed all the repeat patterns I used in my wire sculpture.
And the truth was, I could see my paintings as textiles as well.
But I resisted. Even though I know a decent amount about textile design, I wasn’t sure I was ready for a line that needed some degree of outsourcing. (In this case, the textile printing.)
And my experiments with hand painting textiles over the summer didn’t go so well.
So when Amber mentioned turning my paintings into textiles a few weeks ago, I resisted again.
And then, last week, I couldn’t resist any longer.
I was sitting in Starbucks, reading about creativity, when it suddenly became clear.
I had to go home and design fabric.
Right now.
And so I did.
And since then, I’ve been digitizing paintings, creating repeats, and ordering fabric, with the goal of getting my first prototypes done before Crafty Bastards.
I received my first fabric samples this week and promptly made my first products:
scarves!
Why scarves? you may wonder. Because a metal necklace can’t keep you warm. (And you know I’m always cold.) Plus, a scarf is really just a big, fabric necklace!
I’m definitely still in the experimental stage when it comes to fabrics and designs, but I’m planning on debuting several scarf designs, plus pillows and maybe even some bags, at Crafty Bastards next Saturday!
If you’re in the DC area, be sure and stop by. I’ll be there Saturday the 28th in booth 71!
Can’t make it to Crafty Bastards? Make sure you sign up for the mailing list (in the sidebar) to know when my new designs launch online!
It’s funny that I should be writing about success right after seeing my earrings on the cover of Better Homes and Gardens.
For a long time, I’m fairly certain I had a singular definition of success – to see myself on the cover of a magazine.
I’m not sure why this has been my marker of success, but it always seemed to me that if I was on the cover of a magazine, then I would have “made it.”
A year and a half ago, I turned 30. And as my birthday approached, I had a serious meltdown. As in a hysterically crying in my car on the phone to Tara about how I hadn’t accomplished anything meltdown.
When she asked what I hadn’t accomplished yet, one of the top things on my list was that I hadn’t been on the cover of a magazine.
A few days later, I did a tally of my business numbers and realized that, despite it only being the end of October, I had already reached six figures in sales for the year. Tara reminded me of my meltdown and told me to shut up.
My life has changed a lot (ok, completely) since then, and so has my definition of success.
It shifted from aiming for fame to a focus on freedom, creative play, and financial security. (Truth be told, it looks a lot like this “sweet spot” diagram from Steal this Process.)
Success, to me, means being able to do what I want when I want.
And what I want is to create and teach and to take time for myself and my family whenever I need or want to.
What I want is to see my work out in the world, making other people feel confident and happy and inspired.
What I want is the ability to change my mind about what I want and the flexibility to shift my business to meet my current desires, whatever they are.
What I want right now is to paint. And to travel. And to teach (on my own terms). And to finish remodeling and decorating our house exactly the way I want. And to leave my mark on the world. And to bring in enough money to support us so that my husband can have everything he wants.
By that definition, it looks like I’m hovering somewhere in the area of “successful.” There are certainly days when it feels closer and other days when it feels farther away. And, if we’re being totally honest, I don’t really know that I believe that success is something you can actually achieve. It might always be a moving target.
I never really thought of myself as someone who was shooting for success. I’ve always been goal oriented, but I didn’t consider those goals as a way to become “successful.” I just considered those goals to be the pathway to having the life I want.
It’s really easy to get caught up in the successes that we don’t have (a magazine cover) and to ignore the successes we do have (a thriving business that supports me and an employee, time to follow my creative dreams, helping other creatives make their dreams a reality).
Because I believe success is a moving target, I don’t know that I’ll ever consider myself “successful”. I’m an overachiever and there’s always more that I’ll want to do.
By not focusing on success, and instead focusing on creating the life I want day by day, I may not have my magazine cover. But I do have a life I love, and the ability to do what I want, day in and day out, while making my mark on the world and making money at the same time.
And while I’d be lying if I said I’m not still dreaming of seeing myself on the cover of a magazine, I’m no longer letting that be a marker of my success. Instead, I’ll let it be a byproduct of doing work I love and making an impact on the world.
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This post is part of The Declaration of You’s BlogLovin’ Tour, which I’m thrilled to be a part of alongside over 100 other creative bloggers. Learn more — and join us! — by clicking here. The Declaration of You will be published by North Light Craft Books this summer, with readers getting all the permission they’ve craved to step passionately into their lives, discover how they and their gifts are unique, and uncover what they are meant to do!
Does that seem like a lot of exclamation points in the post title? Well, I could have easily put more! My new studio is finally finished, and I could not be happier with the way it looks!
If you remember, when we started, it looked like this:
And now it looks like this:
This space is everything I hoped for and more! I’ve got plenty more pictures to share (because I can’t stop marveling at how beautiful the space is) and I want to share a little more of my design inspiration and process in putting the space together, but those will have to wait for another post! Because for now, I’m just going to enjoy being in my studio!