3.05.2015

The End

The magical shop in Yucca Valley, where I had my trunk show last weekend...I was so busy during the show I didn't get any good pictures of the jewelry or the inside of the shop!












It's really an amazing feeling to put your work out there in to the world.  I've learned in the past year to own my work as much more than just jewelry, to know that my art is valid, worthy, and beautiful...It's hard to have the confidence, and self love to make something by hand and then offer it up to friends, family and total strangers.  Learning to let the doubts and comparisons fall by the wayside and feel confident about something I have made will always be a challenge.  There are days that are a struggle, and days when I KNOW down to my core that what I have made is good, but where would we be with out the lows to make the highs even higher?  

The trunk show was such a success, in ways I never would have imagined...I met some really beautiful souls, women who connected with my work, and found something that called to them and that made them feel beautiful when they put it on.  I made new friends, and amazing connections that I'm already reaping the benefits of.  I always get nervous before a show...doubts creep in and I wonder if my work is really worth what I think it is.  The best and most valuable advice I have ever read is just to do the work, make what comes from deep inside you, and then put it out there into the world.  The practice of making, and showing, and sharing the work of your mind and hands is really the best reward.  With every show, and every sale, and every person I connect with, I can feel my creativity and excitement grow...Work breeds more work, and that's the best felling of all, to be full with inspiration, with so many ideas that I have to make lists so that I don't forget any one of them.  

Now that I'm back home and getting settled back in the studio, I feel like all the times I doubted if I could do this, if I am good enough, if I'm crazy, are just stepping stones on the way to making a reality out of all my dreams. 

3.04.2015

Hi Desert Love~

I've just returned from two weeks in the Hi and Lo deserts of Souther California...And it was glorious! Here are some photos from my solo adventure day...I went to a swap meet on the grounds of a long ago abandoned drive in theatre.  This place was kind of like a park, a gathering place for locals, the swap meet every weekend year round, a little cafe, and some of the biggest cactus I've ever seen!  Yucca Valley and Joshua Tree are like no other place on earth, weird in the BEST way possible...























After the swap meet, I headed out to 29 Palms, which is about 15 miles down the main highway...I heard about a small hotel that has been around since the 1920's, I had seen pictures of the grounds and really wanted to check it out in person.  Built on an Oasis in 1928, and operated by the granddaughter of the original owners,  it's a total dreamland in the middle of the desert.  The palm trees are HUGE, there's a pond, a pool, and a garden where they grow the herbs and vegetables for the cafe.  


























It's really kind of amazing how much I love the desert considering that I moved to Hawaii from Seattle...Something about it has always had a piece of my heart, the light, the colors, the desert vibes are something that I will always feel a connection to.  I feel lucky to have had this chance to explore, and being able to have some solo time to adventure is always good medicine for me.