Emily Claire Studio: Around the World Blog Hop

I used to love hopscotch in elementary school!

Today's blog post reminds me a little of the playground; skip through the numbers and tag the next person in line. I've been nominated to participate in a blog hop! So I answer some questions and pass it on.

This "Around the World" blog hop has been traveling through the blogosphere between crafters, artisans, and makers. I was nominated by my mom, Anne Deister, of Spring Leaf Studios. She is a quilter and pattern designer and my favorite, lovely, creative, and supportive mamma. Her constant design sensibility and unique style is always inspiring me. She's helped me so much to launch my business this year and design displays for my booth.

On the way home from Quilt Market 2013

Here's the questionnaire:

#1 What am I working on?

I'm currently working on designing stud earrings. While I love wearing dangly earrings,

especially these newest ones, I find it more comfortable to wear studs while wearing a strong statement necklace. Since a lot of my necklaces have a very circular central theme, I see a need for earrings that match in some subtle way without being too similar. I also just love love love to bezel set gemstones so I'm looking at ways of incorporating some of my favorite stones.

#2 How does my work differ from others in its genre?

I work really hard to differentiate myself in the jewelry market. From quality handmade artisan jewelry to plastic mass-manufactured cheapo stuff, there is a lot out there. I've never been a person who's into fashion "trends" whether it's Ugg boots or charm bracelets, so I don't often find inspiration in existing jewelry.

I hope my jewelry differs in my design work. My current line of jewelry at Emily Claire Studio is based in design elements of harmony, continuous line, and emphasis. The main jewelry element of my necklaces is a circle or hoop of hammered sterling silver. Inside this circle is where you'll find detail, emphasis, color, texture, and even symbolic meaning in the properties of the gemstones inside. I strive to make these necklaces unique and expressive. I think Emily Claire Studio differs from a lot of trends in jewelry towards chevrons, ethnic themes, neutral colors, base metals. I like color, balance, natural stones, and the white beauty of bright silver.

#3 Why do I create what I do?

The hardest question for me. Why? IDK! Just cause! Just cause I love it. I love to make things from scratch with my hands and think about how parts will fit together. I love to use torches and hammers and power tools and I'd even say I love to see my fingers all dirty and scraped up from the effort. I love to see a piece come all the way together. Most of all I love to see my booth set up, my jewelry in the case at a shop, or my work in a gallery.

#4 How does my creative process work?

In my current line of jewelry at Emily Claire Studio my creative process is a circular one, fitting to the designs themselves. Within this body of work I try to create pieces that compliment one another. I try to push the edges of what this circular jewelry element can be, from small and delicate, to bold and statement-making. So my creative process comes right out of the jewelry, I'm always sketching new ideas, new colors. In particular, the piece below reminds me of ripples in the water. Walking along the creek when the water stands perfectly still and a single drop causes so much disturbance on the surface-- how far can one drop ripple outward when uninhibited? I hope my business will continue to ripple outward too.

In other art forms that I play with, like mixed media and photography, my creative process often comes from finding or creating a hidden element. I love to involve or elude to a story in my mixed media work, or include subtle details in my photography. I love that one element that will hook you further once you've noticed it.

and one last question I'm adding to the list:

#5 What are your dreams for your work?

My dream for Emily Claire Studio is to establish a strong sense of my style. I want to really define and expand upon the Emily Claire look. I hope to do this in the coming year by flushing out the line with new designs, taking more stylistic photos, creating look books, and putting the finishing touches on my booth display. Above all my dream is to be recognizable-- to hear people start to know my name and associate it with my jewelry is a headwind in my sails.

So now it's my turn to tag a few fellow bloggers!

I reached out to several of my fellow Fireflies and favorite artists and a lot of you were on vacation so some tag-ees may be added in the near future!

For now I'd like to nominate the fantastically talented Ashley Weber of Against the Grain. Although I've not had the chance to meet her in person I've been following her Instagram and instantly my metalsmith heart was all a flutter. Her jewelry speaks of nature; from cut-outs to gemstones to mixed media images and text, you know she finds her inspiration outdoors. Her designs are balanced and meaningful, they keep you looking. So well-crafted, and her blog-- so poetic. You can follow her blog here, instagram here, and shop here.