NBS4F-BK BLACK | STUDIO SUZAN
HOW I FOUND HOME RIGHT UNDER MY NOSE
This year--this season of life left me open-ended, open-handed and surrendered; my first season of empty-nesting, my almost 25th anniversary of making jewelry, 2020 and my need to keep hope alive. As an artist, there is this pause in time right before I have to do a new collection that I literally feel like..."OK I have finally run out of ideas". I know the ideas will be there but they haven't formed yet. It's both terrifying and exhilarating at the same time.
This concept extended to how I felt as my twins went off to college, I had no vision of what life might be like. Having this empty and open space was the beginning of a new and amazing season of life.
For most of my adult life I have had trouble asking for and feeling OK about doing things for myself that I really knew I needed. One of these things was to make a design space in my current studio where I could have some privacy and "thinking space". For 15 years I have struggled to find a way to quiet my mind in the midst of all the work around me to be creative. It has been the source of deep frustration. ONE DAY, hear me when I say ONE DAY...after talking with a friend who asked what it would be like if I took this certain back space in my studio for designing. At that moment I could not imagine at all. So I went back there behind a partial wall and sat and IN AN INSTANT my whole body relaxed and I felt "protected". Three sweaty days later my new design space was born!
The photo up top is the view as you walk into my design space, and I love that you can see it from any where in the studio. I love to be around my collections of nature treasures and unlikely paired beautiful things. So a space that had been right under my nose became a new sanctuary, a new permission to be myself, a safe place to create. AMAZING!!! I had been praying for God to show me how I could operate in my current space! So many lessons to be learned from this as I also make my home a space that adults live, that speaks of joy and calm, that reflects inspiration. What I needed was there all along, now is just the right time to give it life. Now is the time to re/IMAGINE what life might be like when it has more balance and when it honors the person God made me to be. This all reminds me to be the courageous person who says "this is what I need".
re/IMAGINE JEWELRY
So, as I re/IMAGINED my space, the feeling that came to me for the jewelry was about feeling "hugged"--like coming home; hugged in fabrics that make us feel warm and comforted, hugged by wearing jewelry that makes you feel special. I began to choose colors that are deep and rich, earth tones with just a little sparkle somewhere that makes you feel like you found a treasure! I love the greens with black, gold with green and a splash of blush and gold and always a red surprise added in. The "crowned" necklaces pair matte and shiny black with green pyrite and dark pearls, and my favorite rectangle chain is here in black with silver and gold! Try new pairings, put your jewelry on and dare to re/IMAGINE yourself even in these uncertain times to bring joy to your day. Perhaps your re/IMAGINE is just about wearing big fun earrings--go ahead. Maybe it's treating yourself to gold--go for it. Maybe it's wearing something beautiful and simple even if you are just dressed super casual--do it for you. As always, I want my jewelry to feel like second skin when you wear it, I want it bring delight to your day, to make you feel special and to share a piece of my heart with you.
As I prepare my heart and mind for my 25th anniversary, which is a huge celebration, I am daring to re/IMAGINE and that in itself makes me smile! Come visit and let's talk, Suzan