How You Got Started
Wow, there is never a short answer for this question. Like most goldsmith and metalsmiths, I started out beading! I was living Maui during my high school years and I was tired of waiting for a friend to make me a necklace so I just made it myself! That was the beginning of my fondness of making something.
I continued beading while studying Fashion Merchandising at Long Beach City College. I had needed to pick up some additional Art credits for my major; and had been feeling the need to deepen jewelry making skills. So, I enrolled in a beginner metals/jewelry making course in 2003.
I can’t say I was “immediately hooked”. If I'm honest, I must say that I was immediately intimidated first! But, there was a spark of interest, for the world of Contemporary Metal Arts, and it was ignited after my first course. I honestly believe that was more so because of my instructor; Artist Kristen Beeler, than the course itself. She opened up a new world to me…a world that I may have never discovered on my own.
I continued to study Metal Arts / Jewelry Making for a about 4-5 (on an off) all while continuing my Fashion Merchandising studies and a full time job in retail. Interesting enough, I did not pursue metalsmithing after college. Instead I went on to have a successful 12 year career in the retail world as a Merchandise and Stylist. It wasn’t until 2013, when I felt I had hit the “glass ceiling”, that ended my retail career and dove head first into being a full-time Metalsmith.