Sometimes I disconnect from the rest of the world for a few days. I used to wonder if this was a good thing or if I should make an effort to see people, but as I grow older I realize it’s the way I prefer to live. 

Being alone makes me consider my life from a deeper perspective. It also fills me with energy, wonder and gratitude. Time slows down and I return to my work joyously, in tune to my inner urges to create. 

I recently read a test that asked, if you had six months left to live, what would you do? My honest answer was: I’d stay at home and create. 

Empowered ring and pendant.
Handmade with 100% recycled sterling silver. 
Soon in my online shop.

The pendants from my Second Unearthed Series are now in my online shop.

The underside also has to be pretty.

I sometimes spend a full day drawing. I get my best ideas when I look at books on ancient art, and lately I have been immersed in Oceanic and Celtic cultures. I rarely copy what I see, but instead I look at specific qualities that I can reinterpret (texture, proportion, gesture), or I take a subject and draw it my way (how would I draw a rooster or a king?). 

Some drawings will become pendants or rings, but I'd also like to see them in paintings or pillows. I need to wake up earlier...

My uncle John was a diver who lived on a boat. He once found an ancient coin in the bottom of the ocean, he hung it from a chain and never took it off. The pendant mystified me because it seemed to tell a story, not just of one person but of an entire culture. Since then, every time I go to a flea market or a thrift store I seek my own pendant. One that is powerful enough to tell my story and also connects with the world around me. Since I haven't found it yet, I decided to make one.

My latest silver pendants come from the drawings I shared yesterday, and are part of my Unearthed Series. 

Unearthed Pendants. Soon in my online shop.

On Saturday, I gave an eleven hour long how-to-sell-online workshop to five powerful and creative women. It was the first time I've worked with a group and it was an enriching experience for all of us. Articulating who we are so others can connect to what we do in a personal way takes insight, perseverance, courage and creativity. Helping others do that made me reflect my own work.

I've always been torn when it comes to teaching or giving advice to others. Part of me thinks the best way to share my perspective is through my own example, but this Saturday I learned that showing someone else new possibilities makes me see them too. 

I am almost fully recovered from my operation, but it will still be a few weeks before I can carry heavy objects, like my hammer. Since I am most alive when I create, I've decided to continue to explore the possibilities of soft Metal Clay as I heal. 

The choices with this maleable compound are endless: when it's moist, you can carve, etch, stamp, layer and create volume. When it's fired, you can cut, file, forge and solder. Oh the wonders of a new medium! My latest earrings are born from this adventure.

Textured Life earrings. Soon in my online shop.

When I was little, I found a small pre-hispanic ceramic figure in the lava sand dunes behind our home. The figurine felt like a key to another time, and I wondered about the person who had made it, and what their life was like so many years before. 

My new series was born from the connection I have with the artists and craftspeople who came before me, and with our ability to find meaning in life through our work.  

To create each piece, I worked with metal clay, a modeling compound made of pure recycled settling silver that hardens when heated. This maleable medium reminded me of my days as a ceramist, and because it registers every detail, I was able to add intricate drawings to my jewelry. The results are whimsical, lightweight, and easy to wear.

The Unearthed Series is now in my shop.

I was fortunate to be included in the June, 2015 article on women who begin a successful business from scratch, for the magazine A, the Style Guide, by Andares. 

I am especially grateful for Nonatzin Martínez who interviewed me and wrote the article, and Luis Carillo, who came to my studio to take my picture. 

For the full article in Spanish, visit their website. You can find the english translation below the image. 

Today my studio looked beautiful and sunny. I am so grateful to have such a large and happy space to create in. I took pictures to share it with you.

I had an operation this week to remove the lump in my breast. I'd never had surgery before and I admit I am not a good patient. I missed my work, my vitality and my clear mind. 

Times like these make me humble and vulnerable, and as I like to feel in charge, I had to learn to let others care for me. I am eternally grateful for all the love and support I received from my family and friends. I could not have gone through this without you.

Now that I feel like myself again and can walk to the post office, I have posted the Faith Talismans in my shop. You can find them here.