Today I celebrate that yesterday I made my six hundredth sale on Etsy!

When I opened my shop in 2011, I sold a single item that entire year. Five years later, I earn my living exclusively from what I sell online.

I am grateful for the creative freedom this allows me, and for the beautiful connection that I have with each one of you. Thank you for being so kind and generous with me!

I just finished reading Twyla Tharp's, The Creative Habit, an insightful book on how to form habits that nurture creativity and keep you inspired. 

The book offers simple exercises to generate new ideas using promts. My favorite is called, "Do a Verb." You begin by making a list of ten verbs, and then use one of them to create something.

Twyla uses verbs to choreograph a dance, but you can use them to paint a picture, design a house, or compose music. I used mine to design a ring. 

Twirl ring.
Handmade with chalcedony and 100% recycled sterling silver.
Soon in my online shop.

The gift you get for making a piece, is that you get ideas for the next.

Gift ring.
Handmade with moonstone and 100% recycled sterling silver.
​Soon in my online shop.

Last week I began the challenge to make a piece of jewelry a day, five days a week. I thought I would end up exhausted, but making my creative work a priority fills me with energy. I’ve been wanting to make only one-of-a-kind pieces for so long, that it was a relief to begin this adventure. 

I’m always amazed at how complicated I can make my life when I loose track of what I want, which is to make jewelry that moves me and others deeply; to expore the beauty of primal and rudimentary forms; and to inspire others to do their best work, because this will make the world a better place.

I have set guidelines for this challenge:

I will explore all of my ideas. Often what seems too simple on paper, is very interesting in three dimensions. 

I will not judge my work. It doesn’t matter if each piece is amazing, what matters is that I complete a piece a every day.    

I will not let perfectionism stop me. I am doing the best I can.

I will relax, have fun, and get inspired on weekends so that I can return to my craft refreshed (this seems obvious, but when you are self employed, disconnecting from work is easy to overlook).

I've just added the five rings I made last week to my shop on Etsy (plus the ring I made the day I decided this weekly ritual). Although I worked on each piece individually, it was important to me that they also work as a group. Now that I see the rings together, I find that they come from the world of biology. I see insects, seedpods, and microorganisms.

Thank you for your encouragement and support on this adventure. I am honored that you chose to come along! May you always be inspired to explore your creativity, and may your path be filled with discovery!

I went on my rooftop to take pictures of the ring I made today. After being inside all freezing morning, the sun felt warm on my bones. I sat for a long time on the floor, observing my surroundings. 

We live in a house from the 1940’s that has since seen few repairs. If I were to leave this place, I’d miss its character. Just like I missed Mexico when I lived in the States. The buildings here are handmade and soulful. They age with the people who inhabit them, and they hold stories in their structure.

Temple ring.
​Amethyst and 100% recycled sterling silver.
​Soon in my online shop.

Advice I’ve found helpful: 

​Choose yourself.
Create your own opportunities.
Make the ring you want to wear.
Feel gorgeous.
​Use your intelligence.
Educate yourself.
Master a craft.
Share your process.
Do what you can with what you have.
​Kindle your own flame.

Fire ring.
​Handmade with carnelian and 100% recycled sterling silver.
Soon in my online shop.

Creature. Fossil. Critter. Crawler. Where did you come from, ladybird? Seeing you reminds me to always trust my instincts. Whenever I get away from my work for more than a week, I tend to forget how powerful my imagination is. I have a short term memory when it comes to creativity.

Being away for too long makes me feel alienated. Voiceless. Restrained. But when I grab a hammer and silver, I come back to life. Something in me explodes with ideas. A path appears. I remember who I am, and what I am capable of. I recover my voice, and this keeps me coming back. There you are! The spark. The enthusiasm. The clarity. 

Home ring.
​Chalcedony and 100% recycled sterling silver.
​Soon in my online shop.

Two days ago, I posted my artwork to my online shop. Today I want to share how honored I am that you bought so many of my drawings. I feel like a five year old! I want to jump from joy because you value my work. Although I can hardly call it work, because to me, making art is fun. You bought what I do when I play, and that is awesome. THANK YOU for this gift. It means I can continue to make better, deeper, and unexplored creations. I wish with all my heart that you too can do more of what you love!

I own a beautiful collection of clothes and accessories. Some pieces were made by friends who are talented designers, others are trophies I found in my travels, and the rest I made. Well I realized recently, that I hardly ever wore them! Ever since I moved back to Mexico eight years ago, I began to wear a “uniform” of boots, jeans and a black t-shirt. I dressed to blend in and to pass unnoticed!

This changed a few weeks ago when I discovered a very inspiring blog: Thrift me Pretty, by Stasia Savasuk, a creative fashion sylist who makes dressing up in the morning fun and empowering. Her premise is that if you want to feel amazing, you must wear clothes that reflect who you are. She realized how important this was the day she finally let her six year old daughter, Raisa, dress the way she wanted to. After wearing dresses throughout her childhood, Raisa tried on a boys shirt and tie, and exclaimed, exited: I look so handsome! I can run faster! I can jump higher! 

That’s how I want to feel every day.

All this helped me realize that I was dressing carelessly. The consecuence was that I felt uncaring. I thought that dressing with no flair was comfortable and took little time, but the truth is that it made me feel dull and voiceless. 

I justified it by thinking that I was saving my things for a special ocasion, but I am an artist who works alone from home and sells online. When was I going to have that kind of ocasion! Why not make every day feel special, and why not look as creative on the outside as I feel on the inside? I finally get to enjoy my clothes, combine them in interesting ways, and feel happy with the outcome. The best part is that I can now design the kind of bold jewelry I have always wanted to wear.

Visit Stasia’s blog and Instagram account. You will discover a beautiful human being who will inspire you in every way!

Bold ring.
Handmade with 100% recycled sterling silver and labradorite.
Soon in my online shop.

When I work on a piece, my goal is to make something interesting. It does not have to be beautiful or trendy, original or outstanding, it just has to be interesting. This keeps my mind open to possibilities I would normally overlook.

Art and beauty inhabit what is interesting. They live in objects that engage our attention. Not in what is planned or what is perfect. Authentic creation is elusive and cannot be orchestrated. As an artist, I must give myself fully to what I create, and while doing so, release my attachment to the outcome. Each time I begin, I embark on a new adventure.

Rudder ring.
Handmade with moonstone and 100% recycled sterling silver.
Soon in my online shop.

My life is greatly enriched by my partner Abhaya. He is joyously curious, and always wants to learn more about the world. Thanks to his inquisitive mind, we have seen documentaries on science, history, philosophy, and psychology. The most recent, was a National Geographic series about the earth’s formation and how we came to be here. 

I must have daydreamed throughout most of science class when I was little, because I hadn’t fully realized all that took place for life to exist on this planet. I had not understood how creation has always been followed by destruction. Nor had I visualized the variety of species that have come and gone. I had never stood in awe of the way in which life has adapted to every change. My latest ring pays homage to the miracle of being here.

Primordial Sea ring.
Handmade with rose moonstone and 100% recycled sterling silver.
​Soon in my online shop.

When I was six, my dad offered me a prize if I swam underwater across the entire length of an olympic swimming pool. I had to swim as close to the floor as possible and not come out for air. It was my favorite way to swim because I was transported into a place where time and space were different. As it slipped through my hands, water felt tangible and awesome, and even when it became hard to hold my breath, I continued. I wanted to stay as long as possible in that turquoise world.

When I reached the end, dad was proud in a way I rarely got to see because I was never good at sports, and he came from a athletic family of mostly boys. Perhaps this is why I chose a plaid newsboy cap as a prize. I don't think I ever wore it, but it became the most precious thing I owned.

Underwater ring.
Handmade with 100% recycled sterling silver.
Soon in my online shop.

Moonstone, Bull's Eye, Jade, Hawk's Eye and Turquoise. 
Soon to be transformed...