Inspiration

What I really love about product designers who work in the handmade space is that we all have unique and varied stories to tell about our work and any time I can see the mark of the maker (those little imperfections that confirms this was hand made) on the product I get chills. 

When making jewelry it's often the material itself that inspires the form that a piece might take.  For example a scrap of wood that is thin might lend itself well to a fun dangly earring while a thicker piece with natural shape might be perfect to showcase in the form of a necklace.

Exotic hardwood scraps repurposed as necklaces. The ebony piece shown features a natural knot.

Then I use the wood grain to guide my cuts, taking care to avoid checks and splits in the wood - or to play up those natural break points by using them as the final edge.  Sometimes I get to work with exotic scraps that have dramatic grain color which can yield some delightful personality when creating a pair.

Zebrawood scraps left over from the top of a table remade into earrings.

Some of my favorite pieces were made from a thin strip of wood that still had its natural bark edge attached; there’s something so lovely about seeing a reflection of the natural artistry of a tree like that in a piece of wood.

Walnut with live edge necklaces.

I gravitate toward simple modern geometric shapes, in part because I need to be able to cut these by hand, but also because I know folks who are making lovely complex shapes with lasers and I’m not interested in competing in that space.  I’m inspired by the negative space between shadows made by tree branches, the shapes of found stones, mid century modern patterns, sculpture, and architectural details spotted as I walk through the downtowns of small cities.  And I’m inspired by leftovers - either the original piece of reclaimed material or the piece that’s left after I cut the first shape I was excited about.

-Katie