A modern cowboy of wood design, jewelry concoction, and creation of devices and inspiration meant to share with others. That’s me ^
I create and design functional items as well as those for your viewing pleasure – mostly out of reclaimed wood and upcycled materials from salvage yards. I have always been a creator – influenced largely by not wanting to fall into the black hole of uncreativity that is the majority of the working world in this country. My aim has always been to find beauty and share it with others while making a profit to support my efforts. I am currently running my own successful freelance businesses in Motion Graphics, Photography, and Jewelry Design/creation. I enjoy evenings in my ranch house in Boulder Colorado where I sit in my workshop, chopping wood and photographing while blasting 90′s electronic dance music.
To give even more insight into the man with the cowboy hat pictured above, I have posted below a few interview questions conducted by various bloggers such as Kourtney of Hair of the Hairand Emma of Pigeon Pie Design.
What first inspired you to begin creating jewelry?
What inspires you today?
A lot of my inspiration comes from my family. My father is a very serious entrepreneur, my mother is a famous artist of multiple mediums, and my sister is a bad-ass welder who also loves creating art. You should see her workshop in San Francisco, all of the welders there are top-notch artists creating works that will blow you away.
What is the theme or philosophy behind your Etsy shop?
I guess I have two themes. First and foremost: I aim to inspire others to inspire others. It is my goal to share my work and joy with others and it makes me very happy to know that people around the world are smiling right now with a moss jewelry piece around their neck. My other philosophy is Creating without Destroying. I believe in using recycled materials and scraps whenever possible. I also believe in using non-toxic stains as much as possible. I even spent over a month developing a handmade all natural non-toxic stain derived from walnut husks and vinegar. It’s awesome – I use it on all of my jewelry.
What does your workspace look like?
What do you do for self-care?
Do you mean do I feed myself ? Yes, lot’s of salads. Oh – but I do have a craving for potato chips every day. Other than that I love to swim laps, go for long hikes, take a couple of vacations a year – especially to the redwood forests of the Pacific Northwest. I also try to take life slowly, you know – enjoy the cows that sit out in the pasture.
Do you ever get overwhelmed/confused with so much going on? You seem to have a 101 projects on the go at once.
I know right! What I have learned is that you should always follow your passions, do what feels right in that moment because creative sparks come and go. If you only follow one idea all of the time you may not make enough mistakes to really discover the true creativity and value of what your mind is really after. I usually am pursuing a few photography projects at once, about three separate woodworking builds, and I usually have something else – maybe electronic – that is being planned out. I just skip from one to the other depending on what feels right. The important thing to remember is that there is no hurry and ultimately you will complete the projects you care about most.
Did you always know what your “style” was or did you have an a-ha moment where it seemed to suddenly make sense?
This definitely took years. I think I noticed that over time as a designer I started to pay more and more attention to why I liked certain types of artwork, or photographs, or architecture, etc… It is when you actually stop to take a look at things and realize why you appreciate them, that you start to learn more about your own style. I love clean lines, very simple textures, high contrasts, and unbalanced weights.
What are your favorite medias to work with?
Wood, hands down. Photography of beautiful women. Plants too – I think it will be a continuing theme in my work.
What is your biggest dream?
I would love to inspire others to get out there and start using their minds to create and inspire others. I really would love to make a living designing new jewelry, wooden devices, briefcases, etc. And I would absolutely love to get published and recognized for my work.
What is something unique about you as a designer/seller/creator/human being?
This is a hard one, but I think what I am trying to do with my work is ignore what I think the masses want to see, and instead create from my heart. I aim to make things that I think look good or work well.
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