Joyful Abode

Tell us about what we see in your photos.

What started out as a few plastic boxes of crafting supplies and an untapped artistic streak has turned
into a nicely sized, well-equipped jewelry studio. Formerly known as an unused extra bedroom and large
walk-in closet, this room was transformed into the perfect place to create.

I’ve got plenty of task-oriented space for computer work and design, soldering and joining, cutting and
shaping and, of course, tons of storage.

I even have a nice area of well-lit displays for when I hold open house for local clients. Unfortunately,
they are mostly empty at this time because between the holidays and consignments, my stock is pretty depleted right now.

What do you create in your space?

I make jewelry of many types in my space. My favorite materials are any type of metal. Gold, silver, copper, brass, titanium…all have inspired me at one time or another, but combining different types of metals is what has me currently hooked.
I also have an obsession with chainmaille jewelry. I think the geometry and mathematics involved with that particular genre is what captivates me most about it.

What advice do you have for others who are trying to put together their own creative space?

I don’t care what your medium is or what type of art you create, you need excellent light for creating any art. You can get by with a very small area, you can get by with very little in the way of sophisticated equipment, but you can’t skimp on your light.

How does being in your creative space make you feel?

The name of my business is Missouri Ocean Design. I am renewed by proximity to large bodies of salt water. I love anything to do with the ocean and have been an avid scuba diver for about 13 years. Living in the middle of the continent isn’t conducive to getting much beach time, so my studio is meant to be my ocean substitute. I go there to renew, relax and revive.

What has your biggest challenge been in creating and maintaining your creative space?

I think the hardest thing is to not let my space become too cluttered. I have a lot of equipment and supplies to keep track of, so I try my best to keep everything where I know where to find it. Sometimes I just fail miserably at that and pull my hair out trying to find something.

What do you do when you’re NOT creating?

I’ve been married for 15 years to a wonderful man, Jeff. He is retired from the US Army and now stays home to take care of me, our home and our two Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs. We travel as often as my schedule will permit, usually to someplace warm where we can dive and relax. Jeff is an accomplished underwater photographer.

Although I started my professional life as an accountant, for almost 19 years my “real” job has been as an air traffic controller. I’m very active in our union and serve on a national committee to promote aviation safety in our and other aviation-related fields. My studio is where I get completely away from the stresses of that job. I can just “disappear” into creating and time literally flies away.

I participate in several “street teams” on Etsy, a shopping venue for handcrafted items where I offer my jewelry for sale. I’m especially proud be founder and team leader for a group of Etsy shop owners who are spouses of members of the uniformed services.

What one piece of furniture or organizational equipment could you not live without?

My plastic organizing bins on the walls of my studio closet. Jewelry-making involves a dizzying number of small pieces and parts. Without all my bins and cubbies, it would be impossible to find anything!

What is your next “move” for your creative space? Do you have plans for its future?

For once, I think my space is just about perfect. For the time being I’m very satisfied with it just as it is. I wouldn’t “mind” acquiring a small kiln someday to use for firing precious metal clay, annealing metal or doing enamels. But there’s no rush, as I’ve got plenty on my plate as it is!

Do you have a website we could visit?

My items are for sale at my etsy shop. I maintain a Flickr account which has some photos of my work, including some of custom work I’ve done. I also have many other photos there of family, life, work, home and more photos of my studio as well.

My handsome husband has some of my jewelry photos on his Zenfolio site, which is where some of his fabulous underwater photography can be found.
Unfortunately, I haven’t had the time or know-how to come up with a blog yet. I’m not sure I’d be able to keep anyone’s interest like Joyful Abode does. I’m very much a perfectionist, so if I can’t do it well, I won’t do it at all.

Any Joyful Abode reader who purchases from my Etsy shop between now and the 31st of March will receive 10% off and free shipping. Just mention “Joyful Abode” in remarks at checkout and wait for a revised invoice.

If you’d like to keep up with these inspiring features, you can subscribe to Joyful Abode using your favorite subscription application, or add the feed as a friend on Livejournal. If you’re interested in having your creative space featured on Joyful Abode, let me know by commenting here (and be sure to include your email address so I can get in touch).