Photoshoot Fun!

Today I had the great pleasure of spending the afternoon shooting photos of my dear friend Maya.  Maya has been my gorgeous, talented and willing model since the early days of Roots & Wings, and I covet any time I can get with her to create images. Maya and I have known each other since we were wee little ones and our families are so close I consider her a sister.  She is, as you can see here, stunningly gorgeous and quite talented as a model (as well as a kind, funny, amazing human being).  Creating images is always a fun, collaborative, creative act for us in which we contribute equally to the final product, which I love!

I couldn't resist sharing a sneak peek of todays images with you right away!  More photos (and the jewelry pictured) will be available in My Etsy Shop soon!  I can't wait to get behind the camera again soon with Maya.  Until then, enjoy!

New Adventures

You know how sometimes when it rains it pours?  That if you have a little bit of something pretty soon you'll have a lot more of the same, all at once?  Well these days the universe has been raining big changes in my life.  Things are shifting, moving, happening; exciting, wonderful things that make me want to jump up and down and holler happily. The Photographer and I have recently decided to co-habitate and I couldn't be more excited about this move and everything that it brings!  Consequentially a lot of my time lately has been taken up by the process of moving; purging closets and overflowing drawers, lugging boxes to and fro, rearranging and organizing.

There is (almost) nothing I love more than nesting and making spaces.  Our new home is a lovely little 13-sided, dome-shaped cocoon of a dwelling and I am so excited to make it into an amazing, warm, inspiring little world in which to create and live.

I have also had a lot of exciting developments in the world of Roots & Wings Jewelry this summer!  I am currently in the process of filling some larger wholesale orders for new shops who will be carrying my work, preparing for a photo shoot, maintaining my Etsy shop, and thinking deeply about the prospect of quitting my day job sometime in the foreseeable future (just to name a few things).

While all of this is the dream I have been working towards-to make a living and a successful business doing something I love-I sometimes have a hard time believing it's actually becoming a reality.  My plate is immensely full and overflowing, a state that is usually followed closely by feelings of stress and worry.  This time around though, perhaps because I am so excited about it all, I have been able to (on most days) keep those emotions at bay and focus on my giddy joy and enthusiasm for the everything to come.

I look forward to sharing more with you very soon, and until then I hope you're enjoying all of the deliciousness that summer brings with her.  I'll leave you with some of the literal summer deliciousness in my kitchen today-homemade fermented dill pickles!  Yum!

Hot Off the Presses

I have been feeling inspired to create lately, which is always exciting for me.  My newest obsessions are lots of leather, coconut, heishi beads, wood, shells, metal, and brightly colored beads.  I am really excited about how some of these pieces are coming out, and can't wait to create more (in all of my spare time, ha!).  I've also really been enjoying taking photos of my work.  Here's a sneak peek!  These pieces, and more, are all available for purchase in my Etsy Shop.  XO, A

Building the Empire

When I first began talking about making a living from my art my dear friend Kristen started referring to my creative endeavors as "Building The Empire."  Her idea was that I would create my own little empire of art, become really successful and famous, and eventually rule the world.  Or something like that.

While I am not yet the ruler of the world, I have recently been making leaps and bounds (although sometimes it feels like shuffles and stumbles) towards making my creative dreams come true, and this morning I felt like telling you about it.  So, here are the most recent updates from The Empire.

Yesterday I had my 70th sale in my Etsy shop!!  It was to my amazing friend Addie which just speaks to how much the support and encouragement of friends and family has allowed me to make it as far as I have on this adventure.  I am excited to continue to grow and evolve in my Etsy endeavors, and so happy to be a part of that community.

I am also, to name a few things, in the process of potentially getting my jewelry into a few more locations (more on that soon!), working on a new line I am really excited about, dabbling with the idea of selling my photography, and trying to find the time to paint and draw with the intention of eventually selling prints as well.  Needless to say, things are happening and I am just trying to keep up (while also trying to lead a balanced, healthy, sane life-why is that so hard sometimes?!)

There are days where I doubt that I can do it.  That mean little voice in my head starts in, telling me that I'm not working hard enough, that what I am creating is total crap, that I should be doing something different, doing better, doing more.

I have begun to come to terms with the fact that that little gremlin of a voice may never go away entirely.  Instead, I am slowly learning how to make friends with it.  How to harness that drive to do better, to do more, and use it to positively push my creativity.  How to talk back and tell it that I am doing the best that I can, and that is more than good enough.

Today though I am feeling good about where I am at. Who knows, maybe tomorrow I'll be ruling the world.

California Road Trip Part 4: Homeward Bounty

For the last stop on our road trip we spent a few days with my dear friend Kate in Weed, CA near Mt. Shasta.  Kate and I met when I lived in Arcata, CA a few years ago and immediately became fast friends.  We were set up through a Craigslist landlord who we had spoken to separately while searching for housing.  We were both looking for roommates and she thought we would get along.  So, although she didn't usually do this, she gave out our numbers.  I distinctly remember walking into the red house that Kate lived in at the time and immediately hugging and bursting into laughter.  It was "Flove" (friend love) at first sight. When I talk about Kate the word I most frequently use is magical.  Kate is one of those beautiful, inspiring, strong people who makes every-day activities feel like adventures and those around her want to be better, truer versions of themselves.  In the few years since we left Arcata we've kept up a wonderful pen pal correspondence full of long letters, art, music and poetry.

In those intervening years we have also both been searching for and working towards our dreams.  Kate is a farmer, a grower of green things and a lover of plants.  She has interned on numerous farms since I've known her, working long hard days in the sun planting, harvesting and seed saving in Northern California, India, and most recently for a year in Nova Scotia.

Now Kate has moved back to the landscape of Northern California where her family, community and heart resides.  She has started her own small CSA called Homeward Bounty and is working to, in her words, "grow food and seeds to share with the community I love."

Taking all of the knowledge she has learned over the years she is setting out to create her own dream where all of the successes (and failures) will be hers and hers alone.  It is a courageous and inspiring thing to do and I am so proud of my friend.  I look forward to watching her farm grow and I am hoping to travel to see her again this summer and taste some of the fruits of her labor.

Until then I am sending you lots of Flove and green growing thoughts Kate!