At the end of last year, Blue Buddha’s founder Rebeca Mojica made the leap to launch her own brand, focusing on her finished chainmaille jewelry.  In this post, she talks about why she decided to do this and offers tips for getting the most bang out of your branding, even if you’re on a shoestring budget.

Have another question for Rebeca on this topic?  Leave it in the comments, post it to our page on Facebook or send it in an email to community@bluebuddhaboutique.com!

What made you decide to start the Rebeca Mojica brand rather than continue to sell as Blue Buddha?

Over the years, people have come to recognize Blue Buddha as a supplier of premium jump rings and instructions. The brand began as an artisan jewelry design company, but evolved into a jewelry supplier. When people hear the name Blue Buddha Boutique, they may think of innovative chainmaille designs, but they think in terms of “That’s something I can learn to make from Blue Buddha!” as opposed to, “I want to buy a completed version of that necklace!”

I had been contemplating this move for a few years. What finally sealed the deal was an art fair I did in the winter of 2010. Every single day of the four-day show, people came to my booth asking to buy pliers. I realized the time had come to make the switch once and for all so that I could have a jewelry brand that could stand on its own.

Is it common for larger brands to have subbrands?

Large companies almost always have sub-brands and/or multiple “divisions.” Actually, it’s a little creepy how big some of the huge corporations are, once you add in all their holdings, but that’s another topic. *chuckle*

What is more common in the artisan world, is for a designer to have two or three brands, each serving a different market. For example, some jewelry designers create high-end pieces that sell in museum shops and luxury boutiques. However, they still wish to make pieces for the “masses.” Unfortunately, if they were to sell high-end items right next to much more accessible items, it could dilute the brand. Customers might be confused: “Is this a luxury brand, or not?” Worst-case scenario, the mixed-message could lead some customers to avoid purchasing items from this designer.


So the solution is to have a secondary brand, possibly even one that allows the designer to sell directly to the customer via craft fairs, a company website, or an online marketplace such as Artfire. The prices for this brand can be lower because the middle men, if there are any, take a much smaller percentage than galleries and reps, who combined can take much as 70% of the retail price. If artists were to sell both lines under the same name, then the galleries would likely feel as though they are being undercut because customers could simply go to the artist’s website and purchase a similar piece for half the price.

Having multiple brands allows the designer to create distinct product lines that appeal to different tastes and budgets. Additionally, some artists like to take more chances with subbrands, because if something “bombs” it won’t affect their meat-and-potatoes line. Some designers use a subbrand to support controversial causes or non-traditional lifestyles; they can do so without ostracizing their core customer base. I know more than a few artists who successfully sell their work under a couple of different names, each with their own branding, and each targeting a different market.

Where you at all nervous about making this switch?

Truthfully, I was far more excited than nervous. It was like starting a business all over again, but with much more clarity and vision than the first time I started a business. I got to concentrate on all the fun stuff: new business cards! New logo! New tagline! The creative part of my brain loved it!

I was also reassured because I knew I already had a customer base; I wasn’t trying to start a jewelry line from scratch. I knew that having a jewelry business can be tough, and part of me half-expected to hear crickets chirping after we sent out our first official email announcing the Rebeca Mojica website. But instead, we were overwhelmed with emails of support … and of course, orders for jewelry! Yay!

How did you decide what colors would represent Rebeca Mojica brand?

First off, I knew I wanted nothing to do with the blues and lilacs that are associated with the Blue Buddha brand.  I figured if I was creating an entirely new line, it needed to be distinguishable. I wanted a palette of three basic colors so that we could mix and match for the website and other branding materials. From the three basic colors, each color would have one additional tint/shade that would be the exact same hue, just a lighter or darker version of it.

Gray was an obvious choice, because I work with metal. OK, one down.

Then, on to the difficult part of choosing another two colors to go along with the gray. Jenna, my marketing gal, and I read dozens of articles about color theory and choosing colors to represent brands. We read studies about what perceptions people had regarding colors (including A Guide to Choosing Colors for Your Brand and Colorize Your Brand). We looked at hundreds of photos of home decor in various color palettes. It was fascinating, but also easy to get a bit overwhelmed with analysis.

The next color we chose was a chocolate brown It is a good, neutral color, and to me, it’s also very organic. Even though I’m not making jewelry out of wood, I still think many of my designs have a real organic feel to them, and I am always inspired by the shapes I see in nature and the fractal-esque form of trees. The deepness of the color is elegant, as is much of my jewelry. It is also suitable to represent men’s jewelry, which is important because I plan on developing a men’s line later.

Having chosen two earth tones, I wanted just a splash of brightness to counter the neutral tones of the gray and brown. The deep red we selected represents the color used in my work. The way I use color is sometimes daring, sometimes whimsical, but almost always attention-grabbing. And the color red says all of those things to me. Also, I admit that I adore goth fashion and so red’s appearance in my branding wasn’t a complete surprise. *grin*

Once we had the basic colors nailed down, Jenna created a few different variations on the theme (okay, more than a few – see them to the right) so we could compare exactly which hues we liked best. Should the red be more on the orange side, or violet? What about the gray? Warm gray, or cooler, almost slate? We played around for a bit and settled on the final colors that you see on our marketing materials today.

As a post note, it’s funny that after we choose the colors (we ended up going with palette #3 – shown right), I later realized that the gray really had a huge blue undertone. “But I was trying to stay away from blue!” I agonized. Ultimately, though, after looking at other warmer shades of gray, I realized our shade really did work the best … and no one could possibly confuse it with the blues used in the Blue Buddha branding. So I had to let this one go, and I’m glad I did, because now I really love the colors of the Rebeca Mojica brand.

Do you think it’s important to have a logo? What if I’m not a designer, what should I do to create one?

If you are more than a hobbyist, and wish to earn actual income from your craft, then yes, having a logo is crucial. You’ll want to use your logo on your marketing materials–your website, business card, jewelry tags, care sheets, banners at shows, etc. If you have a clever, memorable logo, you’re more likely to get repeat customers. And if you do the same craft fairs year after year, you’re more likely to get new customers, too, for the simple fact that people will remember seeing your logo and work, and will feel as though they can “trust” you because you’ve been there for several years.

At this point in my business, I’m lucky to have Jenna as a full-time marketing person. With some input from me, she created the Rebeca Mojica logo and tagline, and created the clever interlocking circles above my last name (which I adore).  Obviously the vast majority of artisans will not have a full-time marketing person, or even a contractor, to handle a logo design.  We are, however, strongly visual people and many of us will be lucky enough to create a strong logo on our own.  Even if this is you, however, I do recommend eliciting feedback from friends, current customers, and peers whom you respect. Sometimes your vision doesn’t shine through in your logo, and you’re too close to it to notice a potentially humorous or confusing flaw.

If you can’t design your own logo, see if you have any friends or current customers that can do it for free, or in trade. When I originally did the Blue Buddha logo, I knew what I wanted, but didn’t have the skills to make it real, so I found a friend in design school who did it for me. The deal we worked out was $50, some beer and a piece of jewelry for his ladyfriend. Nine years later, that was money clearly well spent. We still have a design credit to him on our website to this day.

If you don’t have any design friends, then try going to your local college–or if you’re really rural, try the local high school. Nowadays, many students can do amazing things on computers. Yes, you’ll have to spend money on this, but if you’re working with a student, your investment will be minimal, and sometimes a student might even be willing to do it for free (or in trade) in exchange for being listed on your website as a resource. With any luck, you’ll connect with an exceptional person with whom you can work with again later on other projects you may need.

If you have someone else create your logo, be sure to have some idea of what you want, and what you don’t want. Designers aren’t mind readers. If there are colors you want used, be sure to say so and to state why. If you feel specific motifs represent your brand, let them know. Bring in examples of fonts you like and fonts you don’t like. All of this will help the designer develop a logo that you like sooner, rather than later, and it can save you both much frustration.  If you have a really good idea of what you want your logo to look like, you can even try sites like 99 Designs where you describe your exact specifications and receive design ideas and quotes from tons of designers affiliated with the site.

Finally, make sure you have a couple of versions of your logo that can be used. I’ve found it is best to develop a square one as well as a horizontal one. That way, if your horizontal logo is too long for your jewelry tags, the square one may be perfect. This gives you greater flexibility with your promotional materials.

You are always great at making a big impact on a small budget. For crafters, what branded items do you think give the biggest bang for the buck?

1. Website (or logo if you are on an online marketplace, like Etsy or Artfire or even just Facebook) — in today’s age, you need to be online, and you need to make sure your brand shines though on every page of your site.  I used IndieMade to create my site and highly recommend them for folks who need their own website and want to be able to start selling things right way.

2. eNewsletter – It is never too early to start a newsletter. (My first mailing only went out to a list of 6 customers … but they didn’t know that!)  Some mailing list services like MailChimp even offer free plans for lists of less than 2,000 names.  Every time I do a mailing with a promotion, we get jewelry orders. Without fail. So what are you waiting for? Get to it!  (Click here to join Rebeca’s email list and find out when the next sale is!  Enter your email address and select “Rebeca Mojica Jewelry” from the list choices on the next page.)

3. Care Sheets – Care sheets can be super inexpensive–ours are simply 1/3 page double-sided black and white copies. If you put enough useful information on your care sheets, customers will keep them. Which means they’ll see your name over and over again, and every time they refer to the sheet, they’ll be reminded that you are a trustworthy source of information. Keep a digital copy of your care sheet online–this is useful not only for customers, but it can increase traffic to your website if other people are searching for how to care for an item.

4. Banners for craft shows – If you do shows, you need a banner to grab people’s attention. You want someone who is walking down the aisle to see your banner and think, “Man, I gotta get to that booth right away, even if I skip this next booth!” Make sure to have a banner that is displayed over your head, rather than hanging off your table. If you’ve got a crowd of people looking at your stuff (and you do want a crowd of people looking at your stuff, right?), then no one will be able to see your banner if the only one you have is on the table, hidden behind everyone’s legs!

5. Business cards — Note that business cards didn’t even make it into my top 3! That’s because we live in a digital age, and the paper business card is not as important as it used to be. Sometimes at craft fairs, people just go around gathering business cards…and then never look at them again. So you don’t need to spend a lot of money on your cards.  If someone is interested in your stuff and grabs your card, it doesn’t need to be the most spectacular thing they’ve ever seen. It just needs to have enough information (including images) to remind them what you make, and then they’ll probably just go to your website anyway… and then throw away your card.  If you don’t have a designer, using a site like Moo cards can make the post of the images you do have along with your logo (they also have lots of modern premade designs to choose from!)

What can we expect from Rebeca Mojica brand jewelry as you continue to develop its new identity?

I’m looking to dive more into the Japanese family of weaves. I’ve already started creating several pieces that will make up the Bubble collection…essentially large statement pieces with lots of white space that look like, well, bubbles! I’m looking to develop a few new lines at different price points. And, I plan to come up with 1-2 haute couture pieces (think Poseidon’s Embrace) each year. There’s a few ideas for chainmaille clothing that have been tugging away at my brain for a few years, so I expect they’ll start to take shape–literally–over the next couple of years.

I probably won’t get too deep in making many new jewelry designs for about a year and a half, as I’m about to start work on a second instructional book, and that is going to take quite a bit of my attention. (Hmm, not to mention being preoccupied with opening up a new retail space for Blue Buddha Boutique … ) However, as soon as the second book is finished, lookout! Because then I’m all about making new designs! In the meantime, though, there are a lot of pieces I’ve made and sold at shows, but have never put online. Each month, we’ll be adding several of these to RebecaMojica.com, which means there will still be plenty of eye candy for you!

branding · marketing on a budget · Rebeca Mojica · tips for selling your jewelry

Chainmaille artist, supplier, and full-time mom, Spider is one of those “do-it-all” kind of women.  Not only that, but she does it with such grace, she makes it look easy.  We are so proud to have her as our contributor this month not only because she is a super-inspired artist but because she is so darn easy to relate to.  We hope you enjoy reading her responses to your questions as much as we have.

Thank you to all the readers who submitted questions!  Stay tuned as we continue to pick the brains of some amazing chainmaille artists on your behalf…and next time, make sure to send us YOUR burning questions!

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You are one busy lady and yet, you’re making it all work! What are your best time management tips?

I understand my schedule really well, and I keep a lot of lists. Different days/times in my schedule allow for different kinds of productivity.

EXAMPLE 1: My bookkeeper shows up on Monday mornings.  I don’t have access to my computer while she’s here, but I do have access to the rest of my studio, and I know Kayla won’t interrupt me.  Perfect time for teaching classes or working on designs – anything that requires my full attention and tools/supplies, but no computer.

EXAMPLE 2: I usually keep Kayla company while she does her homework. This is a good time for tasks that don’t require much brain, but that might need some room to spread out.  This is typically “pliers time” for well-understood projects.

EXAMPLE 3: Waiting for Kayla’s class to be released; sitting in the spectator area during swim class; waiting in line at the post office. Any time I’m out in the world with time to pass I bring small, portable work with me.  (I’m writing the answer to this question as Kayla’s working on her frog kicks!)

I keep several different lists for different types of environments.  I don’t “waste” Tuesday morning time on a task that could be done during swim class.  And I make sure that I keep all the lists topped up so that I always have something in the queue when I discover a few spare minutes.

Your daughter is in school now which opens up any parents’ day at least a little bit, but how did you find time to work on your business and jewelry projects when your daughter was very young and still at home with you all day?

It was really challenging, more so because Kayla was a very “hands on” baby/toddler who was mostly uninterested in naps. Luckily, Mr. Spider is extremely supportive – I got a lot done on weekends and the occasional evening.  During weekdays I just tried to stay flexible and creative about getting things done with a baby on me.  If you slouch down far enough you can rest the baby on your chest and reach around to the pliers or the keyboard.  Priority Mail boxes are apparently more fun to sit in than other boxes – especially if Mom is packing orders into similar boxes.  Once Kayla was old enough to enjoy traveling in a sling, post office excursions became a great excuse for mid-day excercise. And so on …

Mostly I kept focused on how much easier it was than last week/month, rather than how much more difficult it was with a baby.  And having such wonderful customers made a huge difference.  I never once got grumbles when things were delayed because I was busy being Mom instead of being Spiderchain.  So if you were my customer during 2004-2009?  Thank you!!

How has becoming a mother affected your priorities as an artist and business owner? Has it changed the way you look at your art and/or your business?

I’m sure there are some subtle changes that I’m not consciously aware of, but the only specific thing that comes to mind is how SATISFYING it is to share the creative design process with Kayla.  Seeing her go though the steps of creating something new makes the whole process somehow more valuable to me.

She’s been coming up with her own jewelry ideas for years (including one memorable necklace made with a paper napkin – seen below and modeled by Kayla, left) and I am fully convinced that the process of imagine/create/use has given her a better grasp of how the physical world works, plus a level of “I can” confidence that’s going to make her whole life more fun – and not just for jewelry! Manual dexterity, the ability to visualize and plan, the satisfaction of using a thing made by one’s own hands – these are all things that I would wish for EVERY child.  (Earrings below designed by Kayla.)

  

What have you found is the best way to grow your business?

I’m a terrible person to ask about business growth.  Spiderchain has grown a great deal over the years, but it just happened – I never did anything “on purpose” to grow it.  I don’t advertise.  I don’t market. I just make really good stuff and I try to give my customers enough information that they can select the CORRECT really good stuff.  So yea… have high quality standards and good customer service.  But you might want to consider advertising too.  *grin*

In addition to running a successful small business, you make some really beautiful chainmaille jewelry. When it comes to make maille, what inspires you the most?

Math!  Textures!  Optical illusions and white space.  But mostly it’s the math.  I love that there are so many ways to combine a pile of thin tori into different patterns.  And some of those patterns are unexpectedly gorgeous and tactile.  Yea – I’m pretty much just a huge chainmail geek.

I sometimes start with a sketch, and sometimes sit down with a range of rings and just play.  I make a line of jewelry brass rings for “guilt free” prototyping.  They match the size of sterling rings very closely, but they’re inexpensive enough that it doesn’t matter if my design doesn’t work out, or takes a dozen size changes to get just right. Having a pile of rings staring at me is definitely inspiring – especially when there are a zillion sizes and it doesn’t matter if I goof up.

A few of our readers were really curious to know more about how do begin to develop new weaves. What are you recommendations for maillers who want to begin creating their own unique weaves and variations?

Give yourself artificial constraints.  For example:

•  a weave that uses both Japanese and Persian connections

•  a weave that uses THESE three sizes in equal amounts

•  a weave that bends in only one direction

•  a weave that will allow for offset layers of color

•  and so on…

You might not accomplish your “goal,” but you’ll probably bump into some interesting patterns along the way.

That said, most of the inventing I do isn’t new weaves, but instead ring-size variations of standard weaves.  Inventing new weaves is fun, but most of my design focus is on creating overall pieces, and for that, I like my dependable stand-by weaves.  (Who me?  Japanese 12-in-2?)

Several readers mentioned that your DVDs provided them with just the “Ah-Ha!” moments they needed to conquer many chainmaille weaves. Do you remember any “Ah-Ha!” moments you had when you first started making maille?

I certainly had several light bulbs switch on during the early days of working on my gloves.  A bit of background…  I had been making chainmail for (at most) a couple months.  I had started my first real project (a shirt – never completed) and decided that a pair of gloves would be a good second project.  In knitting (with yarn), gloves are a good bite-sized etude that helps the knitter gain a better understanding of how to fit the human form.  So I thought “Hey!  I’ll do the same thing for chainmail!”  I had no clue just how ambitious the project would turn out to be…  But there were plenty of Ah-Ha moments (plus some frustration and colorful language) involved in with-grain expansions/contractions, CROSS-grain expansions, joining, fitting, etc.  I’m glad that I decided to make a pair of gloves, but I have to laugh at myself for choosing it as my SECOND project.

Speaking of “Ah-Ha” moments, many folks would love to take class from you in person. Do you teach classes nationally? Do you have other plans for teaching – maybe another DVD?

I mostly teach private classes at my studio in Castro Valley, California (near San Francisco).  If readers want to schedule private classes, they should send me email. (spider@spiderchain.com)

I don’t travel to teach very often.  Currently I have only two teaching events scheduled for 2012.  In early March I’ll be teaching a weekend-long intensive at the Revere Academy.  And then in early June I’ll be teaching an assortment of classes at the Bead&Button show (registration opens in January).

Another DVD?  Maybe some day, but for now I’m working on a book.  Don’t get your hopes up – it’s taking a very, VERY long time to write.  It will (eventually) be an intermediate/advanced book all about Japanese weave.  It’s my favorite weave in the whole world and there’s no end to the variations you can make.  Wonderful, YUMMY weave!

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Learn more about Spider:
Finished Jewelry Website: http://www.silverweaver.com
Supplies, Kits, and Instruction: http://spiderchain.com

advice for moms · chainmaille jewelry · chainmaille supplies · silverweaver · small busininess advice · Spider · Spiderchain

It’s been far too long since we’ve gotten to dive into the mind of a great chainmaille artist and we are thrilled to have Spider of Silverweaver and Spiderchain as our next contributor.  Spider has been a longtime friend of Rebeca and Blue Buddha Boutique – basically, we adore her.  Not only does she produce incredible chainmaille supplies, great projects, and some awesome instructional DVDs, but she’s just an overall great lady.  When you consider all the things Spider does (on her website she says “I’m Spider, the founder of Spiderchain Jewelry. I’m the designer, webmistress, accountant, shipping department, and janitor. I coil, cut, count, weave, choose, email, anodize, troubleshoot, and teach.”) it’s easy to forget that she has another full time job – mother.

Our “Ask an Artist” article with Spider will focus on her experiences with balancing work and life – something we feel so many of our readers can relate to.  Read on to learn more about Spider and find out how you can ask her your questions about “doing it all”…and keeping it all balanced.

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Spider is a chainmail artist currently living in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her childhood was spent in Mendocino, a secluded community of artists on the California coast, though eventually she followed her left-brain to Boston to join the technology revolution, receiving a degree in Mechanical Engineering from MIT. After several years as a computer geek she discovered that her passion lay not in technology, but in art and today she spends her time discovering new and beautiful ways to weave metal.

Spider’s passion for making and teaching others how to make chainmaille got her started with her own business, however as many small business owners can attest to, the day-to-day dealings are often less glamorous (in Spider’s case, fulfilling supply orders, answering customer questions and keeping up with inventory) than the passion that got them started.  For Spider, the challenge to manage her time stems from the need to keep up with her business each day knowing that when her second grade daughter comes home from school, it’s all about homework, cuddle time and swim lessons.

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It’s your turn to pick Spider’s brain about balancing work and life. We will be accepting questions until Saturday, October 15th! Here’s how to get your question to Spider:

1. Write it in the comments section at the end of this blog entry
2. Post it to our wall on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/BlueBuddhaBoutique
3. Tweet it to us using @BlueBuddhaBtq: http://twitter.com/BlueBuddhaBtq
4. Email it to me at community@bluebuddhaboutique.com

Learn more about Spider:
Finished Jewelry Website: http://www.silverweaver.com
Supplies, Kits, and Instruction: http://spiderchain.com

ask an artists · chainmaille business · silverweaver · Spider · Spiderchain · work life balance

We introduced our new “By Artists for Artists” at The Bead&Button Show this past year and have since received a number of applications from interested artists.  As we get closer to being able to fully launch the program and begin working with these artists, we want to share the experiences of one of our established B3 Designers, Kat Wisniewski, regarding creating products for Blue Buddha.

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When did you start designing for B3?  2008. Glass Caterpillar Bracelet

In your opinion, what makes B3 tutorials distinctly “B3”?  The fact that there is a photo for each and every step, which showcases how to hold the weave, where the pliers are and the path the ring should go through.

What is the hardest thing about writing instructions?  The text must very accurately describe what is going on in each photo.  The photo editing can take a lot of time and adding in arrows that make sense is tricky for sure.  

You photograph many of your own tutorials, what’s one thing you’ve learned about that that you could share?  It’s great to have an extra pair of hands, just to take the photos.  I also use the tool called “Helping Hand” with fishing line to help hold a weave in a certain position while I shoot the photo.  Great lighting and a camera with aperture and F-stop settings is a necessity!  Some metals and colors have to have light adjustments made and a great camera will help do this for you–without actually changing the lighting.

How do you come up with new projects?  I spend hours thinking about and testing what weaves I know, seeing how I can alter them to make them very different.  Other times I try a brand new weave that already exists and then see how I can alter it to be very different.  Many times think about shapes and figures that I enjoy and see how I can adapt those shapes into jewelry designs.

What have you learned from being a B3 designer?  To set myself apart from other designers, I decided to specialize in chainmaille with glass rings.  I’ve learned tons about photoshop editing, photographing jewelry, and writing clear and concise text.

Do you sell the projects/instructions you created for B3 on your own?  Yes, after the exclusivity period, I have sold the instructions on my own through my shop on Etsy.  I sell anywhere from 2-5 per week and notice that there is a great demand for quality chainmaille and wirework tutorials.  I have international customers and domestic customers that have made multiple tutorial purchases from me.

What do you feel it means to be a B3 ambassador?  I feel good about supporting a local craft business that employs other artists and works hard to help customers learn the craft.  I am thankful for the support they have given me to be a designing artist for the company.  Being an ambassador means that I showcase my support for the company to my students and customers in a variety of ways including using them as my primary supplier, being a knowledgeable expert while using reference tools from B3, and producing high-quality and inspiring products for the company.

What characteristics do you think make for a successful B3 designer?

1. You have to be a truly knowledgeable expert, which means it is not just what you know about chainmaille, but that you make a very strong effort to know everything there is to possibly know about chainmaille.  If the advice and technique you share is limited to what is only your experience, you credibility will certainly be challenged and possibly lost when other experts find your errors and lack of expertise.

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If you’re interested in becoming a B3 Designer, learn more about the program and how to apply here.  To find out more about Kat’s experience, post your questions in the comments section below, write the on our wall on Facebook or Tweet them to us.

Ask an Artist · b3 designer · by artists for artists · glass caterpillar · kat wisniewski

Charlene Anderson is an incredible prolific and generous artist. As the 2010 Step-by-Step Wire Jewelry Magazine Artist of the Year, she had a project published in every issue and continues to develop designs for the purpose of sharing them and inspiring chainmaillers, novices and experts alike.

We took this interview as an opportunity to learn more about where this inspiring artist finds her own inspiration.  Her thoughts are sure to have you looking at the world through chainmaille-colored glasses and seeing potential for designs in unexpected places.

Thanks again to all our readers who submitted questions for Charlene.  Stay tuned as we continue bring you closer to chainmaille jewelry artists and experts and find out how you can submit your questions to them.

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You mentioned in your artist profile that your traveling has influenced your work, how so?

Travel provides untold opportunities to be inspired. Whether it is paintings by Rembrandt in the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg or beadwork by the Maasai in Kenya and Tanzania, travel is my number one artistic influence. Photographs, postcards, fabrics, baskets, landscapes, architecture…almost anything can be an inspiration. I have a huge collection of things I have collected in my travels that inspire me every day. The inspiration can come in the form of a shape, a color story, or a technique.

Do you look exclusively to jewelry from other cultures to find inspiration?  What other forms of art inspire your jewelry?

Actually, very little actual jewelry serves as an influence in my work. The only exception is the Maasai beadwork (example shown left) I collected while in Kenya and Tanzania. Most of my inspiration comes from commonplace things…colors people are wearing, landscapes and flowers, architecture, paintings…anything can be an inspiration if you keep your eyes and mind open.

Do you take photos of things you see that could inspire a project or do you have other ways of remembering visual influences?

I take a lot of photos (even in the pre-digital days I took thousands of photographs a year) and also collect postcards, pamphlets, brochures, fabric swatches and all sorts of things. I have them filed by country in a large filing cabinet (such as this photograph of corn taken by Charlene in Togo, in West Africa.) I’ve been to over 100 countries so this is the most logical way for me to file them.

I’m lucky in that I have a really strong color memory…I can see a color once and match it years later…which really comes in handy when shopping for beads, fabric and other artwork supplies.

When you see something that inspires you, how do you translate that into chainmaille?

The first way is with shape…chainmaille weaves are architectural by their very nature and work especially well in translating those inspirations. My favorite way is with color. I have some rather unorthodox color combinations that I love and use often that were inspired by my travels.

The other way I use my travel inspiration is to actually incorporate things I collect on my travels into chainmaille pieces. The Maluaka bracelet from Step by Step Wire Jewelry used beach glass from Hawaii…but don’t limit yourself by including just the obvious like beads…sometimes things that are a little offbeat may be a starting point for a new design. With a Dremel you can make almost anything work like a bead!

Moving from Hawaii to Wyoming must have been a bit of a shock!  Does your living environment affect your designs (i.e. color choices, weaves, weight of the pieces, etc.)?

The biggest change is in my work after my move was in my color choices. The light is very different in Hawaii vs. Wyoming so what worked in the tropical light of Hawaii doesn’t work as well here. My palette moved from clear, intense, saturated colors to a more earthy and muted palette.

I was back in Hawaii recently and made sure I packed my bags with my “tropical” clothing and jewelry because it looks so beautiful there!

Chainmaille continues to grow as a craft but even so, it’s still a pretty small world and I would imagine there isn’t a huge chainmaille community in Jackson Hole, Wyoming (although, correct me if I’m wrong!)  How do you stay connected with the chainmaille community?

Two words: The Internet! The perfect way to connect, stay inspired, and get all the tools and supplies you need!

What are the best ways, in your experience, to get exposure both locally, and outside of your immediate area?

For local exposure, look to your local newspapers, and think outside the box if you want to show your work. Here in Jackson lots of hotels and restaurants have regular shows (and yes, even for jewelry.) Look to your libraries, corporate offices, clothing stores as potential places to have shows.  Offer to talk to schools, groups, clubs and organizations about your work. Think outside the box..anything can be an opportunity to promote your work.

As far as exposure on a larger scale, you need to decide what your goal is. Do you want galleries across the country to carry your work? Do you want to write and publish? Do you want to teach? Each of these requires a different approach, but in the end I subscribe to the “if you don’t ask you don’t get” method. Ask for what you want and you’ll be pleasantly surprised what you get.

How do you balance your time and energies between the different jewelry medias and all the other elements of marketing yourself and your art?  How do you make sure that what “needs” to get done gets done in the presence of wanting to create?

Rule 1: Marketing never ends.

I find that between promoting my own work and managing my online store, where I sell jewelry tools and supplies (I leave the rings to BBB!) I spend more of my time on the business side than I do on the actual creating. If I was an artist focusing on jewelry sales as my primary source of income I know I would have to spend a lot more time creating, but my online store (www.purveyorofallthingscreative.com) provides a large portion of my income so I must focus a lot of time there.

The steep rise in metal prices, especially silver, has had a huge impact on what metals I am now using in my jewelry. I am wondering if other maille artists are feeling the crunch, what alternate metals they are choosing to work with, and how it is influencing overall design of pieces.

A good design is a good design no matter what the metal. For those unable to work in silver, aluminum is a good option. Look at the rise in metal prices as an opportunity to educate your buyers about the beauty of other metals and their suitability for jewelry, as well as a challenge to your design skills. Combining metals, using colors in aluminum and niobium, and rethinking your designs can help maillers deal with the increase in metal prices.

Sometimes I can look at a pattern and get lucky to figure it out, however, I am at a loss when it comes to choosing the correct ring size. Is there any sort of formula to follow?

My suggestion is to learn the basic weaves and learn what ring sizes work for each weave. With that knowledge you have a starting point for figuring out what rings will work. For instance, I know Byzantine works well in BBB Aluminum in size F18. When I look at a weave based on Byzantine I have starting point to help me figure out what size will work. In the end it does come down to trial and error and personal taste…I like fairly firm, unfloppy weaves so that influences my ring choices.

As the Step-by-Step Wire Jewelry Featured Artist of the year in 2010, you had a project in every issue.  Why do you think it’s important to share your projects with your fellow crafters?  Do you have any projects that are your trade secrets (i.e. projects we’ll never see instructions for?)

I love teaching but my rather isolated location limits the number of classes I can teach. I feel that publishing my projects in magazines like Step by Step Wire Jewelry and on the web is just teaching in another format. As far as trade secrets…I have projects in the works that are due to be published and that will be the first time they see the light of day, but as a teacher at heart I love to share my knowledge and hold nothing back. Students pay for my knowledge and I don’t think it fair to hold things back.

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Learn more about Charlene Anderson:
Website: http://www.charanderson.com
Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/charleneandersonartist
Twitter: http://twitter.com/char_anderson
Blog: http://charleneanderson.typepad.com/unravelings/

advice · chainmaille artist · charlene anderson · expert · inspiration