Get Intimate with Devi. Feature #3: Deciding to be an Artist
I’ve put this series together for my community – all of you who love and wear my designs; my peers, who are also in pursuit of an ethical lifestyle; those who’ve stumbled upon the collective, and want to know more.
Transparency is something that’s very important to me. I’ve worked hard to ensure that I purchase the raw materials used in my designs from ethical and sustainable sources, and openly share the names of these co-operatives because I think this is something we should all make it our business to care about.
But I’d also like to be open about who I am, as a designer and as a person. Every couple months, my team member Christine asks me a question about my life and my beliefs. She's got a knack for getting right in there.
The question this month is:
When did you first realize that you wanted to be an artist?
My answer is this:
I guess I’ve always dreamt about being an artist. I’ve been doing artistic things, like making jewelry, since I was a little kid. It’s always been an important part of my life. But when I went to university, I studied biology. I thought I needed to be practical, and developing an artistic career didn’t seem to be a viable way of making money and supporting myself. But even so, I did continue to make jewelry in my free time.
Things changed when I got an opportunity to sell what I’d been making at a market, and started interacting with the public. A few people actually bought my pieces (The first piece I ever sold was at the Squamish Farmer’s Market in 2012. It was a pair of feather earrings). Others were coming by the booth to look and talk with me about what I had made. I realized that there were a lot of people out there who wanted to support local artists and their creativity. I realized that if I put myself out there, I could be supported as an artist too. I felt appreciated and valued.
The first store that ever sold my work was Dream Apparel. We actually featured them recently on this blog. I remember meeting with Wendy (the owner) and feeling very nervous as she looked through my pieces. I’m grateful she took a chance on me so long ago.
Looking back, I don’t know if I felt that I was truly good at anything but this. Making jewelry is such an exciting process for me, and I feel very grateful to be doing something I love. I trusted my gut in deciding to become a jewelry designer, and my experience so far has reinstated my faith in intuition. I am also continually reminded that hard work pays off.
Transparency is something that’s very important to me. I’ve worked hard to ensure that I purchase the raw materials used in my designs from ethical and sustainable sources, and openly share the names of these co-operatives because I think this is something we should all make it our business to care about.
But I’d also like to be open about who I am, as a designer and as a person. Every couple months, my team member Christine asks me a question about my life and my beliefs. She's got a knack for getting right in there.
The question this month is:
When did you first realize that you wanted to be an artist?
My answer is this:
I guess I’ve always dreamt about being an artist. I’ve been doing artistic things, like making jewelry, since I was a little kid. It’s always been an important part of my life. But when I went to university, I studied biology. I thought I needed to be practical, and developing an artistic career didn’t seem to be a viable way of making money and supporting myself. But even so, I did continue to make jewelry in my free time.
Things changed when I got an opportunity to sell what I’d been making at a market, and started interacting with the public. A few people actually bought my pieces (The first piece I ever sold was at the Squamish Farmer’s Market in 2012. It was a pair of feather earrings). Others were coming by the booth to look and talk with me about what I had made. I realized that there were a lot of people out there who wanted to support local artists and their creativity. I realized that if I put myself out there, I could be supported as an artist too. I felt appreciated and valued.
The first store that ever sold my work was Dream Apparel. We actually featured them recently on this blog. I remember meeting with Wendy (the owner) and feeling very nervous as she looked through my pieces. I’m grateful she took a chance on me so long ago.
Looking back, I don’t know if I felt that I was truly good at anything but this. Making jewelry is such an exciting process for me, and I feel very grateful to be doing something I love. I trusted my gut in deciding to become a jewelry designer, and my experience so far has reinstated my faith in intuition. I am also continually reminded that hard work pays off.
Also in Our Journey
My First Backpacking Adventure: Bogotá, Columbia
For this very first backpacking trip, I travelled to Bogotá – the capital city of Columbia, and one of the 30 largest cities in the world. I still remember the butterflies in my stomach. I was really nervous, but the trip exceeded my expectations with some standout memories/experiences I'd love to share.
Practicing Self Care – Some Tools and Tips
With Valentine’s Day tucked in the middle, February is usually associated with love. My response to that has always been, ‘let’s bring on the self love!’
Reflections on 2018 – Gratitude, Growth, and Fun!
I hope you join me in a big ‘WAHOO!’ for all the ways that 2018 was great, all the ways it was challenging, and all the obstacles I overcame. And I hope the many lessons I learned in this past year are helpful to you.