I’m so excited to be starting a new interview series called A Creative Life. I’m so inspired by the idea of intentionally creating a unique life, and hearing the stories of people who are in the process of creating inspired lives for themselves is fascinating to me, and always a great learning experience for me. After my Make Your Own Mentor post I realized that you guys have an appetite for motivation and inspiration too, so I hope that you’ll like having a regular peek into the lives of interesting & compelling people!

My first interview is with inspiring Canadian jewelry designer & Etsian, Jeanie Andronyk!

Please tell us about yourself & what you do
My name is Jeanie, I’m 28, and my favorite food is popcorn. I come from a small town in Northern Alberta (pop. 400), and my etsy shop translates that with its rustic, antique heirloom feel.  My Dad has a welding shop on the farm and I would always watch him play with metal; it really inspired me to do that in my everyday life.  I do my own rough casting, and usually use thrifted, found, or unique items in my pieces.

How did you find your current path in life? Was there a turning point or “Ah-Ha” moment for you?
It was a long road for me;  I’ve been a Reflexologist, Holistic Health Practitioner, Yoga Teacher, Tarot Reader, Live Art Model, and Jeweller’s Assistant.  I learned a lot from from my experiences and wanted to take my creative energies to the next level. So after being stagnant for a while, I moved to Vancouver and enrolled in the Vancouver Metal Arts school.  It’s the best decision I’ve ever made in my life!

Where do you find your inspiration?
I love going to the thrift store.  Looking at objects that people don’t want anymore makes me passionate about creating things people will want for life. I also find inspiration in mistakes and errors; messing up a piece and then finding another awesome piece I could make within that one piece.  I also melt all my bits and pieces, old rings I find, any sterling silver items people give me; most of my jewelry is reclaimed silver!

How do you get out of creative ruts?
When I’m in a rut, instead of pressing the gas and trying to go backwards and forwards to get out of it because I’m impatient and I NEED TO CREATE,  I just wait for that inspiration tractor to come rolling down the road and pull me out.  It’s impossible to force creativity; you just have to let it happen.  And dance parties in my living room with headphones helps too.

Could you describe a day in your shoes? As a business owner, student and artist is there a normal day? :)
A day in my shoes!  Get ready to squeeze into them: I wake up at 7:30am, hop on the bus at 8, get to school by 9am and go until 4pm. During the noon at school, I check etsy convos, answer store emails, relist items, and brainstorm. I make awesome crazy high end gallery style space jewelry all day (I have two jewelry lines) to learn Traditional European Goldsmithing techniques. After school lets out, I go to my studio at the amazing Jeweller Bau and fill orders, make things, and head home by around 9 or so, make supper, and sleep!  I manage to fit in dinners with friends, mail, nail polish blog reading/writing (my secret obsession), and phone calls in that time as well. Every day I get to create fun awesome amazing things that I love, and it’s exactly the life I want.

Do you have any tips for someone thinking of taking the first step towards opening their own creative business?
Yes. Find something you are really really really good at.  Don’t make guitar picks out of potatoes because they happen to be big sellers on etsy, because it won’t pan out in the long run (maybe not the best example, but you get it!). Find the highest quality materials that you can, dig your soul and spirit out from your body and then make things with them.  If you don’t know how to make what you idealize, take some classes, practice, and kick some ass.  You want to make stuff that will last, that people will love, and that people will want to keep close to them.

Everyone has insecurities and doubts, and I’ve found that being your own boss can be a blessing and a curse when it comes to them! How do you encourage yourself to stay positive and keep moving forward?
You’re absolutely right.  If you’re your own boss, your weaknesses and strengths can be neck punchingly obvious. If you ever want to find growth as a person and be self aware about your behaviors, I think self-employment is a great route. The Lazy Monster can settle in sometimes if I’m not seeing results, so in order to stay motivated, I sketch new ideas, daydream, and make cheesy awesome collages about my goals.  It’s really important to talk to your peers too.  My good friend Naomi at Flight Path is an amazing inspiration to me, and our chats motivate me to work harder and be more creative. Don’t underestimate the power of friends or feedback.

Jeanie was kind enough to send me one of her rings that’s a one of a kind design made just for me, created from a vintage button. It’s my favourite thing right now, and she has lots of affordable sterling silver button rings in her shop if you like mine!

Funny story: I tried to hand model it for you, and obviously haven’t been paying enough
attention during America’s Next Top Model. Oh, the awkward! :)

You can explore her website or follow her on Twitter.