Jewelry Designer Kat Myers
My name is Kat Myers, and I am a jewelry designer.
I do beadwork and wirework for my pieces. I first started making jewelry when I witnessed the amazing art my friends made. They made art that was different from jewelry, like crocheted pieces and drawings, but it still inspired me into my own creative path. Some of my friends are tattoo artists; seeing what they drew inspiration from and how they played with color was enjoyable for me. Watching my friends work and seeing their crafts just blew me away—I wanted to be able to do the same thing for myself.
My journey into art came along gradually. As a child, I always appreciated different types of art. For example, I always loved writing and the creativity it involves. As I grew older, my appreciation for art eventually branched out, resulting in me trying different kinds of artistic pursuits.
Nature is my favorite thing to draw inspiration from. I often take pictures of natural settings and use them to guide my work. Watching how light plays on water, how colors change with seasons—these natural aspects inspire my work with jewelry. My favorite color is purple, so I love to play with cool colors like different blues, greens, and purples. I want to start experimenting with warm colors soon and incorporate them into my work. For now, the cooler colors are what I am most comfortable with and they are what I like best.
When starting a new project, I first decide what style of jewelry I want to do before I purchase supplies. I tend to establish a theme and choose colors based on that theme before proceeding; I choose a main color, then a few pieces that are complementary colors. My materials come from online suppliers, like Rio Grande Jewelry Supply and Fire Mountain Gems, and from craft stores, like Michael’s and Joann’s. The tools I use are beads, wire, pliers, a ruler, and occasionally, a pre-made chain, depending on the piece. I then sort the beads based on type and choose how the beads will balance each other out for symmetry. Next, I work the beads onto a headpin or a piece of handmade chain, then I craft the piece until I get it to a proper length. It can take me anywhere from an hour to eight hours to make a piece; it all depends on what kind of jewelry I am making.
The most common piece I make are necklaces, however I also make bracelets and earrings. Lately, I am concentrating on creating statement necklaces. With statement necklaces, I tend to use a lot of different beads which allows me to play around with color, texture, and size. When I am putting different pieces together, I am trying to set a mood and make it fun. I hope that other people pick up on this too, and perhaps feel inspired by it.
My workspace is messy, as it doubles as my computer desk—I tend to have a few things going on at once. I work whenever I have the time, which is usually at night but also occasionally in the morning, before work. When I work on my art, I either play music or a Netflix show in the background. I have a wax warmer in my room, so it smells sort of like a misty, cool night. Other than that setup, I can be found working while enjoying whatever tea and chocolate I have on hand. My art is therapeutic and meditative for me so I try to make the process fun and relaxing.
One of the greatest obstacles to my art has been finding the space and time to settle into a place. I have been homeless before and bounced from home to home. It felt like every time I got close to being comfortable in a permanent space, I might be uprooted again and have to move. I have always had to work paycheck-to-paycheck and I struggle with some medical issues. All of these obstacles sometimes left me unable to devote the time and energy that it takes to create crafts. Luckily, working with jewelry means my tools and pieces are quite small; I can easily travel with all of them if I ever have to move.
Personally, I embrace the struggling artist stereotype. Whether we are artists or not, we all confront difficulties. It seems that with artists, however, our society expects them to struggle—not because art is impractical but because it is often not valued as highly as other work. But art brings people joy; it should be embraced and encouraged more often. When you decorate your home, put on jewelry, or listen to music, it is all art. Art is an integral part of our lives. So why not embrace all it has to offer?
The biggest goal of my art is for it to connect with people. I want to bring happiness to others. Each statement piece I make is intentionally unique. When people see my work, I want them to feel excited and say, that speaks to me. Another goal of my art is to ultimately be able to give back. In the future, I hope to be able to donate a portion of my proceeds to help the LGBTQ+ community in the Newport area. Down the road, I want to start making body scrubs, oil-based perfumes, and leather crafts; I am interested in expanding my skills in other creative endeavors with time.
Salut! À bientôt!
Kat Myers