Featured Artisan -- Bad Cat Jewelry

Tell me a little about yourself and what you do.
I'm a SAHM who used to work in Early Intervention as a Speech Language Pathologist. I burned out after 10 years, then had a baby...as time slowly became my own (and some days it still isn't), I realized I really wanted to do something creative and work with colors. I needed something that would enable me to work at my own pace and be at home. I had made some jewelry back in college, so it felt natural and right to start making jewelry again.

What 3 words best describe your work?
Simple, classic, clean


What inspires you?
I keep juggling between colors and symmetry/geometry. For me they must work hand in hand. I absolutely love playing with colors, my color wheel, looking at nature to see what she puts together, and trying to recreate that from my mind's eye. However, that being said, if the colors are right, but the shapes are wrong, I need to wait until I find what I need. Therefore, I have jumbled up ideas in my head, but when a piece comes into fruition I feel immense satisfaction and happiness. I'd be lying if I said that other artisans didn't inspire me. Not true. I enjoy the competition and am continually working on my skills to improve and be better.


What drives you to create what you do?
My previous field was not creative and I felt stifled and very unhappy. I create to make myself happy, in turn when someone wears my piece they get a bit of happiness from me.

What makes your work unique?
This is a difficult question to answer. The market for artisan jewelry is saturated and so pieces can appear to be quite similar. I like to think that what makes my pieces unique is "me" and that "I" crafted it. I try to make one of a kind pieces in different variations on a theme. I get bored making the same old same old. I also search for vintage beads that are difficult to find.

What role does your work play in your life? What role would you like it to play?
Making jewelry is very satisfying to me and therefore it drives me continually. I think about it all the time. When I fall asleep at night instead of counting sheep, I rearrange beads in my head. It is just a part of my life.


How do you see your work and/or your business evolving in the next five years?
I would like to sell directly to customers at shows, as I've been told "my pictures are lovely, but the pieces in person are just beautiful". I would also like to go back to college and get a degree in metalworking so my designs continue to evolve. In the time being, I am continuing to sell on the internet. An important part of why I'm doing this goes well beyond me and my happiness. With each purchase, 10% of the profits goes to Specially for Children (www.speciallyforchildren.com) in Austin, Texas. With my contributions, they can purchase a few more supplies for Art Therapy for children who have cancer. I do this in honor of our friends' daughter who was diagnosed with Brain Cancer a few years ago. She is winning the battle and is quite an inspiration. She has a strong spirit and her parents are amazing and wonderful friends.

Where can we find you on the web?
Blog: www.badcatjewelry.com
Etsy: www.badcatjewelry.etsy.com
1000 Markets: www.badcatjewelry.1000Markets.com