Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to John Wind. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
John, appreciate you joining us today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?
After being an English Major in college, I had the good fortune to win a two-year scholarship to London’s Slade School of Fine Art. I always knew I was an artist, though I wasn’t sure of my medium. In London I was a student by day and club kid by night, as into music and fashion as painting and sculpture. This was the early 1980’s–think Culture Club and the Thompson Twins. I also came out as a gay man at this time, and it all felt very interconnected.
I started making funky, found-object brooches and wearing them around town and on the dance floor. Very quickly my jewelry gained attention, and I began selling brooches for a few pounds each at Hyper Hyper, a trendy multi-shop emporium on Kensington High Street. They included me in their London Fashion Week runway show, and the momentum started building…
I improved the technical quality of the pieces with help from the sculpture faculty at school, increased the prices, started selling to more stores and getting some press. By the time I graduated a year and a half later, I was practically supporting myself through these miniature sculptures, and it was obvious that I needed to go down this road. I did so in partnership with my best friend from college, Hilary Jay, moving back to my hometown of Philadelphia and founding a brand called Maximal Art.
Hilary and I had an unbelievable 5 year run as one of the hottest fashion jewelry lines in the world, selling to Harrods, Barneys New York, Neiman Marcus, and over a thousand chic stores everywhere. The jewelry was also our art, and we felt truly fulfilled.
Of course the story doesn’t end there… By the early 1990’s the fashion pendulum had swung from Maximal to Minimal, a recession put the brakes on the go-go 80’s, and our company was in trouble. We agreed to part ways, Hilary to become a design journalist, and me to see if I could reinvent this business.
At that point, my art and my livelihood parted ways as well, and I remember thinking that this was a new chapter in more ways than one. I leaned into the business, and with a new partner, Robbin Cook, we gradually reinvented ourselves as a jewelry and gift brand focused primarily on the gift world–a great fit for the narrative voice I brought to all my designs.
My mother was also an artist and through the 1990s I started sharing her studio and going in on the occasional night and weekend to keep my private artistic voice alive. It was just for me, but it was satisfying and fun and gave me a little balance as I focused on my career. Through the 90s and 2000s, the business grew far beyond it’s 1980’s peak–we became major vendors for Disney, Anthropologie, David’s Bridal… sold to thousands of gift and fashion boutiques, museum stores, catalogues and online. In 2008 we were one of Oprah’s Picks back when that was a game changer… and it was for us too.
But what about my art? I started to get anxious that the years were passing and my true purpose was slipping away. But I also didn’t want to kill the goose that, as we joked, laid the gold-plated eggs. So I turned up the volume on those nights and weekends in the studio, and by 2011 I had my first solo show of conceptually-based collage. It was deeply satisfying, like coming out again, only this time as an artist! I joined InLiquid, a Philly-based non-profit that creates exhibition opportunities for artists, and continued making and exhibiting work. In 2015 I gave myself a sabbatical and went back to the Slade for a month-long artist residency for mid-career artists. That was pivotal, resulting in a new body of sculptural installation work and the determination to keep going.
In the decade since I made some major decisions to change the way I did business in order to have more time for my art. The pandemic actually helped by putting a hard stop on trade shows and travel–I just chose to not go back to that model afterwards, now working with my colleague Jennifer Rubin and essentially reinventing what was now John Wind Jewelry as an online, direct-to-consumer business. This has allowed me to lean into my art in a much bigger way, and I’m pleased to say that I had my first museum exhibition last year at the Museum of the American Revolution, and a second is opening this summer at the Rosenbach Museum & Library.
So while I don’t earn a living from what I call my art, I still do earn one from my creative output. What’s more, the language of jewelry has permeated my art and the synergy between these two worlds is present and productive. And it’s thanks to one that I have the means to pursue to other.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I actually wear three creative hats–First as the founder/designer of John Wind Jewelry (originally Maximal Art). We’re known for Modern/Vintage fashion jewelry, and these days especially for custom charm bracelets and necklaces. We sell online at www.johnwind.com.
The second is as a mixed media artist, creating narrative portraits, assemblages and installations. My art explores the intersection of art, commerce, portraiture and history. It is fabricated with ephemera and objects collected from my life and inspired by my passions. For more check out www.johnywind.com
And finally, when my mother, artist and arts advocate Dina Wind, passed away in 2014, our family established the Dina Wind Art Foundation. I am President of the foundation, whose mission is to empower living artists, build community, and support arts education, all inspired by Dina’s work and legacy. The Foundation’s website is www.dinawindfoundation.art
All of these activities take place under one roof, in an historic, converted stable in South Philadelphia that I moved into in 2018.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
Having now had a 40 year career(!) I feel like my whole journey is a story of resilience. The ups and downs of my creative business have been pretty extreme, with awards, accolades and tens of thousands of happy customers on the one hand, and financial stresses, changing trends, and the pressures of managing employees on the other. I have always stuck with it and had the conviction that I would figure things out–partially because I so identify with this business that I created and grew out of my art, and also because it has allowed me the freedom to pursue my fine art practice.
Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?
The most memorable book I have read (and reread) about creativity is Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. Its wisdom and kindness permeate all of my endeavors to this day. I always put a lot of pressure on myself between my ‘day job’ and my ‘art’, and she taught me how to lighten up and give myself permission to do things my way. And that it’s actually a detriment to your creativity to demand that it support you financially too. I was like ‘oh, so it’s ok to juggle this duality I’ve created. Maybe I was protecting my creativity all along…’
Contact Info:
- Website: https://johnywind.com
- Instagram: @johnwindart
Image Credits
Richard Powers Photo
Christopher Tyler Studio