We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kimberly Ghindea. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kimberly below.

Kimberly , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

I first began with pyrography. I had a basic wood burner laying around in all my craft supplies and decided to make snowflakes burned on small birch tree slices as a present for everyone. I always loved making something homemade to add to my gifts I give every year. I found so much relaxation and joy in the craft and began playing more and more with the tool.

Soon I upgraded my little $20 burner to a pyrography machine and had an idea to burn on beads. From there I discovered leather. Mainly, because I wanted a bigger surface to create mini art on jewelry.

Leather art is a very old craft. Nowadays it is not as commonplace as other arts. To learn the craft, I watched hours and hours of you tube stations, purchased books and joined tons of leather craft groups. Then I spent tons of money on trial and error! Leather is not a cheap hobby. There are so many supplies and different products needed. I went through a dozen companies looking for good snaps, and when I found good ones, the company changed their supplier and I ended up in the beginning again.

How could I have done this better? Probably with more time. I grew my leather business from zero to the huge inventory I have in one year. This cost me thousands of dollars in mistakes by rushing. It takes time to find the right suppliers for every aspect of my business. I recommend trying out new suppliers in small quantities, even if it means more time and more shipping costs. It will save you money in the long run!

Other than that. Practice! That is what it all is. I have seen my quality and speed improve week by week as I become more and more familiar with all the tools and techniques.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I create jewelry from natural materials. My business name, Meraki, says exactly how I feel. Meraki, a Greek word meaning, the soul, creativity or love you put into something.

Working with wood, adds so much character to each piece of jewelry. The natural element of the wood makes it the final product always unique in its own way.

Leather is so diverse and versatile. I love that I can burn on it. That is what first drew me to the medium. Then, when I discovered all the possible techniques leather offers, I was in love. I have embraced tooling, which is an art that can only be developed with time and patience. Embossing leather opens the possibility to millions of designs that can be created.

I am always excited to see the finished product, knowing that both leather and wood add their own special touches depending on how the dyes and paints are absorbed.  I love creating leather jewelry mostly because from a hide, anything I imagine is possible. This is mindblowing to me. The possibilities are endless. I also add in genuine stones and crystals to any piece I feel it fits, which gives a touch of extra beauty, the individuality that nature provides, and a bit of symbolism and protection; to me, this makes the piece even more special and unique.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

I have found there are a lot of struggles and hurdles as a creative that many people may not even think of or relate to. Time management is one of my biggest challenges. My hours begin and end when I decide they do. I can easily work 80 + hours in a week and not even realize it. Plus, my brain fails to never turn off. When laying in bed, I can be about to fall asleep and an idea for a necklace pops in my head, which will send me on a tailwind of drawing it up, shopping online for the right materials I may need and on and on. This happens all the time. I find myself sleepless many hours at night as new ideas flash through my head. I have little papers and notes everywhere.

So, there isn’t a perfect roadmap laid out for artists. We have to create our own visions, learn to market them and find the time to wear every single hat from business, to marketing, and then creating.

To overcome this challenge, I enrolled in college classes to learn public speaking, marketing, graphic design and art classes. I have to master all these aspects, simultaneously, when all I want to do is create artisan jewelry. I have to master selling my jewelry, so I can afford to keep creating it. Then I find myself running, to keep up with art shows and my online sales, and I may not have the time to create all the new ideas bouncing around in my head.

Then add in all the social media demands, and we find ourselves being pressured to also be digital creators on top of our business focus. It can be overwhelming and I work hard to hold my focus and try and weigh where my time and attention is most rewarded and needed.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Being an artist has so many rewards for me. The most obvious is that I am in a very happy place when I am creating jewelry. I hear my mouth say, “ I worked all day in my studio,” and I smile inside, thinking I made jewelry all day and created art, and I get to say I worked! I know this passion is meant for me, because I easily can do it for free all day every day, and feel like a small child playing in the craft room. I couldn’t ask for anything more.

This past year was my first year attending art shows and festivals. I was hesitant at first. It involved a huge investment for my booth, plus all the time to create so much inventory. Only after I began attending the events, did I see all the benefits I never thought of. All day, people ‘ooohed’ and ‘aaahed’ over my jewelry. The compliments were more than I ever dreamed possible. I watched women unable to decide which piece they wanted. It was the biggest confidence boost I could ever imagine.

Seeing someone purchase my items, that I worked so hard on, and being in love with them, melts my heart. Knowing my artwork is being worn and treasured, is the most fulfilling moment and this makes everything worth it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.merakiartisanstudio.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/merakiartisanstudio
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MerakiArtisanStudio/