We recently connected with Chelsea Blaire and have shared our conversation below.
Chelsea, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?
I am happier than I have ever been working as an artist because of the opportunity to express myself one hundred percent freely. I choose how and when I work, building my own dreams and business, rather than being at the mercy of a large company or someone else. Being your own boss can come with its challenges, but it allows for a much healthier work-life balance. I can work primarily when my son is in school or asleep in the evenings, spend more time with my family, and have the freedom to take a morning off when the surf is good. It’s a win win on every level.
I never wonder what it would be like to have a 9-5 again, and just the idea of it feels like being locked in a cage. Don’t get me wrong, there is no lack of work ethic here, my focus is just work that includes having freedom. I work most efficiently when I can learn via a hands-on approach, in a peaceful workspace, when I’m energized. The most challenging aspect is that running a business alone requires a lot of accountability, sacrifice and intrinsic drive because there are no checks and balances to ensure you’re doing your job. I look at Silver Salt and Stone all the time and think “wow, I can’t believe I made that” or “am I really doing this?” but wouldn’t be where I am today without all the people who supported my journey thus far, including friends, family and all my clients. I feel grateful to be immersed in a community of artists, surfers, travelers, and entrepreneurs who inspire me every day and whom I am constantly learning from. Many of my friends became extraordinary business owners before me, and have shared a wealth of knowledge, mentorship and lessons learned for what to do or not to do. A lot of people took chances on me and believed in my art and products early on, and to them I am forever grateful.
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?
My name is Chelsea, I am the silversmith, artist and creator of Silver Salt and Stone. I was born and raised in Oceanside, CA and have always been an artist at heart. I fabricate hand crafted, quality made, sterling silver heirloom pieces of jewelry. I am thrilled to share my story today about how it all started.
Since I was a young child, I had always dreamed of having my own business. From the age of ten and on, I used to create my own art, clothing and jewelry and ask my mom to help me find ways to sell what I made. My mom modeled entrepreneurship and had her own business as a florist my whole life. From watching her, I learned what it was like to have a creative based business. She built a beautiful life and her example is one of the main reasons I always loved the idea of being an entrepreneur. Flash forward to just a few years ago, during covid lockdowns, my normal routine was turned upside down. This included insecurity in my job, a pause of my education, my sons remote learning and so much more. For a short time, it left me feeling a lot of “unknowns”. I knew I could not just ride out these changes by waiting, and that if I got creative, I could find a way to be in control of my own future, rather than at the mercy of the pandemic. I also craved a positive outlet that I could enjoy at home, without taking away from my number one priority of being a mother and wife. I hoped it would be something that could bring income to my family too.
While stuck in limbo, I started brainstorming fun things that I had always wanted to learn about but never had the time to explore. I desired something that had a creative element, that would be challenging and ultimately evoke personal growth. For a long time, I had followed a silversmith on Instagram, who shared pieces of her life beyond jewelry including travel, gardening, cooking and family time. It looked like she was living the dream, making art and finding balance doing things she loved, and the idea of balancing all those things gave me inspiration. In addition to this, I have collected silver jewelry all my life while traveling and had always wondered how it was made. These experiences led me to explore the process of silversmithing. I found a class taught by a local artist, and the rest of the journey just fell together organically.
On my first day of class, I had never used a torch or worked with metal as a medium, so I was nervous. Within just a few hours of learning, I was hooked. From there, most of my skills are self-taught. The art is primarily about honing skills or investing in new tools and mastering how to artfully use them. I’ve melted plenty of pieces, and made mistakes along the way, but I choose to value each of those moments as a learning experience to improve upon. Perfecting the art takes countless hours of practice, patience, and determination. I’m a self-starter to the core and I hold myself to a high standard, so I’ve always been immensely determined. Humility is important too and I believe in always being open to learning and improving. When the opportunity arises or in moments that I need help, I utilize resources around me. I always ask other business owners and silversmiths a lot of questions. Sometimes I seek more education or take classes to learn specific skills. If I’m working on a challenging project I sometimes consult my ideas with other metalsmiths. It’s my dream to be forever growing the business and forever learning in one way or another.
Silver Salt and Stone didn’t happen overnight. I built the brand gradually, initially only buying small amounts of recycled silver, a handful of stones and investing in one tool at a time. Early on, I made only a few pieces that were purchased by friends and family. I started sharing my work on Instagram and there it gained following and momentum. As the days passed, and the business grew, it seemed like there was an organic unfolding of my personal style in jewelry making. To this day, most of my best pieces come from creating as go, rather than a pre-planned design. I opened up my books for custom work, and gradually I was fully booked, just from Instagram and word of mouth. I built a website, and started selling to people throughout the US and internationally. Somehow the work just keeps flowing. I feel immensely grateful to every single person who supports my small business and art. Recently someone stopped me and said “Wow, I keep seeing people around town with jewelry on, and as soon as I see it, I know that it’s your work just by the style/aesthetic of the piece”, and it blew my mind! That right there is an artist’s dream come true. It is so much more about the journey, the freedom of expression, and the flow state I chase when creating the art. The result of the jewelry is just the bonus, it’s the process of feeling and intention put into each piece that I cherish, and the connection with people along the way that keeps me loving what I do.
I am most proud of my perseverance and my art that led me to what Silver Salt and Stone has become today –In my life I have experienced many challenges. Creating jewelry as a form of art is deeply personal and has been really healing for me. It’s my outlet for all of my joy and all of my pain. Some of the best things in life have been born out of darkness, I feel that way about my jewelry. I also feel so much comes from my personal positivity and light too. When I sit down at the workbench and immerse myself in creating, I enter a flow state, an ultimate place of presence, and any noise that may be going on in my mind goes silent. It almost feels spiritual the way these beautiful pieces of jewelry emerge.
Today Silver Salt and Stone is thriving. 3 years into the business, I am now a professional silversmith offering custom jewelry services and ready to wear, handmade jewelry. I periodically release small batch collections and offer a limited number of custom pieces seasonally. I gain most of my inspiration from nature, travel, different cultures, textiles, architecture, historic fashion, and art. Each piece is made entirely by hand in the highest quality, to be passed on as heirloom jewelry for generations. I use recycled sterling silver sourced from New Mexico and high-grade stones. To learn more about my creative process, or when the next collection will be released, and more, follow me on Instagram @silversaltandstone or check out my website www.silversaltandstone.com.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is freedom to travel without limitation. Although the business provides flexibility, it is still a job and requires consistent work. It takes lots of strategic planning to keep things running smoothly when I am gone, to manage customer service, meet all order deadlines and keep the social media marketing going each day. All in all, life takes work, so working on my own terms is still the most rewarding choice!
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
It is so important to make mindful choices and support artists when possible. Sometimes between Amazon and AI art, it seems like artists may quickly become a dying breed, and as a society we can’t let that happen. Part of genuinely supporting them is understanding that the value of an artist’s work comes from so much more than just the material good itself. Artists use mindfulness, ethical materials and processes and have thousands of hours of education and practice. Artists make pieces of the heart, that should evoke emotion each time you look at or wear a piece. It is important to understand why the prices for handmade art are so much higher than mass produced goods. You really do get what you pay for, and most often, handmade goods are of the highest quality. You can find almost anything you need today in a handmade version. If you choose to live quality over quantity, buying home goods, clothing and art that is handmade, you also support local economies and families, rather than large corporations and shareholders. The best thing you can do to support artists, is buy their work or goods and when possible, pay cash. If there is an option to purchase direct from the artist rather than through a middleman, do it! When you purchase consciously from artists, you leave a more positive mark on the world.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.silversaltandstone.com
- Instagram: @silversaltandstone
- Other: Other Features: Osider Magainze – via Issuu – https://issuu.com/transitionvisualagency/docs/o_9_5_issuu
- Shout Out So Cal – https://shoutoutsocal.com/meet-chelsea-blaire-silversmith-owner-designer/
- Email Contact – silversaltandstone@gmail.com
Image Credits
Zach Johnston