Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Rachel Moody. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Rachel, appreciate you joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?
Since my early teens when I first started to bead I realized it was my happy place. I spent any money I had collecting treasures and realized I needed to make it my job to continue to support my habit.
Rachel, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I began beading at a young age, inspired by a girlfriend and intuitively creating in my ancestors native craft. Family trips to the Pow Wows on Flathead Reservation in Montana fueled the creativity in me. Fancy dancers dressed in head to toe beadwork instilled a great reverence and inspired me to stitch with the tiniest of needles to create whatever I wanted with glass seed beads. This was the foundation of an ever evolving journey of creativity. Color, gemstones, glass, crystal, shells, seeds, and any other inspirational materials fueled my artwork. Through the years I have created all kinds of jewelry, for every day where or special occasions. I’ve made beaded body jewelry and head dresses for dancers and brides, mobiles and beaded curtains, which began from me making my grandmother a small crystal prism mobile to cheer her up in the hospital. These creations evolved from mobiles for baby showers, to large instillations for beautiful homes, healing spaces, wedding altars and most recently the holiday decorations for Post Ranch Inn here in Big Sur. Each new project stretched my capacity for visioning even greater work. Since losing my husband a year and a half ago I have required a lot more time for myself to swim, hike, dance, write, and submerse myself in nature. Focusing on my art was extremely hard the first year after the loss. There’s been a beautiful and very symbolic bridge that has kept me creating, beading gemstone rainbow jewelry. At the moment this is primarily what I have been creating and am working my way back to all the other forms of beadwork.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
Living on a mountain top in Big Sur I have been through many fires, road slides and other challenges that come with living somewhere so remote and beautiful. The greatest creative challenge was completing my largest mobile, which was about 18 feet long and 6 feet wide for my best collector in time for Christmas as a fire broke out across the ridge. Many houses were lost and my neighbors all rallied to help friends over there. I had to stay put, focus to complete my project in time, with the view of the fire out my window. I’ll never forget that experience. Needless to say, stress was high but I pulled it off and to this day it’s my largest creation.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The freedom to create the lifestyle I have, which allows me to work from home or wherever I go.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.bigsurinspirations.com
- Instagram: beadworkbyrachelmoody
- Facebook: Beadwork by Rachel Moody
Image Credits
Rachel Moody
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