We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Chelsea Hewitt a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Chelsea, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?

Success. What is success? So many people have the idea that being successful is making a lot of money or making a name for yourself. Maybe it’s defined by how many “likes” you have or how many followers you have. For me, success is a feeling of self fulfillment and personal achievement. Success is making people happy and having people return to you for more pieces because they like your work or even better, because they like you. There is no greater compliment.

Before my ex-husband left, he told me that my job was pointless because I didn’t make as much money as him. What a thing to say to a woman who pours her heart and soul into her work. All that did was add fuel to my fire. It motivated me not only to never allow myself to be treated that way, but that success is not based on money. It is based on how you feel.

I make jewelry that satisfies my need for creativity and sharing and communicating through art. I meet amazing people from all around the world, and have a community that has supported me through the death of my mother, my house and studio burning down in a wildfire, and my recent divorce. I am happy, and fulfilled and I would say, that is success!

Chelsea, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

For those who may not know me, I am a metalsmith. I became interested in art when I was a child. I loved turquoise and silver jewelry and was always saving my pennies for when we would take a family road trip to Arizona so I could buy myself a piece of jewelry.

In 2016 I decide to take a two day metal smithing class with my mom. She was a natural and I was a disaster. It was hard and I wanted to quit, but my then husband had bought me all of the tools and I had to force myself to continue. Eventually I fell in love with my craft and I have been joyfully creating ever since.

I make southwestern inspired jewelry with silver, gold and natural stones such as turquoise and opal. All of my designs are unique andI pour my heart into every piece. Each piece is made from scratch, using flat pieces of sterling silver sheet, metal stamps, hammers, pliers, my torch and different polishing tools. It is a very vigorous job that requires precision and dedication.

I believe that my creations are unique. You can not find them anywhere else. I have a rustic yet elegant aesthetic and I strive to bring out the beauty of each stone. I create custom pieces, individual pieces and a couple of times a year I release small collections. I am inspired by nature and in particular that stones that I am working with.

When I think about what makes me unique, I feel that is the connection I have to the earth and to people. I love nature and this beautiful planet. I am inspired by it daily. I also genuinely love people. I think everyone is unique, special and I love to hear each client’s story. What makes them tick, what trials have they been through. I feel this planet and the people on it are gifts from our creator. Each piece and each person it is created for is special to me.

I source my stones and silver from the internet but I have been privileged to go to different mines to buy stones directly from the miners. I also source stones directly from different miners around the world.

I am proud of my little business. It makes me happy and alows me to express myself. I am always please when someone buys a piece from me, because really that is what they are doing, getting a little piece of who Chelsea is. A little piece of my heart.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I think I will always be creative. I was a fashion/product photographer for 20 years before I started metal smithing. My goal in all this is to always to be able to express myself, and to bring joy to others. There is nothing better than making someone else smile.

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 really love this question. Every “job” test I have ever taken puts me of the border of being an intellectual vs and artist. Although in my mind, I am a complete artist. My mind is a mess, my house is a mess and my studio is a complete mess, however, though the mess I am able to create beautiful things. Life is a mess. We are imperfect people who live in an imperfect messy world. I encourage “non-creatives” to get messy. Get your hands dirty and enjoy life. Since nothing can be perfect, experiment, try new things, take risks. I never thought I would be a metalsmith. It never even entered my mind, but I’m glad I took the leap. Through my fear of the torch, blood from the saw, and hammering my fingers countless times, I have learned patience, endurance, and how to enjoy my life and art, even though it is messy and painful. Beauty exists through fear and pain. Take the leap. You never know what will come out of it.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: www.instagram.com/DryCreekSilver
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/DryCreekSilver

Image Credits
Chelsea Hewitt