We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Colleen Colombo a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Colleen, appreciate you joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?
I have always been artistic. As a child, everyone in my family thought that I would grow up to be an artist, because I would draw and was always very creative, all through my younger years, earning awards here and there for artistic creations. But never anything that I would consider exceptional beyond the school age creative. As I grew older, I still loved being artistic, but I did not pursue that path. I was good in school, and went on to college and got a degree in Medical Laboratory Science and even later on switched careers to Real Estate, and to this day am a sole owner of a niche Real Estate Company in Chicago! Life went on and I have been successful in my endeavors, but never was able to live that artistic dream from childhood. I have always been a fan of vintage silver jewelry – so much so, that I would buy broken pieces that were so fantastic, but needed repair. This prompted me to simply want to learn how to solder broken jewelry, for the sole reason of repairing it. So, I found a Metalsmithing course in Chicago – went in and even told them – I just wanted to learn to solder. But the course starts you from the beginning, learning to saw metal and file and then, eventually solder. But by the time we got to the soldering, I was already falling in love with this new found world of Metalsmithing! I really didn’t even know this existed! I knew people made jewelry, but I never knew how – and all I know is that I started this class, and fell in love, and never looked back! I feel so fortunate to have found this world – it is such a wonderful feeling to be able to do something you love, be actually good at it, and be able to still make money at it! And the feeling of having people love your work, ask for more, request customs and the like…it is just a wonderful thing! I have my own jewelry company called Winona Sky Silver now, an entire studio – all mine, with every tool known to man (for metalsmithing, of course) and can’t wait to get to work on new pieces every day. And I finally have that creative outlet back that I had been missing for most of my adult life! How lucky am I?!?
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.
My name is Colleen Colombo, and I am the owner of Winona Sky Silver – an original handmade sterling silver jewelry company. The company is named after my Grandmother, Winona…and the full name evolved from there! I make completely handmade Sterling Silver Jewelry – from unfinished silver, gems, fire, and solder….to make beautiful, unique, one of a kind pieces! I didn’t know I had a passion and love for Metalsmithing – it came out of the blue for me! I took a Metalsmithing course, just wanting to learn how to solder to repair broken jewelry I owned. But, in the blink of an eye – that course showed me the love I didn’t know I was missing, and I have never looked back! It is true when they say that your passion will find you! Mine sure did! I think what sets me apart from others, is the fact that this is handmade jewelry, made only by me, and my jewelry will be unlike anyone else’s, because I made it. I once had a client say about pieces of jewelry I was wearing one day that I had made …he said 1″and the best part is…its so YOU!” And thats what sets me apart!
I have learned in this profession, that the metalsmith community is SO vast and wonderful! All of us metalsmiths out there have a beautiful sense of camaraderie – even without knowing each other. We all get that we are doing our thing, and all of it is unique and beautiful.
I am most proud of the skill I have developed, and the ability to make anything I set my mind to – I am currently in summer mode, working with bright colored gems, flower patterned rings and cuffs, and all things beautiful!
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
Resilience is key in any business, not just for creatives. Never give up. If you know you love something, and your gut tells you this is your thing, then never let go. For me, I had to learn from scratch, I didn’t have even an inkling that this was my calling, but it is! And once I started – my gut knew it – and I delved in full force. But I was a beginner. And I made beginner mistakes. And at first, those mistakes sting and defeat you. But I kept going. For my creative path of Metalsmithing, I made all kinds of beginner mistakes. Not taking all the right steps when making a piece, getting tired or frustrated and finishing a less than perfect piece that showed that tiredness and/or frustration. But I kept pushing forward, hoping and knowing that if I kept going, someday I would be as good as I felt I should be. Just kept pushing forward, even when i melted every piece I made some days! And I did learn. And I became really good at it, and best of all, it fully became my outlet. I learned to take my time, enjoy my passion, and perfect a piece to my standards before letting it be complete. I have learned that the right products, the best gems, and the right tools and workspace, all matter when making great pieces. I look back at some of my original stuff, and yuck! Not happy with those and can’t imagine how I could think it was good. But that is the past and it shows how far you’ve come…I pushed through and am so happy that I was resilient. And I have learned and keep learning every day. And I LOVE it!
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
For me, the most rewarding aspect of being a creative, is the joy it gives me. Simple as that. I love making sterling silver jewelry – I can’t stop. I think about it all the time and just cannot wait every day to get started. I have lived my whole life without that kind of joy coming from something I do – am I feel so lucky to have found it. I can’t tell you how wonderful it feels, when a customer leaves a fabulous review, raving about a piece you’ve made. Or knowing that a beautiful bride is wearing your custom item as her main jewelry as she walks down the aisle on the most memorable day of her life. It is an amazing feeling and having that kind of joy in your life is irreplaceable.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @winonaskysilver
- Other: https://winonaskysilverco.etsy.com
Image Credits
Black Paws Photography (of the studio photos – not of jewelry)