We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jeanie Andronyk. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jeanie below.
Hi Jeanie, thanks for joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?
Looking back, I think I always knew I would have a life that existed just outside of the normal realm of a 9-5 job. I’ve never felt settled doing things I didn’t have a very specific passion for, and I never really knew at a young age what I wanted to do, I just knew I wanted to do things on my own terms and my own way.
I’ve had a wide array of jobs when I was younger, and nothing felt better to me than making things with my hands. As soon as I sold my first ring online in 2009, I was hooked on the fact that I created something, and someone felt a connection so strongly with that object that they had to have it and wear it.
That very connection I felt kept growing with everything I made and sold, and it’s so wild to me that people around the world are wearing my pieces, and holding them so close to their hearts.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Jeanie Andronyk, and I’m a trained goldsmith and self-taught artist.
My mission with my artistic work is to help exceptional and visionary people express themselves by creating striking, otherworldly, futuristically luxurious, and visually inspired wearable art pieces that represent exactly who they are in an inclusive way, with the environment in mind.
Rings are my favorite thing to make; they’re sentimental, they’re familiar, and the hand is the perfect canvas to display something so special. There is an ancient-ness to rings that I am obsessed with, and by creating these works, I’m carrying on the traditional craft of goldsmithing in my own unique way.
Since I started my line in 2015, responsible sourcing has been a cornerstone of the values of business, and I’m excited to continually learn more and be better and do better. I work mainly in 14k recycled yellow gold, and have just become a Fairmined Licensed brand, ensuring that the gold I can source has a positive environmental and social impact. I also ethically source my stones from reliable suppliers, and I specialize in Canadian and lab-grown diamonds. My work is inclusive to any and every gender and expression.
Everything I do is inspired by science fiction, dreamscapes, discovering the galaxy, future civilizations, and I’m absolutely enamoured by texture, form, and landscape. Since I live on a farm in rural Saskatchewan, Canada, the stark prairie landscape looks so very galactic, and I’m able to continually draw inspiration from the world around me.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
I love the problem-solving aspect of being an artist. This may seem like a con, but after the “oh noooooooooo” phase, the brainstorms that ensue are fantastic. I love a challenge, and I love having to think about things in a way that I normally don’t, to identify and solve gaps in my process. The sense of accomplishment after solving an issue or finding a new way of doing things provides a constant sense of movement and building of my creative foundation.
Of course, another incredibly rewarding aspect is the joy that my work brings to other people. It is so thrilling that people love my work and wear it on their bodies every day. It’s such a connective thing, that my clients and collectors know me and we have a special link via their ownership of my art.
Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
I really wish I knew more about artist groups 10 or so years ago. When you are working alone and live rurally, it can feel really isolating, and it’s so integral to morale and motivation to be able to bounce your ideas off of other people.
Depending on where you live, there will always be artist collectives and congregative events to meet other artists, but again, this is entirely location dependent.
Now there are a lot more opportunity in digital spaces to connect, and I wish that was more available when I had started out.
Contact Info:
- Website: andronyk.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andronykstudio
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andronykstudio
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeanieandronyk/
Image Credits
Emily Oud Kevan Morin Tarila Uti