We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Magali Wuarin a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Magali, thanks for joining us today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the major steps along your journey? Looking back, are there things you could’ve done differently to fast track your journey?
I am so grateful to be able to earn a full-time living from my jewelry work. Since my business became official in December of 2015, my progress has more so been measured by an ongoing series of mini milestones rather than any major steps. These mini milestones come in a plethora of different forms: creating new bodies of work, reaching new financial benchmarks, reaching new followers on social media, ironing out the tax process more each year, selling to new wholesale accounts, hiring help, contributing to my retirement savings, etc. As a business owner, I find a lot of value in celebrating the little weekly victories because it’s all progress. My entrepreneurial philosophy falls in line with the Taoist idea that nature never hurries, yet everything is accomplished.
Therefore, could I have sped up the process in hindsight? No. Like Malcolm Gladwell says, it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert at anything, so there’s no use in cutting corners. Creating a general business could absolutely be more streamlined, but running one as an artist is different. Taking the time to consistently develop my skills and my personal style is crucial to creating a business with integrity. It’s all too common to see people try to skip this growth process in order to find immediate success, only to be disappointed with the results and quit. There is a delicate balance to growing a business while simultaneously nurturing the creative spirit. In my experience, making art isn’t about speeding up the process. It’s about embracing it.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Fifth Element Jewelry is a Denver-based business established in 2015. The name comes from certain eastern traditions where instead of four elements they have five, the fifth being metal. Here in the west, the fifth element is also considered to be more of an ethereal element, or “the space between the space.” I gladly accept both interpretations to represent my work. There is a strong botanical theme throughout my work and I mainly use Sterling silver and the types of stones I lovingly refer to as “juicy.” My favorite pieces to make are long dangly earrings that dance on your shoulders or neck as you move about your day. As an artist and business owner, my goal is to make women feel empowered, grounded and beautiful with my jewelry. If a woman gets a little boost of confidence when she puts on a piece from Fifth Element, then I know I’ve done my job.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
In a world of increased automation and efficiency, a world that is becoming less ornate and more angular, and especially a world in which AI has started making art for us, humans making art is an act of rebellion. It goes against all of the hyper-capitalistic trends of the world but creativity is such a deeply human feature and it deserves to be celebrated and practiced every day.
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
This is a great question and one I am excited to read others’ responses to! I’d like to share some sources for creative inspiration – people that I look up to who not only ooze creativity but also have the ability to talk about it in very meaningful ways. Creativity can be so vague. It’s like asking a fish to describe water; it just is. Because of this, it’s always such a treat to hear someone who can actually get into the “Hows” and “Whys” and “What fors” of creativity.
Rick Rubin, music producer – endless podcast interviews as well as his book “The Creative Act: A Way of Being”
Jerry Garcia, lead guitarist of the Grateful Dead – a number of interviews can be found in print and on Youtube of him explaining his creative process
Jacob Collier, musician – Ted Talk available on Youtube as well as a host of interviews that can be found online
Rex Jung, neuroscientist – multiple publications and a great interview with Krista Tippet of OnBeing diving into neuroscience of creativity
Contact Info:
- Website: www.fifthelementjewelry.com
- Instagram: @fifthelementjewelry
- Facebook: Fifth Element Jewelry