We recently connected with Naomi Sarna and have shared our conversation below.

Naomi, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Do you wish you had started sooner?

My earliest memory was making a clay animal when I was about 4. It was the process of making something with my hands that made the moment special and memorable.

I have made so many things with my hands that at one point I thought I should insure them! My life is full of handmaking and creativity. But it wasn’t until my husband suddenly died that I felt it was important for me to shift lanes and focus of being a full time artist.

It was a very difficult struggle to support myself after his sudden death and I was torn between making my art and working to support myself. When I was raising my two daughters, I often felt driven to distraction to have to make these choices which then included being a good mother. Very difficult times.

I now think I did the best that could have been done. I certainly would have been wonderful if I’d been able to devote my life to art, and in many ways I did, but the struggle has lessened considerably and my work has been recognized in many ways. That is wonderful. Better late than never.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I was born within walking distance of some of the world’s greatest mineral mines in Butte, Montana.  Minerals, gems, and fossils were a part of everyday life for me. I have early memories are of being in my grandfather’s store where miners came to shop and found them fascinating.

Although I grew up in the mountains, I love the great seas and feel most at home on a boat. And the bounty of jewels from the oceans fascinate me. I love working with pearls; they are so colorful and mysterious!

I am a master knitter, and strong in many handcrafts. Because I enjoy working with my hands, and controlling the work, I not only carve the gems, I make the settings as well so I have a great sense of accomplishment when I’m done. Some pieces take years because I’m constantly making changes until I shout at myself “Enough!!!”

Once someone said I shouldn’t carve too much of the precious material way, that it was a financial loss. This was very bad advice for me and tied me up for awhile. Then I realized that I wasn’t going to lose my home and be on the street since I’d taken care of being financially responsible for myself and my children. So I began to carve with abandon; for me the design is paramount over the saving of precious material. Most of the time the carved piece is the same size as the original rough from top to bottom, side to side, and yet I carve deeply in the middle, thus creating unusual pieces that do not repeat historical carvings.

To find the best material to carve, I have traveled around the world from Tanzania and Madagascar to Arkansas, visiting mines and hand-selecting the rough gems. Many of my trips involved some danger and certainly a sense of adventure. Friends begged my not to go to some places which were quite rough but I felt the adventure was worth the risk. While I felt that my family and friends somewhat overstated the danger, I regret some trips I turned down as the ones I did go on were some of my life’s great experiences.

I’m about to go to China for the third time. Things politically between the United States and China are nervous making. But I cannot not go! I’m honored to be invited again by the Chinese Government and the Jade Carving Association, Zie Gang Bei. I hope will go well, but I do have a Plan B!

I regard being an artist as a key to the world, sharing experiences and perspectives with other artists and hope someday to be able to go to Russia and meet artists I have long admired.

Basically, curiosity and adventure drive me to continue creating and learning.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I love process. Most of the projects I’ve undertaken in my life requires a lot of time. Any of my carvings take about 4 or 5 hundred hours. That’s a lot of time.

Many people are frightened about investing that amount of time in something. But you cannot get good unless you develop a sense of patience about your craft, no matter what it is.

I also never work on only one project at a time. I need to have several things going at the same time, to keep coming back to something that had become difficult and looking at it with fresh eyes. That’s how I keep going with the process, and keep enjoying it.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Although I always wanted to be a full time artist, I had several careers which allowed me to find financial security. I never wanted to be a starving artist. I had kids and struggled to support them and yet find time for my art. If I had gone full forward as an artist then, I would have deprived my children of the richness I believe I gave them, even though it was a stressful time.  Being a single parent was very difficult but I see my children have florished and contribute greatly to the goodness of the world.  And now I feel comfortable being a full-time artist, the fufillment of my earliest dreams.

Contact Info:

• Website: NaomiSarna.com
• Instagram: naomisarnadesigns
• Facebook: Naomi Sarna Art Jewels
• Linkedin: [email protected]
• Youtube: YouTube Naomi Sarna Art Jewels

Image Credits
Steven DeVilbiss AntFarm