We recently connected with Olya Kislin and have shared our conversation below.
Olya, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?
Some things are just meant to be… It’s not the path you thought you would take but the path that chooses you…
I created my first piece of jewlery for myself because I had an astologist tell me to wear a certain stone on my pinky ring ..
After that, I became interested in stones, their power and how wearing certain jewlery can transform how you feel…
My friends became interested and I started making jewelry for them …
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
What makes me happiest is when my clients tell me how the jewelry makes them feel or how they can not travel without certain pieces because it makes them feel safe and protected… To feel like you’re making a difference thru beauty and art makes me feel complete …
I use only natural stones , gold and silver …
Everything is hand made and created in the United States ..
I pick every stone myself and wear it to see how it feels and looks before sending it off to its owner …
I love what I do and I believe it shows in the work that I create …
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The most rewarding aspect of being an Artist and creative is my learning process through this … I have had the privilege to learn through my clients …they have made me a better jeweler and creator ..
Some have challenged me , helped me tone my process of Jewlery making ….
Since a lot of the Jewlery is custom, I’ve had to pivot at many times to create things that are not ordinary ..or things that I would not have done without them asking me for specific details…
The Jewelry leg process has become more intuitive as well…
I know and feel what the client wants and needs as well…
It has become a special relationship that we have molded together …
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
The most important lesson that I had to unlearn is to take my feelings out of the process … Not everything I have to make is something someone will like and also visa versa..
Not everything that I will make for my client is something that I would wear as well…
We all have our personal tastes and although I mostly make things that I would and do wear myself on a daily basis…
There are pieces of Jewlery I have made for clients that have not been in my particular taste but it is what they wanted and I have to respect and honor it …
Contact Info:
- Website: www.figaru.shop
- Instagram: Figarubyolyak
Image Credits
Natasha Kertes