Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Rachel Mitchell. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Rachel, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I’ve always been a creative person. This goes back to childhood where some of my earliest memories are my mom teaching me how to sew. Growing up on a small hobby farm, we didn’t have a TV, and every weekend, we had a different art or craft activity. I spent a lot time outside, riding horses with a wild imagination and exploring nature. My early education was at a Montessori school, where the learning was hands-on and was self-directed play. For me this meant discovering how things work and how things go together. In high school, I focused on photography and ceramics, and leaned more toward the arts than academics. I always known I wanted to be in the arts.

I started at the Art Institute of Philadelphia after high school in photography and what I found myself doing was constructing objects out of photographs. So I became fascinated with sculpture and manipulation, which lead me to my metalsmithing degree focused on sculptural elements. But living in a tiny house in Philadelphia, I didn’t have outdoor space for welding at my house, so I found myself miniaturizing a lot of my work, which in turn led me to jewelry design and creation.

Previously, my studio was based out of Philadelphia, PA, where my jewelry collection was present in galleries throughout the East Coast. Then I became a mom, and my jewelry took a back seat to raising my son. I never really stopped creating, but it was mostly personal. When my son went to college at Boston University, I knew it was time to start my own business, and so MaraLuna Jewelry was created in 2020. Since then, I’ve been at numerous art events and shows around Longmont, Colorado, where my current studio is located. I’ve gotten back into having my work in galleries as well.

Rachel, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Rachel Mitchell, and I’m a proud owner of a small business called MaraLuna Jewelry. I have Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in metalsmithing from Moore College of Art and Design in Philadelphia, PA as well a degree in photography from the Art Institute of Philadelphia.

All my jewelry is hand-crafted in sterling silver, many with gemstones. I’ve been creating my own line of jewelry for over 20 years. For those that don’t know me, I’m a lover of oddities, things that make me wonder, and people that challenge my norm. Nature and emotional response feed into my designs, but the metal in many ways tells me what it wants to do and I just go with that. It’s a little like having children. You have to sometimes just let go and let the art go its own way and just learn from that.

I want people to have an organic personal attraction to the pieces…something that speaks to you. Being “imperfectly perfect” is all part of the process. Every single piece is very personal to me–every piece is something I would wear. That’s meaningful to me. If I am putting it out there for someone to buy, it is because it is special to me and I hope it will be special to you, too.

No piece is ever really “done”, I stop when I think it just feels right – emotionally, textually. It just feels like it’s enough. The material just gets to have its own journey.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

Starting out, there wasn’t ordering anything online. I spent a lot of time on Jeweler’s Row in Philadelphia (shout out to Hagstoz), and even travelled to New York City to search out silver findings. Social media has had an impact on communicating my work broadly as well as learning about new tools and equipment being used in metalsmithing.

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

Being an introvert, jewelry lets me express who I am. The most rewarding aspect is having people connect with me and my jewelry. I enjoy talking with people at shows and getting feedback – criticism isn’t a bad thing if you see everything as a learning opportunity. Being an artist, we see the world differently, and I’m inspired by everything. I love that energy. I love figuring things out and the energy that brings. Letting my mind wander and create is what I want to be doing. Its the journey that is important.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.maralunajewelry.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maraluna_jewelry/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MaraLuna-Jewelry-100247468497318
• Other: Contact Information: rachel@maralunajewelry.com ‪(970) 614-5047‬‬‬‬‬‬

Image Credits
Rachel Mitchell