We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Shana Kroiz. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Shana below.

Hi Shana, 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 key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

I have been working as a Jewelry Artist since college. I have almost always worked in some form of Jewelry making and or Jewelry education. While in college, I worked first as a bench jeweler for several amazing jewelry artists. I then was lucky enough to work in a jewelry gallery in NYC where I did both retail and was able to design and create jewelry that was also sold in the gallery/store. From there I focused on education and my own One of a Kind Jewelry practice. I began working as a jewelry instructor at a Summer program for high school students. I then, went straight into graduate school from undergraduate school at Parsons School of design, where I did several adjunct teaching jobs. I was able to transform my teaching job at MICA (Maryland Institute College of Art) from one continuing studies class to founding and running the MICA Jewelry Center which was a non degree certificate program, I ran and taught at for over 20 years. During that Time I taught workshops and classes around the country while creating One of a Kind art jewelry, which I exhibited primarily in gallery exhibitions. In the late 2000’s I transitioned from my income primarily coming from teaching to focusing for on my Jewelry sales. I also transitioned form creating only One of A Kind jewelry avanté guard pieces to a combination of limited production and One of a Kind pieces. I began participating in the Juried fine Craft Show circuit where I have been selling my work primarily for the past 14 years. Major Milestones – Founding and Creating the MICA Jewelry Certificate Program Directing the Jewelry Certificate Program at the 92nd Street Y, while still running the MICA Jewelry Program Being involved in the transition from the MICA Jewelry Program which closed and being on the committee that created the Baltimore Jewelry Center which is a nonprofit Jewelry Program that has gained international and national recognition and was founded in response to MICA closing their Jewelry Program. I still teach at the Baltimore Jewelry Center to stay active in the education community, diversify my income and give back to future jewelers.

I have also, been published in many books and magazines over the years. I have participated in most of the high end Juried Craft Shows including the Smithsonian Craft Show, Palm Beach Fine Craft Show, American Craft Council’s Fine Craft shows, just to name a few. My work is in the permanent collections of several museums including the MAD Museum in New York, Cooper Hewitt, Racine Museum. Since I have been doing the craft shows, I have built a clientele of loyal customers who love to wear my jewelry with such enthusiasm and pride. This stage of my journey has been very rewarding as I cherish the relationships and amazing people I have met because of their desire to own and wear my creations.

When I began my career, there was so much emphasis on exhibitions, publications and being an educator, I was discouraged from focusing on sale-able work. Art for arts sake. It was almost looked down upon to participate in craft shows. I spent many years, not focusing on making a living and on actually selling my work, I educated, I exhibited, I displayed and my work was critiqued and written about, yes I did always sell, but that was not the gaol or priority, so when I did transition into selling being a primary focus, I was well along in my career and I had to learn a lot about business and creating pieces that are desirable and wearable, while still being artful and stying true to my artistic voice. The problem is, that I lost years of potential income and more importantly, years of clients. The thing that really helps an artistic business like mine survive and thrive is through loyal repeat clients. It was really obvious when COVID, hit, because almost all of my sales during COVID came from previous clients and in general, my repeat clients make up a huge part of my business and I am sure I would have benefited had I been creating these relationships much sooner in my career.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers?

I was born into a creative family. My mother is an artist and I was a child while she attended MICA for both her undergraduate and Masters Degree. I attended Baltimore School for the Arts which is a public hight school for the arts where I studied fine Arts. I was always drawn to 3 dimensional work and I have a strong sense of design. When I started at Parsons School of Design, I was thinking sculpture or Graphics would be what I majored in. Luckily I discovered the jewelry department, which was really small scale sculpture that could be worn. It was love at first sight. From the first time, I sanded and polished a piece of metal I was hooked. I quickly discovered all the sculptural aspects of metal, including wax casting, electroforming and metal forming all techniques that allow for sensuous and dimensional forms. I then learned about enameling which was how I was able to bring color into my work. This combination was really very exciting for me and my art practice. I have spent my entire career experimenting and discovering how I can create wearable sculptural forms that embody a sensuous feel with colors that excite and bring joy to the wearer. The exploration and discovery of how to use electroforming in my work, was really life changing as I was now able to create large scale metal forms that are lightweight and comfortable to wear while being expressive and bold. My work has evolved over time from more quirky imaginative shapes to forms that have a bit more style and sensuous focus. My work has become a celebration of the female form. Pieces that help my collectors feel special and desirable when they wear them. I have created so much work over the years and have worked in several materials, including silver, golds, electroformed copper with both vitreous enamels and low fused enamels, precious and semi precious stones. I have used hand fabrication, forming and repose, electroforming and casting, all techniques that have helped me create these pieces over the years. And though I have changed materials, techniques and directions, my work has a very distinctive style and feel and is immediately recognizable and desirable by so many. I am particularly well known for my sculptural double sided earrings that appear to flow through the ear creating a sculptural flowing design which is flattering and interesting from all angles. The best part of these earrings is that in addition to being beautiful, interesting and elegant, they are extremely lightweight and comfortable making them most of my clients favorite earrings and my best selling design. And an Iconic Shana Kroiz design. As stated before, my work is very distinct and recognizable. Currently, I am focusing on using finer materials including 18k gold, diamonds and precious stones to get color.

Covid, has been a huge transition for my business as the shows are suffering and attendance is low, so I have put a great amount of time into social media. Though I struggle with many aspects of social media I do think it is a great way for people to become familiar with my work, me as a creator and to learn and understand my process and pieces in a more intimate way. Hopefully this will excite people to reach out and set up either in person or virtual appointments with me so they can really see and understand my jewelry. As once you have experienced it, most ladies want to wear it, handle and own it, to feel it and enjoy it.

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

I have had to make several pivots in my career. The two that stand out the most to me are when I became a mom and lost time and control over my time. I struggled for a long time to find both balance and joy in both my parenting and my art practice. I am sure that children slowed down my progress and changed my career trajectory. While, they have brought me so much joy and growth as a person and hopefully, my creative life has informed and influenced them to be kinder more perceptive and appreciative humans. I changed, my entire art practice when I had my children, first moving my studio to my home, so I could be close and available. Also I made electroforming my major studio technique, as it allowed me to create in a way that the pieces were being built, in the electroforming tank, while I could be with my kids, giving me a sense of accomplishment while freeing up time from having to be in the studio. Creating in Wax and electroforming as apposed to hand fabricating from sheet metal, is a much less time consuming process and it allows for limited production, through the use of molds.

The next big pivot was when I stepped down from directing the MICA Jewelry Center and entered the Craft Show scene, creating a limited production line and focusing on sales and shows. The show rout, involves, so much including lots of travel, schlepping, business knowledge, display and merchandising, marketing and I could go on. But this also created opportunities to make more money and freedom, than teaching. I also, loved the challenge, the community of both artist and collectors. With this said, neither path is easy and being an artist means you are always striving for more, hoping to keep what you have gained and learned, continuing to grow and question, your talent. It is very emotional and the highs are exquisite and the lows are devastating. But the day to day, time in the studio is the best place to be and I cannot imagine doing anything else.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Society can be mindful in how they chose to spend their money. We live in a world where most people own and purchase from the same businesses and providers. If our society thought about how impactful each person could be if they filled their home with artful handmade clothes, jewelry artwork, furniture. Ate food made by actual people and not machines and large corporations, supported small business it would change the lives of all involved. My clients, love wearing my work. The human connection that is made and shared is so gratifying and meaningful. I really believe that people who live lives that have purpose and human connections in as many ways as possible are happier, richer and surrounded with more interesting people in their lives.

Be mindful and on purpose and with your spending, style, travel, and eating choice. Support real people!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.shanakroizjewelry.com
• Instagram: shanakroizjewelry
• Facebook: shanakroizjewelry
• Linkedin: shanakroizjewelry
• Twitter: shanakroizjewelry
• Youtube: shanakroizjewelry

Image Credits
Jerry Brown at Mass Creation Studio, Dave McIntosh