We were lucky to catch up with Thomas Johnston recently and have shared our conversation below.
Thomas, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?
The passion of silversmithing was instilled in me at a very young age by my grandfather. He taught me the basics and then encouraged me to keep pursuing my art. I spent a lot of time with grandpa growing up and had he not been such a big part of my life, I never would have cared to learn this art!
After grandpa taught me the basics, I learned by a lot of trial and error. I never went to school for silverwork but I’m glad I have chosen my own learning style so I can push the boundaries of this art without having any “box” I’m supposed to be confined to.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I started learning the silversmithing trade from my grandfather at a young age. The actual business side came a bit later and was always something I could fall back on when real life work was difficult.
In 2018 my fiance (Riley) encouraged me to get back into business consistently part time. She helped handle the organization and scheduling so I could focus on the art. In 2020 we both left our full time jobs and took a big leap into Deep Well Designs. It was a little terrifying with everything going on in the world! We were lucky enough to have everything fall into place and have been successfully operating as a full time business since then!
We currently offer start to finish jewelry, rough turquoise, and cut stones (cabochons) for other jewelers. Our turquoise mine is near our home in Nevada and we spend a lot of our time working the ground by hand to pull out the beautiful stones. Those stones come back to our home based shop for us to process and cut each one. Once the stones are finished, they are then used in our jewelry! We hand fabricate each setting to ensure each client gets a one of a kind piece!
Our business is currently 90% online and about 10% at different trade shows. Our inventory and more about us can be found on our website at www.deepwelldesigns.com
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 biggest lesson I had to un-learn is that life doesn’t have to go the way everyone tells you it should.
You don’t need to have the 9-5 office job to be successful. You don’t have to conform to social norms. The people telling you that you “can’t” or “shouldn’t” are either jealous or don’t like you stepping out of the box. Don’t listen to those people. If you put the effort in and value yourself, you can absolutely succeed as an artist!
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The most rewarding aspect of being an artist for me is the special projects. I can’t tell you how many times I have been asked to help preserve memories for people. Whether it is incorporating someone’s ashes, re-creating a lost heirloom piece, or just converting a favorite memory into jewelry – I get to work on the most meaningful projects!
The feeling of bringing joy to someone’s life through my art is incredible!
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.deepwelldesigns.com
- Instagram: @deepwelldesigns00
- Facebook: Deep Well Designs