We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Willow Rain a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Willow, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
My name is Willow Rain and I am a self taught metalsmith and owner of Ramblin Soul Studios. I am from the PNW and have always had a goal seeking mindset and dream chasing personality. I love to explore the earth, meet people from around the world, ask questions to strangers, jump out of my comfort and dare to do the unimaginable. Prior to taking on my art business full time, I spent my teens and early 20s working as a guide in outdoor recreation and traveling the world between seasons. My adventures and lifestyle has always been 100% funded by the sole support of my hard earned income and determination to be different. Eager to leave home, I had graduated early from high school and saved every dollar I earned nannying to purchase a one way plane ticket to Nicaragua. I spent two months in Central America inspired by the stories of others’ alternative career paths and lifestyles. I met bloggers, wildlife photographers, yoga instructors and a woman traveling the world driving yachts for the famous. I was captivated by their stories all while making unforgettable and life changing memories of my own.
I returned for a few semesters of college before quickly craving more creative freedom and adventure in my life. I realized the path I was inspired by wouldn’t be discovered in a classroom of strangers. I still had so much more exploring myself to do and questions to ask before really knowing what I wanted to be when I grew up. I dropped out and began exploring alternative job opportunities in beautiful places. I spent 8 years ski instructing in Colorado, raft guiding in Glacier Montana, glass blowing in Alaska, and farming all around the world. I knew one day the ultimate goal was to be my own boss.
After working all through the height of the pandemic, I decided to take a full year off to invest in myself. I didn’t really know what that looked like when I made this decision. And I’m not entirely sure I was aware this is what I was doing when I converted a 2005 astro van completely on a whim. I lived in a Volkswagen bus on the road as a baby (before van life had all the hype) so this was a lifelong dream of mine. I remember drawing my first bus build plans and spinning around a globe in third grade, envisioning the lifestyle so clearly. I built my van on a $1000 budget with minimal tools, no carpentry experience and a little help from youtube. It took me two months. I wasn’t sure how I was going to make it work but I was determined. I had saved enough money to take a few months off and decided to take this time to do a cross country road trip exploring parts of the US I had never seen.
Since I was a young girl, art was my escape. I was always specifically drawn to sculpture, creating a piece of art that had purpose. I always loved working with natural objects from the earth. Wood, clay, wool and rocks. My first love was ceramics. I loved how unforgiving it could be, the attention to detail, all the steps involved. I loved the discipline you had to have, not to fall in love until the final reveal. When I began my seasonal career, I found myself in remote towns without a kiln or studio to continue. I expressed my creativity in other ways, though I never felt the same passion and satisfaction.
Art was always something I was passionate about, but no one told me I could BE an artist. I first started making jewelry in 2018. It interested me because it was wearable art and a way of self expression. My coworker at the time loved what I was making and convinced me to sell a few pairs of my leather earrings in the gallery we worked for in Alaska. Two years later I learned to weave beads and sold consignment to a shop in Durango Colorado. Though, I still had never thought of myself as a jewelry artist.
During the first month of moving full time into my van, I had listened to a podcast about a woman who smiths full time out of her vehicle. (Van Crafted Studios) She explained the process, discussed the lifestyle and I quickly discovered this art had so many similarities to clay sculpture I knew and loved so much. This was something I could do on the road that wouldn’t take up much space. It was a new way for me to sculpt and I was beyond excited. Without really understanding what the investment into this hobby would later become, I marched into a local supply store and asked the women to hand me all the basic tools to smith my first ring. And so it began.
During my time on the road, I was spending most of my days alone in the wilderness. To fill the silence, I focused my time learning this new medium. I fell in love and quickly realized that if I wanted to keep up with the cost of materials, I would need to find ways to sell my work. I developed a website, learned social media marketing and slowly found small events and farmers markets in the towns I was traveling through, to start selling my work in person.
I have created beautiful pieces of jewelry all along the Appalachians, the beaches and lakes of Maine, the deserts of Utah, the mountains of Montana, the rivers of Idaho, the forests of Oregon and so many more wild places! I created out of a mobile metalsmith studio for two years until I moved back to my hometown, Portland Oregon in 2023. Here I have established an incredible community and name for myself as an artist. Although currently my studio is mostly home based, I continue to pack out my tools to create in the surrounding wilderness often. Every component of my work is handcrafted and influenced by the ever changing landscapes I’m eager to explore.
I will forever be grateful for all the conversations and life experiences that allowed me to discover myself and motivated me to take the risks that lead up to the decision of diving head first into this art business. I will forever be grateful for the people who have supported my art from day one and continue to adorn their bodies and homes with my hand crafted treasures.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The most rewarding part about being an artist and a creative, is the freedom. Although this career occasionally requires us to take on rolls and responsibilities that make us uncomfortable or are challenging to navigate, we still have complete control. I have every ability to say no to things that don’t align with my values and say yes to opportunities that excite my inspiration. You’ll likely work more hours than a 9-5 but you’ll always have the ability to schedule and prioritize the important occasions into your life. I love the never ending ability to learn new skills and problem solve.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
Establishing personal relationships and sharing my story. Taking the time to get to know my customers and be open to being vulnerable with them while also keeping privacy. I explain my process in detail and the inspiration behind each piece. I establish trust in the wear of my art by offering free repairs if ever broken by the fault of my craftsmanship. I always offer ways to care for their one of kind pieces and easy ways to contact me. I encourage customers and admirers to reach out with any and all questions surrounding my work. I believe strongly in sharing resources with other artists in my trade or those looking to discover it. I love networking with my local artist community, taking on collaborations and getting to know all my market/event neighbors.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ramblinsoulstudios.com
- Instagram: @ramblin.soul.studios
Image Credits
Willow Rain Kelly