Today we’d like to introduce you to Mishell Theriot

Hi Mishell, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?

It started one evening after I’d finished for the day of doing Hair…. Cosmetologist of 30 years at the time. My back was so sore and sitting felt good! I was happy to be home and had no rehearsals that night either. Was also a professional Singer and had my own top 40 band. This was in the 90’s. I wasn’t quite happy with a lot of the jewelry that was out there to wear and purchase and I had some crafting wire and beads lying around in my lil craft room at the time and just decided to challenge myself… I said to myself, if I can loop this wire and it look half decent I’m going to start making my own jewelry… I can wear that on stage instead of this tin stuff I’m stuck with. Sure enough the loop came out great! I began my journey. But not before I sat for hours watching tutorials on You Tube and reading many articles for help and incentives. And then there was juggling my three “jobs” per se to work in conjunction with raising my daughter and being a wife and business owner for my husband. In 2004 my only daughter was born. In 2005 Hurricane Katrina decimated my entire Parish i lived in. My home was destroyed along with my parents home whom lived very near me on our 14 acres of land and my hair clientele of 20 years in that area was now scattered everywhere for miles. I’d lost nearly everything I worked so hard for. I had 6’ of water in my home not to mention the swamp life invading it! But all my jewelry making essentials was located upstairs which did NOT get flooded. So on top of the clean up I would then begin to sink my last bit of sanity into making. I made so much jewelry, since I had no ones hair to fix and no where to gig with my band, I just stayed home while my husband, who was a master carpenter, rebuilt everything around the destroyed areas. Then a close friend who lived in New Orleans who was not affected from the destruction hosted a party for my jewels. My very first party was only 2 short hours at a beautiful B & B and my profit was impressive. I never stopped after that. I knew this was the path and journey of my future. I got so much joy from doing it, loved talking to the customers and about my designs and was physically better doing it… not as much back pain as in hairdressing or performing on stage. Age always gets you eventually in those industries.
I went on to doing small craft shows, trade shows, art shows and larger festivals. Getting to a point where I was booked every weekend either with my band or with my jewelry shows. I made jewelry during the nights after I tucked my Harmony in bed. My schedule was grueling. I look back and I simply can’t believe I even made it work! I never quite rebuilt my hair clientele back up to what it used to be. Lots of folks simply never came back to our beloved St. Bernard Parish. “Da Parish”. It was too much for them to handle and they never felt that it was ever going to be the same. They were right. It never was. But I’m still here and it’s still home for my daughter and I. I’d since divorced her father, now 8 years and remarried to my soul mate. Which leads me to the journey of finding independence and preserverence. I would’ve never known had I not taken the chance to remove myself from the chaos of that life with my ex husband. It got extremely hard, mentally, physically, spiritually and financially but persistence and faith kept me driven in the right direction I continued to grow in my artworks. I kept challenging myself to step up and learn something new. Any good pay day I invested in the growth of my business somehow and still by Gods good graces was able to put food on our table, without much help from the other half.
I had angels in my corner, friends who believed in me and they were there anytime I desperately needed them. Thankfully it was not too much!
And then I met my husband, Matt. The absolute perfect one for me. My Wind beneath. We met in 2021 right after the pandemic. At this time my shows had completely halted…. No festivals, art shows, markets….. no jewelry sales there, No singing, no clubs, no private parties, no big functions, nothing there… and no hair! Close contact as you know was not a good idea. All three of my jobs had completely halted and I had no way to work. So what did i do…. Besides the help from Government Aid, being self employed at least was recognized for a change and I made that little money for the time being. But I turned to social media…. It was now time to make that stand there and there I did somewhat. Everyone was shopping online! I began doing Facebook live shows. I still do them to this day! And I love doing them. Things were starting to open up again slowly and life began to evolve yet again to public places. I started singing out again. But my hair business suffered tremendously. That never quite recovered. Then after performing two shows I was hit with the Delta Variant of Covid. Well… it damn near killed me. I was engaged to my Matt only a month and had a promising journey to move on to when this hits. I was hospitalized for almost 4 months. I was put on the Ventilator and they did not expect me to come off, only to go to the grave. Then while I’m in there another hurricane hits us and I couldn’t be taken off the vent, I was on it for 32 days, leaving my vocal cords paralyzed. Somehow, by many prayers by many loved ones I made it off that thing and they put a trachea tube in my throat. But my lungs and cords were toasted. My body, lungs, kidneys, muscle joints, hair, skin you name it, were never the same. It truly felt like I’d lost my best friend when I woke up out of that coma to my voice completely gone forever. That’s been the hardest thing I’ve had to face. I’d been a singer since i was 6 years old, from singing with my Father, Jazz Great trumpeter Roy Liberto. He was the real professional.
I got up out of that hospital and came home in a wheel chair…. I crawled up my stairs when I got home and my husband never left my side… we were married 3 months later on our land. I’ve retired from Hairdressing after 40 years, Retired from singing after 52 years and I now do my electroforming jewelry and designs full time in my little shop adjacent to my home here on the Bayou. I wouldn’t trade it for anything! I can honestly say I’m happier then ever and being able to concentrate on just one of my creative abilities has given me the chance to hone in on those special skills and make them better!
The walk has been long and sometimes very hard, but keeping your focus driven on achieving the goals has really given me the perseverance I’ve always needed to continue on.
In this past year, even with a beaten economy I still managed to grow and turn the numbers and even won my first award in a large art show out of town after 15 years of being in the field. I feel accomplished finally! But will I stop here? No way! My husband keeps me going. He’s my truest biggest fan and I couldn’t do it without him…. For real!

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?

Many struggles. A test of time… between hurricane Katrina, losing my three careers and covid and losing my vocal cords after contacting the virus yes, the road was rough….

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?

I am an electroforming artist. Whereas it is the process of flowing electricity through a pre mixed acid fluid where copper particles get deposited to form thick layers onto a pretreated object. Kind of like electroplating but more time consuming and more extensive.

I am most proud of the fact that I am completely self taught. I learned the hard way. Trial and error…. The best teacher!

They are simply not many others out there doing this technique. Chemistry is a bit intimidating. Playing with acid makes some folks squeamis. Handling some organic things are not for the weak stomach souls.

I love to use cicadas, crawfish claws, bee hives, plants and flowers, teeth, bones, if I can coat it and enhance it in a composition I’m going to love the challenge. But doing a simple mainstream timeless jewelry design still tickles my fancy too. I make sure I never get bored!

Any big plans?

My 2025 projected outlook is goooooood! I’ve mapped out some really big art shows this coming year. With more road traveling. My husband loves it! Who knows! We may even bite the bullet and get that travel trailer!
After 15 years of field work (shows outside my general area) I’ve finally laid out a game plan of events, projections and schedules. Now I have to get my routine in order and practice consistency in achieving them I believe .
My biggest goal is actually to be published and featured on a cover… I’d since been published twice and was so honored. But that cover is calling me! And my goal is to complete a piece that will represent our beautiful heritage of Mardi Gras. A featured piece done up in all mixed media using every technique i have ever done in my jewelry making career…. Electroforming, soft soldering, resin, leather work, wire wrapping, and design. A climax of all the learning! Fun!

Contact Info:

• Website: http://Www.reddivadesign.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reddivadesigns
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/reddivadesigns/