I am largely self-taught in the arts. I come from a background of science
and healthcare but have always had a keen interest in the arts. My interest in jewelry has
been longstanding and my education varied. I have always been one to seek out
knowledge in every nook and cranny that I can and this is what I have done to
further my education in the art of jewelry.
I
have a very eclectic personality and truly enjoy challenging myself and seeking
knowledge. My professional career for the last 20 years has been in medical
speech pathology primarily in hospital setting. My interests outside of work
include traveling, rowing, running, biking, xc skiing, attending lectures and
art shows. I’m also quite a foodie and love to cook. I told you I was eclectic!
A shorter answer would have been what do I not like to do!
My
creativity comes from somewhere deep in my soul I am certain. No one else in my
family really “creates” but my brother was a budding artist in his late teens
and early 20’s. I think for me, a part of my need to create comes from the
challenge. I have always been driven to achieve something, such as creating a
new design, to gain the knowledge and conquer the challenge. The challenge of getting something from
my head to a piece of wearable art… fascinating.
“What
got me into actually selling my work?” I would be out and about, literally, anywhere (the grocery, work, dining
out), wearing one of my necklaces, earrings, or rings and inevitably more than
one person would comment on how unique it was and ask where I had purchased it from. What followed was something like this….
“you made it? Are you selling your
work anywhere?” Me: “No, I just
make it for myself” Admirer: “Oh,
no, you should really be selling it!”… and Aviron Jewelry was born about 2
years ago. I chose the name Aviron because it means, “rowing or oar” in French
which is my second biggest passion next to jewelry design, rowing!
My
creative process….It’s really an
iterative process. I am really a self-taught jewelry designer and very
instinctual with my designs. I have been drawn to jewelry ever since I was a young
child at my great grandmothers house, rooting around her drawers of jewelry from
Bohemia, her native country. I am a gypsy at heart.
I
always think that I should be one of those artists’s who sketches out designs
as I’m sitting by the fire or enjoying a day at the beach but it just doesn’t
happen that way for me. I go down into
my studio, I start with either copper, silver, brass or stones and it just
happens. My pieces are very earthy and raw, so glittery and perfectly shaped
does not typically come out of my studio. My dog Jackson usually accompanies me
as well, which makes my studio space very homey. Some music, the dog and sunshine make for a creative day.
It
is extremely hard for me to pick my favorite item. It seems like the latest design is always my favorite! I tend to make each piece slightly
different than the next, which means each item is really one of a kind. I’m easily bored and crave new and
different.
My
goal with Aviron Jewelry is to inspire and create pieces that people love to
wear. In the process of doing that I would love to eventually have my designs
in small, independent boutiques all over the country and the world some day. Aviron
jewelry is new endeavor for me over the last 2 years but my interest in jewelry
and dabbling in creating has been a lifetime interest.
Meet Nicole Bloch from Erra Creations...
It all re-started from a few funky antique
shop finds that re-sparked Nicole Y. Bloch’s love of visual art. Growing up in
an artistic family was a huge inspiration for creativity from the beginning.
Bloch's family owned an art and craft store in the South Hills of Pittsburgh.
Fittingly, her father was a master framer, her grandmother was a nationally
known decoupage artist, and her grandfather was a high school art teacher and
amateur architect. Bloch pursued schooling as a classical flutist, and for a
while her passion for visual art was set aside. Today, both audio and visual
art are share the spotlight in her life. Erra Creations was born with the
belief that almost anything that might ordinarily be discarded could be
transformed into beautiful and wearable works of art. Everything from used
bicycle parts to broken vintage jewelry to machine shop scraps is given new
life as fun and funky household accessories and jewelry.
A personal insight:
I love to keep busy with good things: Destructing and
reconstructing!
I get my creativity from my father and his family. Architects,
visual art, and my family owned an art and craft supply store- so that helped a
bunch!
I presume that fate got me into my business craft. I grew up with
it. But as an adult, it was a mixture of thrifting and antiquing, a friend
pushing me to open a vintage storefront, and my best friend moving to Vermont-
purging his old bicycle components.
How I officially got started.. I made a bet with a friend, who
makes beautiful, wire wrapped gold and gemstone jewelry, to open an Etsy shop.
She was in a creative slump and I thought if opening a shop could help
her out of it- yea! We were going to each list 20 things by Labor Day (it was
Memorial Day) and have a girl’s night out on the town with our earnings. Alas,
she never opened a shop, but I did!!!
My favorite items- well, that would be a triple tie between my
bicycle chain and soda can tea light holders, vintage papered light switch
plates, and the original Bicycle Gear Necklace. I guess my favorite would be my
gear necklaces!
In five years from now, I would love to do everything I am now - I
actually like my accounting job too. However if I could do part time "real
job" and full time Erra Creations, that would be good for me.
My advice for those looking to start a business, take it slow. It
is really exciting and lots of work. The worst thing you can do is get
overwhelmed.
My newest projects… I've been having a lot of
fun with custom orders lately. Half of them using parts I already have in my
workshop, the other half I have been using customer's prized bicycle parts from
the loved bike and making whole collections for them: clocks, trivets,
coasters, bracelets, necklaces, earrings, rings, cuff links, frames, etc
etc... It's a fantastic way for any enthusiast to keep their memories of great
rides and be green at the same time.
Meet Shannon Dennis from The Nina Line...
I'm now a
work at home mom after over 5 years of traveling for the sewing
industry teaching sewing around the country. I've written and had
published three books on sewing including:
Make It You: Sew Hip
Make It
You: Your Space
The Basics and Beyond: Sewing Home Decor.
I currently write
regularly for some very fun sewing publications like Sew News, Creative
Machine Embroidery and Sew It All. Since my son was born in 2010, I've had the
amazing opportunity to stay home with him and continue my creative career with
Nina, my own company. While I make things to sell I also enjoy sharing my
passion for sewing by helping others learn "how-to" DIY!
Where I get my creativity.. I got my skills from my mom
and I think my creativity too. She was always a pattern and directions sewer, but when I started showing signs of cutting out my own designs and changing
patterns around. she always encouraged me. She never made me feel bad if it didn't
work out the way I thought it would. I think sometimes my creativity comes out
of necessity too. I have to make a living at what I do now so sometimes you
just have to buckle down (mostly during that wonderful two hour nap time!) and
create!
I got into my craft through my mom. It was part of our homeschooling curriculum to
learn basic sewing skills. She was always amazing about crafting for other
people, making handmade cards for birthdays, it was just in our blood as a
family!
My creative process is through visual inspiration. This can come from anywhere. Then
finding the fabrics to create and making it happen. Sometimes this takes trial
and error, but I also set up an inspiration board for bigger projects so they
don't get too far away from my original intent. This allows me to take out some of the possibility of error.
Some of my favorite items... A custom made
toddler quilt and a bib necklace. Totally fun to make and working with my
client on the quilt made her feel like part of the creation for her daughter
even though she doesn't sew!
My goals.. I'm about
to launch a new website for my business www.theninaline.com and it includes a shop! I'm hoping this will be
profitable and allow me to make more the how-to videos people have come to
love. I hope that 5 years from now I can be teaching sewing again on a regular
basis and creating more one-of-a-kind items that people will love!
Check out these featured vendors at the 2012 Spring Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show. This eclectic show will feature over 135 of the most talented artisans and crafters. A portion of the show's proceeds will be donated to Project Night Night, an organization that provide care packages and support for children during times of home displacement.
2012 Spring Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show
Sunday, April 29, 2012, 10:00am-5:00pm
Wagner's Country Inn
30855 Center Ridge Rd.
Westlake, OH 44145
For more information, contact Becki Cooper, Event Coordinator at info@avantgardeshows.com.
