When I was young, I always envisaged that I would achieve something great. I believed that the magic in this world happens when you colour outside the lines. So that’s what I was determined to do; I spent my 20’s living abroad, seeing the world and running wildly off the path of convention.
Age has a way of making us colour within the lines. It wasn’t that the goal or the aspiration had gone, but after a while you reflect on what you’re up to and realise that the “break all the rules” streak has been replaced with a desire to progress your career, and hop on the property ladder.
Jumping into this business full time definitely was not playing by the rulebook, when you look at it on paper. But this business is built on the merit of defying convention – and the further I colour outside the lines, the more magic I find.
Just a week before I took the wild leap of quitting my former career, I’d asked Richard Branson ‘how do you deal with fear when you’re a normal person like me (and not like you!)?’. His answer was, ‘fear is just an obstacle to be overcome’.
Two of the gazillion fears I’d had about investing 100% of my time in this business, was the fact I was not classically trained as a jeweller, I don’t follow trends, and that breaking nails is a frequent issue when making jewelry. KIDDING. I digress. But, not surprisingly Richard was right, and those first two facts are something I’m now bloody proud of, and have been a major contribution to the success of this little business.
A couple of our most popular pieces have been created on that merit;
This cuff was created to solve a practical issue – I loved an arm full of jewelry, but it was a bloody pain in the arse with my wrists bashing on a desk all day. This cuff is like a second skin – so damn comfortable, goes with everrrrrrything and I now wear 1 or 2 of them daily – whether I’m at the computer or in the studio.
The convention of hoops said they have to be round. I disagree, and they’ve quickly become one of our most popular pairs of earrings.
