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How did you find yourself as a maker? How has this career unfolded for you?

I started making body chains in college for all my girlfriends to wear when going out and to festivals. After graduating I moved to Bend, OR which exposed me to some super creative people. This is where the “aha” moment happened. I realized I could make money doing what I loved. This evolved into me creating an Etsy, which majorly popped off. But in the height of all that, my designs kept getting ripped off and so I got really discouraged. It was disheartening, and I stopped to reconsider the direction of my work. In the back of my mind, I knew there was more I wanted to create and I always had an obsession with rings. So when I moved to Hood River, Oregon I got an apprenticeship learning the basics of soldering and fabricating. Then I started working under Jen Trude of Tru Design and acquired more advanced skills, such as how to set diamonds along with fascinating molecular/scientific stuff about metals. I learn a lot through trial and error. A LOT! My bench is covered with broken stones and melted projects.

What is one habit you have formed that has become an important part of your success as a business owner/maker/artist?

Viewing studio time as happy hour. Working through being tired. Putting on a smile even when I don't feel happy. Remembering the phrase "think as-if, and it will become." Change your mindset, tell yourself you are a badass. Small changes will start to happen and eventually, you will get there. 

You know how things you don't understand make something more awe-inspiring? There are a lot of those things as we are children, so what is the most magical memory you have as a child?

I have these memories of looking up to my mom for so many little things — the perfume she wore, her laughing, her beautiful mixed-metal jewelry and mixed textures and colors of her clothes. She spent some time in Morocco and the henna she brought back got me obsessed with dots…swirls dots and stars (which has fed into my work I'm just now realizing). My relationship with my mom was just so magical in and of itself. My dad too. He was always so artistic and pushed us to explore, discover, and to sit down and make stuff. I love that we didn't watch TV and instead we were told to go outside. I would spend my time making fairy huts out of twigs and nice scraps of fabric, pieces of wood, q-tips, cotton balls. Those huts were incredibly elaborate. I would attract the fairies with different potions and stuff. Once they even left me a bracelet, which I still have and keep for good luck. I was captivated by fairies & had so many books on them. All the kids would go to recess and I would go to the library and would read the fairy books over and over…

What is magic to you, as an adult?

This one's easy. Being kind is magic.

What's magic about it is what happens from being kind and the things that are reflected back at you when you lead with kindness. 

What do you love most about your business?

What I love used to be what I hated the most. I was concerned that I didn't have a cohesive look. I had some delicate stuff and some chunky stuff. Some silver and some gold. I was using faceted, sparkly stones and earthy stones. Thick bands and thin bands. It wasn't cohesive and it really stressed me out. But one day the owner of a shop expressed her love for my "look" which then made me realize that I really did have one and how my eclectic taste actually came together to create a style that is truly authentic to me. I realize that where I'm at is just the tip of the iceberg of what there is to learn, but right now I've created this funky aesthetic with the skills and knowledge that I have.

Who or what has had the biggest influence on your creativity/your business?

Earlier I mentioned my mom. Her style is on-point, timeless. Also as mentioned, Jen Trude of Trude Designs in White Salmon, WA. When I first began obsessing over rings I found Millie Savage who is not afraid of color or mixed metals and I love that. I also really love Communion by Joy.

What makes you come alive & keeps you going?

Call me sentimental, but it's enchanting to sit with a gem for hours and slowly create a piece of art that someone will wear for the rest of their lives. Seeing a client's face light up when they see their piece for the first time is pretty magical. What keeps me going? Well, I like to stay busy. Being active, socializing, getting up early, watching the sun come up, going to my studio... I really do thrive when I know I’m working extra hard. Even going to my day job and interacting with people energizes me to get into my studio to create. With an upcoming move to Montana and making jewelry full-time, I am about to enter a phase where I slow down. I’m excited but nervous to see what happens when I don’t have that busy momentum I have now because being busy has been what has driven me thus far. Also, I just love everything that I’m doing, and I won’t spend my time doing things that I don’t love. You gotta do shit you like.

What has been the biggest challenge for you on this professional journey thus far?

One of my biggest challenges has become one of my biggest learning lessons. Back in my body chain days and as a young rookie in the business, I hadn’t learned how to protect my original designs. One day, a friend sent me a picture on Instagram from a very big name in the jewelry world and said, “Mads, isn’t this your design?” I was so upset and felt defeated to have a well-known brand take credit for my work. I was quite bitter and it stifled my creativity for a long time. But the thing is, this is just how the industry works and that's a good thing to learn early on. Reflecting back, I’m glad this all happened because that was a pivotal point for me as a designer and business owner. I decided to take the leap to expand my skills and make higher-end, one-of-a-kind pieces. I made the right choice. You can’t let someone copying you get you down. Instead, let it put a fire under your ass to create something even better.

What is one thing you would tell an aspiring or new entrepreneur that would encourage them to start/keep going?

You better love what you do because this is going to be one wild ride! Remember to be a business owner, you have to be multi-faceted. You have to be good at talking to people. The finances. Marketing. Building a website. Or else be good at delegating to others to do these things for you. I think it's important to evaluate if you really want to make your hobby your career... because if you aren't prepared to use your passion-fuel push through the parts of your business that you don't enjoy, you will burn out quickly.