Lately I've been thinking more intentionally about escapism, and what I do in my day to day that brings me the most joy, comfort and peace. I relate the desire to escape into fantasy worlds with the way I intuitively want to feel. Have I achieved my true sense of self? Am I grounded in who I am when I look around at the objects I hold the most dear, and do I feel genuine connection to it?
It's not that I need my belongings to validate who I am, but more that they give me a sense of direction. They're only small parts of what's going on in my head, so when I see them in front of me it reminds me of how I felt when I first saw them and why I decided I needed it in my life. Everything I have in my bedroom, for instance, creates a feeling of escaping into a different time or space.
When I'm designing jewellery I do this same practice, only the other way around where I sit with nothing in my hand and try to imagine what I would want to feel if I did have something in it. How wide do I want the ring to sit on my finger? How much do I want the necklace to weigh on my neck? If I were to accidentally drop this on the ground, how much noise do I want it to make?
It's this sense of belonging to the objects we keep with us that drives me to make jewellery. I see jewellery as a wearable memory and wearable emotion. Art gives us the ability to make something that didn't exist before, and to be able to create a wearable object that becomes part of a person's image and identity is a true privilege.