Authenticity is more worth living when it comes to business. It’s an investment that leads you to the ladder of success. This is what our featured artist had in mind when she started her business. Out of her own hand, she made and designed multicolored, fascinating and one of a kind jewelries.
Shimmering with a variety of gems and sea creatures’ stones is the Falling Water necklace. Stirred by waterfalls, this is one of the artist favorite creations. This necklace definitely implies elegance in all movement.
The Olive Jade earring above reflects simplicity. Made out of a translucent lime-green stones hung in a sterling silver wire ,without a doubt can captivate the beauty of whomever wears it.
This Rainbow Choker necklace is perfect for those who love colors. This are fabricated of a dyed mother-of-pearl and labradorite that adds an exceptional beauty and classiness. Wear this and be totally lively.
Made out of beautiful, lime-translucent olive new "jade" and pink/grey touch-of-lime lepidolite is the Watermelon necklace. A striking collection of green and pink that reminds one of summer.
A fine-looking braided necklace made out of antiqued bone (animal), reddish wood (vegetable) and green aventurine (mineral) is the Animal Vegetable Mineral necklace. Reflects an interrelated piece of all the existing beauty of nature.
Now, lets hear more about from our featured artist for an interview.
Jane: Tell us about yourself, your location, your job and your goals:
Jenny Hoople:My name is Jenny Hoople, my business is Authentic Arts. I make glamorous, colorful, natural jewelry. I live in Beloit, Wisconsin, a stone's throw from Illinois. I work part-time in a library and an organic farm. I am married to a cute little Mexican! We had an awesome bunny!! (Bunnita, symbol of Authentic Arts and best friend, aged 7 years, passed away 11 May 2010. See her obituary and more about her here http://jennyhoople.blogspot.com/2010/05/passing-of-icon.html )
I grew up on a back-to-the-land farm, graduated from college with a bachelor of arts in fine arts with a concentration in ceramic sculpture and a minor in geology. My life ethic is one of authenticity, because a more authentic life is a more meaningful one. For me, the most authentic life is one that's handmade.
Jane: How did you start doing jewelry (or beadmaking) as a business?:
Jenny Hoople: A few years ago, I saw job's tears for sale in Johnny's seed catalog. The description said that it was a natural bead, so I thought I'd try it out. I ended up with a whole tin of seeds, but they were so light that when I made a necklace with them, the clasp kept coming around to the front. So they sat, unused, in my basement for a few years. This July, my mom and dad were visiting and my mom, as usual, wanted to stop by a craft store. While I was waiting for her, I kept walking up and down the bead aisle thinking about what would go well with the grey job's tears. I bought a few things and made a necklace. My mom liked it so much that she asked me to make her one, and since I had materials left over, I just tried to come up with as many different designs as I could. Well, when I got done with that, I had to buy more materials and really, I couldn't stop making necklaces! A lot of things were coming together in my life, bringing me to this, so I jumped on it and started selling them. I decided to use knotted silk because I like its history, it's more romantic! I choose "natural" materials (stone, bone, wood, shell, silk) because even when altered by human hands and arranged and strung by them, the beauty of the processes that formed them breaks through and dazzles me. It's so fulfilling to finally be able to use my creative side (B.A. in fine arts, millions of crafty hobbies) as a part of my livelihood.
Jane: Every artist has a personal "creative process", can you explain yours?:
Jenny Hoople: Sometimes an idea pops into my head. The Falling Water necklace in the tutorial below came to me as a vision of waterfalls made necklace as I was drifting off to sleep one night. I had to get up and write it down! Often times, I'll just open up my materials boxes and start pulling out things that jump out at me and putting them together until I start liking them and get an idea. From there, it's sort of like putting together pieces of a mosaic. Put out a bead, then another, move them around, repeat.
Jane: When people start doing jewelry, they tend to try a lot of different things before settling down to something that resonates with them, tell us how has your jewelry work changed since you began?:
Jenny Hoople: At first, I would just get natural materials that appealed to me and try to make as many different things as I could think of. I used a lot of pendants at first and I've moved away from that. In the beginning, my designs weren't as colorful as I wanted them to be, I think because I was still becoming acquainted with all the possible stones available and because I hadn't decided if dyed materials were entirely up to my code of authenticity. I have since made my peace with dyeing http://jennyhoople.blogspot.com/2010/01/lets-discuss-natural-materials.html (not to be confused with dieing, though I'm pretty ok with that, too.) and now I just can't stop looking at my designs! I'm a color-a-holic!! Also in the beginning I was drawn to women's necklaces and didn't have any idea how to think about making anything else. Thanks to lots of encouragement from friends and family, I branched out first into earrings and bracelets and finally into men's designs. A boutique in Florida wanted to carry my unisex necklaces when I only had 4 in my shop and to my name! They've been selling well down there and that alliance has really helped me to develop a full line of men's necklaces.
Jane: Can you share with us a some jewelry making or design tips?
Jenny Hoople: These will seem random: A thicker necklace has to be longer than a thin one in order to appear the same length when worn. ; Coming up with interesting color combinations can be as easy as taking careful note of the colors in the world around you that you're attracted to. Do you have a favorite painting or outfit? Those colors would be great in a necklace together! ; If at first you don't succeed, try try again! ; Make it strong. ; Snug the knots up as tight as possible!
Jane: Do you write jewelry making tutorials? Tell us more about it...What is your plan in tutorial writing?
Jenny Hoople: I've written one beading tutorial so far http://jennyhoople.blogspot.com/2010/05/falling-water-necklace-beading-tutorial.html and have gotten a lot of positive responses about it! That necklace is my most expensive and awesomest. In the spirit of a truly democratic society, I wanted to bring glamour within reach of a wider audience. Everyone should get to look so good!! That post includes a link to my first (and so far only) video tutorial on how to hand-knot a beaded necklace, too. It was fun to make, but I don't have ideas for other videos right now.
I'd like to do more tutorials, but I'm not sure which pieces of jewelry people would like to know how to make. The Falling Water necklace was a no-brainer as the first tutorial to do. If any of your readers have suggestions, I'd love to hear from them! I'm going to be posting on my Facebook fan page http://facebook.com/authenticarts and on Twitter http://twitter.com/jennyhoople and my blog asking for suggestions/requests for which tutorials to do next. I really enjoy sharing with others and I know I'll always be coming up with new designs, so I can afford to give away my "secrets" without feeling like I'm giving away my edge or anything. It's sort of like when a business uses a sliding scale of payment. By providing a tutorial, I'm making beauty more accessible to more people!
Thanks, Jenny for the sharing and I hope all the best to your business.
To view more of Jenny Hoople jewelry designs check out her sites:
Website: http://jennyhoople.etsy.com/
Store: http://www.jennyhoople.etsy.com/
Blogs: http://jennyhoople.blogspot.com/
http://jennyhoople.tumblr.com/
Social Networking Sites:
http://twitter.com/jennyhoople
http://facebook.com/authenticarts
http://myspace.com/authenticarts
Shimmering with a variety of gems and sea creatures’ stones is the Falling Water necklace. Stirred by waterfalls, this is one of the artist favorite creations. This necklace definitely implies elegance in all movement.
The Olive Jade earring above reflects simplicity. Made out of a translucent lime-green stones hung in a sterling silver wire ,without a doubt can captivate the beauty of whomever wears it.
This Rainbow Choker necklace is perfect for those who love colors. This are fabricated of a dyed mother-of-pearl and labradorite that adds an exceptional beauty and classiness. Wear this and be totally lively.
Made out of beautiful, lime-translucent olive new "jade" and pink/grey touch-of-lime lepidolite is the Watermelon necklace. A striking collection of green and pink that reminds one of summer.
A fine-looking braided necklace made out of antiqued bone (animal), reddish wood (vegetable) and green aventurine (mineral) is the Animal Vegetable Mineral necklace. Reflects an interrelated piece of all the existing beauty of nature.
Now, lets hear more about from our featured artist for an interview.
Jane: Tell us about yourself, your location, your job and your goals:
Jenny Hoople:My name is Jenny Hoople, my business is Authentic Arts. I make glamorous, colorful, natural jewelry. I live in Beloit, Wisconsin, a stone's throw from Illinois. I work part-time in a library and an organic farm. I am married to a cute little Mexican! We had an awesome bunny!! (Bunnita, symbol of Authentic Arts and best friend, aged 7 years, passed away 11 May 2010. See her obituary and more about her here http://jennyhoople.blogspot.com/2010/05/passing-of-icon.html )
I grew up on a back-to-the-land farm, graduated from college with a bachelor of arts in fine arts with a concentration in ceramic sculpture and a minor in geology. My life ethic is one of authenticity, because a more authentic life is a more meaningful one. For me, the most authentic life is one that's handmade.
Jane: How did you start doing jewelry (or beadmaking) as a business?:
Jenny Hoople: A few years ago, I saw job's tears for sale in Johnny's seed catalog. The description said that it was a natural bead, so I thought I'd try it out. I ended up with a whole tin of seeds, but they were so light that when I made a necklace with them, the clasp kept coming around to the front. So they sat, unused, in my basement for a few years. This July, my mom and dad were visiting and my mom, as usual, wanted to stop by a craft store. While I was waiting for her, I kept walking up and down the bead aisle thinking about what would go well with the grey job's tears. I bought a few things and made a necklace. My mom liked it so much that she asked me to make her one, and since I had materials left over, I just tried to come up with as many different designs as I could. Well, when I got done with that, I had to buy more materials and really, I couldn't stop making necklaces! A lot of things were coming together in my life, bringing me to this, so I jumped on it and started selling them. I decided to use knotted silk because I like its history, it's more romantic! I choose "natural" materials (stone, bone, wood, shell, silk) because even when altered by human hands and arranged and strung by them, the beauty of the processes that formed them breaks through and dazzles me. It's so fulfilling to finally be able to use my creative side (B.A. in fine arts, millions of crafty hobbies) as a part of my livelihood.
Jane: Every artist has a personal "creative process", can you explain yours?:
Jenny Hoople: Sometimes an idea pops into my head. The Falling Water necklace in the tutorial below came to me as a vision of waterfalls made necklace as I was drifting off to sleep one night. I had to get up and write it down! Often times, I'll just open up my materials boxes and start pulling out things that jump out at me and putting them together until I start liking them and get an idea. From there, it's sort of like putting together pieces of a mosaic. Put out a bead, then another, move them around, repeat.
Jane: When people start doing jewelry, they tend to try a lot of different things before settling down to something that resonates with them, tell us how has your jewelry work changed since you began?:
Jenny Hoople: At first, I would just get natural materials that appealed to me and try to make as many different things as I could think of. I used a lot of pendants at first and I've moved away from that. In the beginning, my designs weren't as colorful as I wanted them to be, I think because I was still becoming acquainted with all the possible stones available and because I hadn't decided if dyed materials were entirely up to my code of authenticity. I have since made my peace with dyeing http://jennyhoople.blogspot.com/2010/01/lets-discuss-natural-materials.html (not to be confused with dieing, though I'm pretty ok with that, too.) and now I just can't stop looking at my designs! I'm a color-a-holic!! Also in the beginning I was drawn to women's necklaces and didn't have any idea how to think about making anything else. Thanks to lots of encouragement from friends and family, I branched out first into earrings and bracelets and finally into men's designs. A boutique in Florida wanted to carry my unisex necklaces when I only had 4 in my shop and to my name! They've been selling well down there and that alliance has really helped me to develop a full line of men's necklaces.
Jane: Can you share with us a some jewelry making or design tips?
Jenny Hoople: These will seem random: A thicker necklace has to be longer than a thin one in order to appear the same length when worn. ; Coming up with interesting color combinations can be as easy as taking careful note of the colors in the world around you that you're attracted to. Do you have a favorite painting or outfit? Those colors would be great in a necklace together! ; If at first you don't succeed, try try again! ; Make it strong. ; Snug the knots up as tight as possible!
Jane: Do you write jewelry making tutorials? Tell us more about it...What is your plan in tutorial writing?
Jenny Hoople: I've written one beading tutorial so far http://jennyhoople.blogspot.com/2010/05/falling-water-necklace-beading-tutorial.html and have gotten a lot of positive responses about it! That necklace is my most expensive and awesomest. In the spirit of a truly democratic society, I wanted to bring glamour within reach of a wider audience. Everyone should get to look so good!! That post includes a link to my first (and so far only) video tutorial on how to hand-knot a beaded necklace, too. It was fun to make, but I don't have ideas for other videos right now.
I'd like to do more tutorials, but I'm not sure which pieces of jewelry people would like to know how to make. The Falling Water necklace was a no-brainer as the first tutorial to do. If any of your readers have suggestions, I'd love to hear from them! I'm going to be posting on my Facebook fan page http://facebook.com/authenticarts and on Twitter http://twitter.com/jennyhoople and my blog asking for suggestions/requests for which tutorials to do next. I really enjoy sharing with others and I know I'll always be coming up with new designs, so I can afford to give away my "secrets" without feeling like I'm giving away my edge or anything. It's sort of like when a business uses a sliding scale of payment. By providing a tutorial, I'm making beauty more accessible to more people!
Thanks, Jenny for the sharing and I hope all the best to your business.
To view more of Jenny Hoople jewelry designs check out her sites:
Website: http://jennyhoople.etsy.com/
Store: http://www.jennyhoople.etsy.com/
Blogs: http://jennyhoople.blogspot.com/
http://jennyhoople.tumblr.com/
Social Networking Sites:
http://twitter.com/jennyhoople
http://facebook.com/authenticarts
http://myspace.com/authenticarts
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