Ashley Nizolek says that she finds it so much more interesting when a piece of art becomes part of someone’s day to day. That sentiment is undeniable when you see her fluid designs at AN Original Jewelry and even more so after talking with her about her passion for jewelry design.
"I don’t think there was ever a distinct time that I decided I wanted to be an artist. I think, like many artists, I’ve been one from the start. It’s just always been something I’ve done. As soon as I was old enough to grip a crayon I was drawing and creating. It wasn’t until college that I really decided to try and take my art and make it my career."
Ashley is a recent graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, lives in works in beautiful Saratoga Springs, part of Upstate NY, and combines elements of the two in her craft: she brings simplistic style and sophistication through the designs she creates in 14K gold and sterling silver. When we asked her why she chose jewelry as her artistic medium, she said that she always loved jewelry and for a time, in her own words, "was completely obsessed it." She also had an interest in wearable designs which led her to enroll at F.I.T.. "I attended The Fashion Institute of Technology and secretly wished to enter the Fashion Design program, but I can’t thread a sewing machine to save my life, so that option went out the window early on. My first year at F.I.T. I began in a different realm of design and quickly decided it wasn’t for me and began to gravitate towards the jewelry design program. I just sort of put two and two together I suppose. I loved jewelry, and I loved design, so why not try my hand at designing and creating jewelry? I never thought too much about it after that, I just moved forward with it."
And moved forward, she has. She gathers her inspiration from nature and she leans towards organic lines and geometric shapes. While she still enjoys the merits of fashion, she tries not to incorporate those consistently changing trends into her work. She pulls her inspiration from people walking down the street. "I kind of start to create this background story and then think "ok, what kind of music does she like, where is she going...etc. For me, it's all about injecting personality and originality into every design I do, even if it is something really simple, I want it to reflect my point of view. It’s elegant and structured without being too serious."
Her statement holds true; we took a spin through her Etsy shop and found a bit of humor in her work for the upcoming fall season. Signs that Halloween had come early to this unique designer were apparent with fun earrings shaped into bats and ghosts. When we asked Ashley how she keeps her design process fresh, she said, "I can’t ever tell myself to sit down and come up with 10 new designs. Designs usually hit me at a random moment or in the middle of the night; anytime I try too hard to force it, I hate what I come up with and the design is quickly trashed. I work organically, drawing little doodles, doodles turn into sketches, sketches into drafts etc. When I'm on a hot streak though, and have tons of ideas flowing, it's usually when I can be somewhere totally by myself with my iPod on and the music blasting. It can't be on a stereo system, it MUST be on the iPod…not sure why that is but it’s just how I work." When we asked what hinders her process, Ashley replied, "The only thing that I think really hinders me is asking peoples opinions too frequently. It’s great to have opinions but for the most part, people who are not designers won’t have the foresight to envision it as jewelry and can’t understand your vision. I like to mostly keep to myself until I have a finished piece in hand to show off!" That's good advice and something we hope our readers will remember in their own design theory.
Ashley tries to remember her humble beginnings however, much like any artist on their own personal journey. When we asked her if she kept any of her first pieces around to remind her of her roots, she replied, "I must admit, I have trashed most of them and scraped the metal. However I do have a couple of my very first pieces and I wince every time I see them. They are pretty horrible, but it’s a good feeling to know I’ve come such a long way!" Coming a long way is an understatement, given the work that's for sale in both of her online galleries. While it seems that her main focus is on those fluid line pendants, you can see some other work with gemstones and various other components. A model shows off a chunky turquoise necklace and gives you a sense of Ashley's favored color schemes. When we inquired as to her most favorite piece ever created she said, "Honestly, I have a new favorite every time I do a new batch of designs. I quite like the Black Onyx and Blue Peruvian Opal Sterling Silver Diamond Vine Necklace."
Being an independent jewelry designer is hard work and has its perks as well as its drawbacks. The best part for Ashley is the freedom from rigorous corporate lifestyles, clothing restrictions, fuel expenses and being a slave to the 9-5 schedule. She enjoys spending time with her miniature dachshund and admits that she is a bit of a night owl. She likes the ability to work late into the night and sleep into the early afternoons. "Of course, that’s not my daily lifestyle, but if I need to do it, it’s not a problem!" As most business owners will tell you, the worst part of being the lone employee is that your work is always at your side. Ashley, not seemingly one to complain, touches briefly on this when she states, "I don’t ever REALLY have a true day off. For now it’s fine but in the future I could see myself needing to check out for a day!" Her biggest piece of advice for fellow jewelry designers working to get their lines recognized? "Talk to anyone and everyone you can about your work if the oppertunity presents itself. When it comes to getting your work out there, you just can’t be shy! Don’t be afraid to approach store owners, editors, publicists and even other artists. Through networking and being resourceful, Ashley was able to get her designs onto the bodies of two up and coming recording artists; Mozella who is currently with Motown Records and Jessie Baylin who is a John Mayer protégé and a pop/folk/jazz singer.
While this might be enough to dissuade some from taking their art and making it a career out of it, Ashley seems to be handling the pressure just fine. We didn't want to put her through the wringer however, and moved on to lighter fare. As we've mentioned around here before, most jewelry people are hooked on tools, and Ashley is no different. We told her to pick one item from her studio she couldn't live without and here's what she had to say: "This is a tricky question! I really couldn't live without my Flexshaft, my torch or my jewelers saw. I know I cheated, that’s 3, but I need them all!" We feel your pain. We couldn't pick just one either. That was a bit mean of us, wasn't it? Well, we tried to make up for it by stranding her on a desert island with only one piece of jewelry, preferably something that went well with coconuts and grass skirts. Ashley showed us her sense of humor once more when she responded with, "A great pair of sterling silver hoops! Nice and big! They are sexy and subtle at the same time, and they could double as fish hooks if need be!" Hmmm....we'll have to keep that in mind.
Want more background and eye candy from this inspirational artist? AN Original Jewelry can be found at both Ashley's private dot.com location or at her Etsy shop. Be sure to check out her specialty line of signature initial pendants. If you're in her neck of the woods, her jewelry can also be purchased at Violets of Saratoga.
digg
del.icio.us
Furl
reddit
StumbleUpon
Send this page to a friend
rss feeds