Thursday, April 7, 2011

Happy Birthday Sara!!




Hello! Who are you? Give us the 411 about yourself.

My name is Sara Robbins-Page. I am a native Baltimorian who happened to graduate from the University of Evansville (Southern Indiana) in 2005 with my BFA in metals/jewelry and painting. I have been working as a full-time jewelry designer ever since. I am one of the lucky few who get to do what I am passionate about everyday! Now back in Baltimore, I run my little business from my home studio. I spend hours upon hours in my little creative haven under the watchful eye of my dog Presley. I work mainly in Sterling Silver but have just recently been working in gold and gold filled materials and I am loving it. I suffer from a hopeless addiction to coffee. I am a hair dye enthusiast and a lover of impractical shoes. Above all, I am wholeheartedly devoted to the creative process in all forms.


When/how did you start your business?
 
My business, lovingly called Heavens to Bessie, after my grandmother who taught me all I needed to know about making anything out of anything, has been going strong since it started in 2005. I hit the ground running right out of college. In 2006 I owned an art gallery in Southern Indiana. There I represented other artists, which was amazing but took more and more time away from my own work. I realized then that I wanted Heavens to Bessie to be my full time job. And with the support of my husband and family, it has been ever since. It has been a process for sure, but their encouragement has gotten me where I am today.

What inspires you?
 
It sounds strange but I get a most of my inspiration from previous designs I have created. My work just kind of evolves and builds off of one another. Perhaps this is due to the solitary life of the studio artist or perhaps it is just my process. I surround myself with visual stimulation of course, playing period piece movies while working and having pictures posted throughout my studio, but really my work simply evolves. Every piece I created teaches me something new and pushes me a little further towards the discovery of something new.
 

What's your favorite thing about your craft?
 
I can’t tell you exactly what it is about jewelry that has my heart, but it has been a fascination of mine since I was a little girl. I remember going to the Walters Art Gallery with my mom when I was young and seeing the jewelry at the Egyptian exhibit and just like that I was hooked. I later had a birthday party there and we made beads out of paper and then used them to make necklaces. I never stopped. I think of handcrafted jewelry as wearable art. It can be worn to make the everyday outfit something special or to have something special and meaningful with you everyday. Handcrafted jewelry has been around for centuries and I love to think that I am carrying on that art form while putting my very own signature on it.



If you could have one wish granted for the craft community, what would it be?
 
I wish for a harmony and a cohesiveness within the crafting community. Moving back to Baltimore from a small town in Indiana I was so excited to immerse myself in a large artistic community. It was not that easy. I got in touch with several groups simply looking for a creative sounding board and like minded people to talk to. Without even seeing my work or hearing what I had to offer I was turned down with “Group is full” as a response. I found the clique like tendencies to be discouraging and frustrating. I finally found my way into groups who are open and accepting of fellow members of the artistic community and it has been invigorating. My wish for the crafting community is that as a whole, we all realize that supporting one another is just as important as having the general population support artists. I feel very lucky to have found BEST and to be a part of this immensely supportive creative community!

by LanaBella & Lexi

note: my daughter Lexi is assisting on this series as part of a home-school project.

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