We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Evan Rosdahl a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Evan, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.
It took me a while to really gain my confidence and self-esteem as a person and an artist. I used to always keep my head down and fit in with the pack, until I started to take control of my life and pursue what I really wanted. I always knew I wanted to be an artist, but it wasn’t until I started pursuing jewelry that I found what I was truly passionate about. After I began focusing on my health and strength, those ideals carried over into my art as well. After a few years there was a big change in the way I carried myself personally and professionally.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I always knew from a young age that I wanted to be a professional artist. I tried my hand at many different mediums, from drawing, to sculpture, photography, and digital design. Throughout all these practices I had been making jewelry in multiple styles, starting with friendship bracelets, bead work, macrame necklaces, and finally discovered wire wrap jewelry in 2014. Having a passion for gemstones since I was a child, and wire wrap jewlery allowing me to combine all my artistic skills together, I became obsessed quickly. This is when I started my brand Top Knot Concepts. I recently just hit my ten year anniversary of creating fine handmade wire wrap jewlery! I love being able to share my designs with people who truly appreciate all the attention to detail and the work that goes into each piece. I don’t always focus on using the most expensive gems I can get, but more which stones best suit the design I’m creating. I love to teach people about the nuance of gemstones, including where they come from, the regional differences between the same gemstones from different corners of the world, and rare or unique stones that a lot of people probably haven’t even heard of.
My brand Top Knot Concepts focuses mainly on Norse and Celtic themed designs. I come from Scottish and Scandinavian heritage and have always love the artistry from that period. I combine together the styles, knotwork, themes, & characters, as well as incorporating chainmail designs into my work, adding to the medieval look. I share my works online and around the country from local markets here in Colorado, to music festivals and more.
My ultimate goal is to be able to bring a bit of the past into the future to create one of a kind heirlooms that people can treasure for years to come. I plan to expand my skillset into more high end techniques with fabricated pieces as well as mining and cutting my own gemstones to use in future projects. Being a part of the entire process from mine to market has always been my dream.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The three most important areas that have lead me to success are differentiating myself from my peers in terms of design. Touching on my past of blending in with the pack, I never wanted to be just another jeweler. I wanted my work to stand out from the rest.
Another is educating myself on the vast world of gemstones. Everyone knows about Diamonds, Rubies, Sapphires, and Emeralds, but in a world where everyone follows trends I want to share my knowledge with others about the incredible variety of gems this world has to offer.
Lastly is attention to detail, originality, and quality craftsmanship. I pride myself on the ability to create unique designs, that are built to last using techniques that I’ve honed over the past decade.
If I had one piece of advice for anyone getting started it would be to constantly experiment and don’t be afraid to try new things. Even if the task seems daunting don’t be afraid to fail. Through failure we learn, and can adapt to be able to bring whatever is in your mind into reality!
Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?
A book that played an important role in my development and ultimately shaped my outlook on how I approach my business is “Carl Fabergé- Goldsmith To The Imperial Court Of Russia” by A. Kenneth Snowman.
This book delved deep into the life, practice, and works of Peter Carl Fabergé who is well known for creating the Fabergé Eggs for the royal family of Russia.
His techniques of creating his own custom alloys, using the best stones suited to the design not just what was most expensive, and being able to adapt to hard times while still creating masterpieces was an absolute inspiration.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.topknotconcepts.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/topknotconcepts
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/evanrosdahl
Image Credits
Evan Rosdahl
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