We recently connected with Alison Morse and have shared our conversation below.
Alison, appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?
Being self-employed is a constant balancing act between work and life. Finding a place where the scales are level – or don’t sway back and forth too much – is what keeps my creativity alive. For me, this means managing my time so I feel fulfilled both personally and professionally, which often overlap as an artist.
Last year, I made a big leap in my business by hiring my first employee: a production assistant to help with repetitive tasks that were both hard on my body and took time away from more creative pursuits. I am fortunate to have several best-selling designs that sustain my business. However, recreating these repeatedly no longer fuels my creativity or brings the joy it did the first, second or third time I made them. But, since these items are essential to my revenue, keeping them in stock is important. To stay aligned with my moral compass, instead of outsourcing overseas, I hired a local aspiring jeweler so I could help them develop their skills and support someone in my community with my business. Delegating these repetitive production tasks has allowed me to produce these popular designs without depleting my creative energy. This was a hard transition for me to make – mentally and financially – giving up control and trusting it would be worth it. Six months later, I can see my business shifting in a positive direction that feels more manageable and abundant. Taking the leap to hire out these parts of my process has helped create more time and energy for one-of-a-kind projects, which is what truly keeps my creativity alive.
When I feel overwhelmed or burnt out, spending time in nature helps me recharge my energy and gives me fresh inspiration from the world around me. Whether it’s taking a break to walk the dog at the park, a road trip along the coast, or a longer adventure to somewhere more remote, being surrounded by the beauty of the natural world helps me connect back to myself and my purpose. When I return to the studio, I feel grounded and ready to create. Being away from the studio makes me eager to return to my creative pursuits.
Sometimes, I fuel my creativity by cleaning or tidying the studio. Cluttered spaces make it hard for me to focus, so cleaning up is a nice way to reset and refresh my creativity. As a jeweler, I work with a lot of small tools and components that pile up and get out of order pretty fast. Giving the studio a quick tidy or even a deeper clean helps me create order, make space and clear energy for new projects. I often have little dishes full of bits of metal and gemstones meant for one thing or another that get buried in the daily production work. When I clear space and these half-thought-out projects surface, it gives me the bandwidth to work on them again.
Another way I fuel my creativity is by doing a brain dump. When my mind feels crowded with ideas, tasks and to-dos, I find it hard to focus and allow my creativity to flow. If I write everything down as quickly and thoroughly as possible, I can categorize and prioritize, clearing mental space to work on each task. When it’s time to get creative, I’m not worried about everything else I need to do because it’s written down and waiting for its turn to be tended to.
When I take the time to manage all of the aspects that are foundational to my creativity, inspiration flows and I am productive, happy, and fulfilled. I’ve found that delegating tasks, asking for help, spending time in nature, and keeping my physical and mental space organized all contribute to keeping my creativity alive.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I have been a self-employed jeweler for almost 9 years and have been making jewelry for as long as I can remember. I grew up nestled by evergreen trees and the constant patter of rain between the Cascades and Olympics in Western Washington, where I found my love of nature and living things. This deep appreciation for nature and the materials it provides guides my creative vision. I incorporate gemstones, shells and fossils with metal, using centuries old techniques to make jewelry that can be worn as a reminder of our connection with the natural world.
I attended Humboldt State University for their Jewelry and Small Metals Program. The foggy Northern California coast helped feed my love of nature and inspire my work. I was amazed by the grandeur of the redwoods and the ocean, whose misty comings and goings fueled the forest. After graduating, I worked for several jewelry designers in Northern California. This real world experience in the field along with solid foundational training in school helped me make the leap to being fully self-employed, a path I feel extremely fortunate to be on.
I am continually developing my skills as a craftsperson as I strive to create high quality heirlooms that capture the beauty of the natural world. Metalsmithing is such a vast field that learning new techniques is endless and will be my lifelong pursuit. Knowing that there is always more to learn keeps me curious and engaged. I hope to one day be a master of my craft.
In light of the current state of the environment, I decided to put my jewelry to work to make a meaningful difference. Shopping with a purpose can have a huge impact, and plastic pollution is something I find passionately disheartening. I am thrilled that my best-selling jellyfish earrings are on a mission. Each pair purchased helps remove plastic waste from our oceans. A portion of the proceeds is donated to the 4Ocean Foundation, and one pair of jellyfish earrings is equivalent to removing four pounds of plastic from the ocean. The whimsical jellyfish earrings are inspired by the beauty of our oceans and the vast abundance of life they support – and now they’re helping to protect it.
When I’m not making jewelry, I can be found cooking, practicing yoga, exploring outdoors, and spending time with my dog, Esme.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
The first piece of advice I would give to someone early in their journey would be to find a community in the area they are interested in. Getting to know other jewelers has been key to my success and personal fulfillment. The community of jewelers I am part of recently organized into the North Bay Jewelry Arts Guild. We meet regularly to share inspiration, information, and support, and continue to grow as we host more events and meetings. Being part of a community of jewelers has given me the social support I need in a field that often requires long hours working alone in my studio.
Perseverance has also been key to my success. My first metalsmithing class was one of the most challenging artistic disciplines I had tried. As someone who is naturally good at art, finding a medium that was challenging for me was a humbling experience. When I learned I could attend a university to further develop these skills, I knew that this was what I wanted to do. The steep learning curve kept me interested and engaged. It was difficult to not excel immediately. I had to struggle, fail, and continue to persevere as I learned this tricky trade.
I feel very lucky to have had professional training in a classroom. Learning the skills of my craft through an organized curriculum gave me a solid foundation to grow from. Only now, after gaining confidence and experience over the years, do I truly recognize the value of this foundation.
Finding community, obtaining education, and relentless perseverance are three important facets of my journey.
Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?
There are a number of people who have played important roles in helping me build and develop a successful career over the years. Other jewelers have provided camaraderie, inspiration, examples of success and insights into the industry. Teachers, both at school and more informal mentorships, have given me the technical expertise to produce high quality work. Gallery and boutique owners have also been critical to my success, supporting and nurturing my career from its early days. As I continue to grow, I hope to pay this forward and uplift emerging jewelers in the same way I’ve been supported over the years.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.alisonmorse.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alimorse.jewelry
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AliMorse.Jewelry/
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