Meet Rosa Murillo

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Rosa Murillo. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Rosa below.

Rosa, 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?
I really don’t look at trends when it comes to jewelry design. I find that trends can be fleeting and often don’t reflect my own personal style. Instead, I look for inspiration in my surroundings. I love to travel and visit new places, and I always find that the architecture, landscape, and culture of a particular place can spark my creativity. I also love to collect finds, such as vintage jewelry, antique finds, and stones. These items can provide me with unique materials and inspiration for my designs.

In addition to looking for inspiration in my surroundings, I also listen closely to what people like. I pay attention to the colors they prefer, the styles they wear, and even the jewelry they already own. I want to make jewelry that people love and that they feel confident wearing. When it’s time to design a new collection, I always take all of these factors into consideration. I want to create jewelry that is both beautiful and wearable, and I believe that the best way to do that is to listen to my customers.

In a way, my customers help me design my jewelry. They are the ones who inspire me and who give me feedback on my designs. I am grateful for their support and for their willingness to share their thoughts with me. I know that I can’t create great jewelry without them.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I am Rosa Muro, a jeweler, architect, and artist living in Huntersville, North Carolina. I have always been passionate about art and architecture. My mother and uncle are both artists, and I have been painting since I was a child. When I was in college, I studied architecture and began to explore the artistic possibilities of architectural design. I also started to read and learn more about the endless possibilities of expressing personal feelings through painting.

After graduating from college, I worked in a professional Architectural Firm for a few years and then I moved to the Midwest to further my studies in architecture with a focus in Urban Design. It was a time of cultural shock for me and a feeling of not belonging. I found refuge in art as a way of expressing these feelings. By then I had already been experimenting with watercolors, pastels, and oils among other materials.

Fortunately, a professional opportunity took me and my husband to Washington, DC. The artistic community in Washington was so welcoming and inspiring that I decided to shift my passion to actively painting. I participated in the regional paint and gallery circuit for almost five years.

One day, a customer asked me to create a wearable art piece. This request ignited my interest in jewelry making. I began to experiment with different materials and techniques, and soon I was creating beautiful, modern jewelry inspired by nature and architecture. My current line of jewelry involves forming and soldering bezels made with different metals and reclaimed wood and then filling them with hand-colored eco-resin, crushed stones, sand, etc.. The transparency quality of resin gives the illusion of stained glass but without its heaviness or your can saturate the colors and create stone like finishes. The result is beautiful, color rich and surprisingly lightweight pieces.

I place a high value on minimizing my environmental footprint and employ natural and repurposed components in my production process. I use not only an eco-friendly resin, but I color with powdered mineral and pulverized stones many of my creations. The wood I use is sourced mostly locally from left overs from wood turners and recently I have been using reclaimed cigar boxes to be used as canvas for my work.

My jewelry is sold in in museums, finer art galleries and retailers such as the Smithsonian Institution Stores and the Renwick Gallery in Washington DC, The Mint Museum of Modern Art in Charlotte, NC, The Strathmore in Rockville, MD to name a few and on my website murojewelry.com.

What started as a hobby has now become my full-time job. I have even hired my husband full-time as an artist collaborator and to help me manage the business aspect of Muro Jewelry. I am grateful to be able to work in something that I am passionate about. I love the creative process of designing and making jewelry, and I enjoy the challenge of finding new ways to combine art, architecture, and nature. I am also grateful for the support of my family and my customers.

If you are looking for beautiful, unique, and wearable art, then you should check out Muro Jewelry. My jewelry is sure to inspire you with its creativity and craftsmanship.

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?
I believe that the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that have been most impactful in my journey as a jewelry designer are:

Creativity: I have always been a creative person, and I love to come up with new ideas for my jewelry. I am not afraid to experiment with different materials and techniques, and I always strive to create something unique and special.

Perseverance: I have faced many challenges along the way, but I have never given up on my dream of becoming a successful jewelry designer. I am always willing to work hard and put in the extra effort to achieve my goals.

Be open to new experiences. I like to try new things and step outside of my comfort zone. This could mean traveling to new places, taking classes, or learning new skills.

In addition to these three qualities, I believe that my kindness and generosity have also helped me to achieve success. I am passionate about giving back to my community, and I use my platform to support a variety of causes. I believe that this kindness and generosity has made me a more relatable and likable person, which has helped me to connect with my customers on a deeper level.

I am grateful for all of the opportunities that I have been given, and I am excited to continue my journey as a jewelry designer. I believe that I can make a difference in the world through my art, and I am committed to using my platform to spread positivity and inspiration.

We’ve all got limited resources, time, energy, focus etc – so if you had to choose between going all in on your strengths or working on areas where you aren’t as strong, what would you choose?
Definitely go all in on your personal strengths!

I am an Artist and I don’t know about a lot of things related to business, marketing, finances, etc. I’m also not afraid to ask for help, so asking friends and family for help – I have found that people are usually more than willing to help out if they can. Also hiring help once you are able to afford it in order to fill in the gaps of your business is critical. In my case it is only my husband a close friend an myself. We organize our time the best we can and divide the tasks depending on our area of expertise. If we don’t know an answer, we ask, research the topic and solve it by ourselves.

Back in 2015 I hired my husband for a short term to help me set up the structure of my business. I took advantage that he was between jobs. We didn’t know it back then, but the short term was extended for a few months more, and so on. He still works with me! He has taken the helm of the financial, marketing and administrative side of our business and that has opened so much time for me to spend on the studio, giving me space and time to be creative and do what I like the most – make jewelry!

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Rosa Murillo

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Leadership Development
Empathy Unlocked: Understanding how to Develop Emotional Intelligence

“Empathy is the starting point for creating a community and taking action. It’s the impetus

Productivity
Where do you get your work ethic from?

We’ve all heard the phrase “work hard, play hard,” but where does our work ethic

Productivity
Boosting Productivity Through Self-Care

When you have a never-ending to-do list it can feel irresponsible to engage in self-care,