The Facade Collection (and an honest answer to an honest question!)
A little while ago I received a very interesting e-mail from one of my awesome VeruDesigns subscribers. Even though I have her permission to share our exchange, we agreed that I wouldn’t address her by name. Hi Jessica! (Just kidding!!!…her name is NOT Jessica 😉 )
Anyway. She is is a fellow jewelry designer and peer of mine, and she’s been following my newsletter and social media posts (facebook and instagram) for the last 2 years. And so, she wondered:
If we’re both jewelry designers, why didn’t I return her gesture and follow her back? Did I not like her works? Did I not find her jewelry beautiful?
Wow! I realized that she might be not the only peer subscriber who feels this way.
Today’s jewelry reveal will help me answer that question in case you’ve been wondering the same.
Let me first say very quickly that I felt terrible! I visited her page and I can assure you that her works are EXQUISITE! She has earned her very own following, rightfully so. The short answer is: It has nothing to do with her or her BEAUTIFUL creations at all.
The reason I don’t follow other jewelry designers can be explained by my mission statement: To create UNIQUE, DIFFERENT, and very beautiful jewelry.
Unique and different is not easy.
To try accomplish this I made a decision early on to:
look and find inspiration in everything and anything I find beautiful, EXCEPT other jewelry. Simple as that.
I have seen INCREDIBLY BEAUTIFUL jewelry, and I’m in awe of the amazing talent so many of you have. If VeruDesigns didn’t exist, I’d probably be stalking you! :-).
A huge part of my brand and “value proposition” is my attempt at creating jewelry that is beautiful and hopefully different than yours. And knowing how inspiration works (at least with me!!), I’m sure that if I were to enjoy your your beautiful jewelry consistently, some of your designs would eventually influence mine!
So that’s it!
Having said that, there have been a few occasions where I’ve seen similar necklace designs to mine. And that is bound to happen. If we have similar tastes and love similar things, it’s going to happen every once in a while. But I have the knowing that it was never on purpose on my part 🙂
Makes sense?
Great 🙂 Today’s jewelry reveal is a great example of everything explained above.
My new “FACADE” collection of 3 necklaces was inspired by one of the many things I find beautiful yet COMPLETELY unrelated to jewelry:
—-> Beautiful architectural building facades 🙂
Here are a few specific facades that served as “seeds” for the necklaces you’re about to see further below:
… Ta da!
NECKLACE #1
The Gray Facade necklace was incredibly fun to make. With the somberness of gray, it all came down to the unique textures for each of the flat beads. All 3 necklaces are incredibly light and adjustable. Perfect for any time of the year!
NECKLACE #2
The Gold Facade necklace allowed me to use a little bit of color to bring contrast, while keeping each flat bead quite unique and individual.
NECKLACE #3
Any Philadelphian would know right away what these symbols represent. But for the majority of you who may have never visited my american hometown, below you’ll see the inspirations.
If you wonder about the size of these necklaces in the context of a woman’s neck, have a look at this beautiful client and myself!
I’d like to thank “Jessica” for allowing me to share our exchange, just in case you’ve been wondering the same. If you have any questions about anything, as everyone who has e-mailed me will tell you, I always reply! I’ll always love to hear from you.
What do you think? I would LOVE to read your thoughts/comments/questions in the comment section below.
Stay well, stay happy and stay healthy. See you in two weeks !!
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First let me pay homage to all of your recent accomplishments and well deserved recognitions…CONGRATULATIONS BELLA DONNA… (I know you’re not Italian… but it fits)…
Now for my 2 cents you asked for with respects to the exchange between you and a fellow Artist(I’m assuming she works in the same medium…Polymer)…I love your Mission Statement and admire your commitment to it…I also applaud the fellow Artist for her Gutsy …to ask the questions she did of you…I personally would never have the guts to ask those specific questions of another fellow Artist…I would of be more inclined to seek your opinion and/or advice regarding a specific body of work of mine…We as Artists like and want our work to be acknowledge by patrons and even more so by our Fellow Artists…but I prefer to receive it unsolicited …Having said all of this…I sincerely believe one can “LIKE” another’s Page/Site …as a way of acknowledging and showing appreciation for another’s Talents and work…if you truly like it…Your self-commitment to your Design Inspirations is so strong and truly reflective in you end results…I strongly doubt that another’s Jewelry Designs would show up in yours and should that happen…I know( I believe) your Moral character would give credit where credit is due for the Inspiration… Just my TWO CENTS…
This Facade Collection is OUT OF THIS WORLD !!! You continue to out do yourself with each Collection…
Hi Brenda – I’m a ceramic designer. Let me quickly say that I don’t know Veruschka and have never communicated with her. I learned about VeruDesigns two years ago when Veruschka created a jewelry line inspired by our company’s vases. As someone who is both a long time professional artist and a maker, I can’t tell you how difficult it is to stay true to your artistic expression within your specialty, while keeping an eye -and inevitably comparing yourself- to what your peers are doing. We deeply admire our peers, but they don’t need us telling it to them, for them to feel good. Their work should -and will- do that for them. By looking for inspiration elsewhere – yes we do that too- we keep ourselves not only refreshingly innovative, but also unlimited. Polymer clay artist are one of our sources of inspiration. I will say that Veruschka is one of the very few that we’ve been keeping a close eye on, precisely because of her originality. I hope this helps clarify the point she was trying to make -or at least our take on it -. All the best.
Hello Florencia! It’s nice meeting you! Yes! I had no idea you guys were still following my works! I still get your newsletter and I love everything you guys do. Thank you very much for your words, I feel super honored. I appreciate your thoughts and your understanding of why I chose to avoid looking at other jewelry designers work. The line between admiration and inspiration is hard to draw. My friend Brenda has a strong point though, and I’m considering her point of view. I love to support other artists, because (as she said), many times we have no idea if what we’re doing is resonating with anyone. I’ve mostly tried to show my appreciation by either featuring their work in my website, or going to their events when possible. It’s been simply very helpful for me not knowing what other artists do in my field, because I feel absolutely free and pure in my ideas and techniques. Another example of this is that I have never taken a workshop. Not because I’m above them (not at all!!), but simply because I feel completely free to try things by not knowing a “right” way or “wrong” way. Anyway. I’ve got to go with what feels right and works well for me. However I will look for other ways to support the amazing peers of mine that absolutely deserve to be supported. Thank you again for being one of my inspirations at http://apparatu.com 🙂
Brenda! Thank you so much for your amazing words of support. I completely get your point, which is very much valid, and I so appreciate that you allowed yourself to share it with me. Once again, thank you very much for your thoughtfullness, honesty and kindness in your words. I see your feedback as completely positive, which is awesome. I’m absolutely taking it into account on how to go about this situation. Much, much love dear Brenda!
Ciao Bella Donna…just now seeing your response to my post…WOW…Thank You…I’m please that it was received just as I intended it to be “POSITIVE”… every time you post I learn something new about you…interesting that you have never taken a workshop…I on the other hand have taken many…but I’m picky about which ones/whose I take…It’s never my intention to learn to replicate the same item as the Instructor teaching the workshop…99% of the time I’m more interested in the PROCESS of how the end result was achieved…I take that PROCESS and make an end result piece that is truly my own…usually my finished piece looks nothing like the Instructors…
Your comment “Wrong way vs. Right Way” resonates with me because I tell Newcomers to this medium that there is no Right or Wrong way in Polymer (except CURING times& temperatures for the different Brands of clay) and nothing is really a mistake…Some of my best designs (IMHO) have come about as a result of something not coming out as I originally intended…some would say I made a mistake…whereas I choose to say I created something different/new from my original plan…
Again thanks for taking my comments under consideration and having my back…
Much love and admiration Brenda…
I just sent you an e-mail about of one your pieces in your new facade collection. I LOVE them!!
The polymer clay community is pretty small and as someone who is a fan of several amazing artists like you, I just want you to know that I find your jewelry unique and beautiful. Inspiration works different for everyone I guess. But you’re doing what works for you and it shows.
Thank you for sharing, congratulations on the good news and your new collection is beautiful as always.
Hi Veruschka! That makes complete sense. I’m not a professional designer like you, but I’ve been working with clay for a while now and began sharing my jewelry with people as well. I love your necklaces because they are different. There are so many beautiful polymer clay artists out there, but a lot of them make very similar kinds of jewelry. I guess we all take the same workshops, same techniques and our creations do look alike. I always have been curious about your techniques.
I love your facade collection!