STYLIN' SUNDAY...

Nancy Schindler

A PEEK INTO THE CREATIVE MINDS OF JEWELRY ARTISTS...

I guess it might sound a little corny to say that this week's artist has come Hoppin' On Down the Beading Trail, but with a name like "Round Rabbit," it's a little too hard for me to resist...

...Now that I got that fix outta the way, let me introduce Nancy Schindler, a jewelry designer with a look all her own.   Nancy is one of few designers that I know who creates for a living.  It's a life that is very busy with long hours of designing, creating, photographing, listing online, contributing to magazines and traveling to shows.  I am overwhelmed just writing all of that!

I also want to mention that today Nancy is having some SPECTACULAR sales in her Etsy shop.  Hurry!  She off to a show until Monday when the sale ends.....It's not one that you want to miss!    Fantastic Deals On Incredible Jewelry!!

 Where did the name Round Rabbit originate from?

Well, I like bunnies (I have four house rabbits). It pretty much comes down to that. When they sit in a certain position they are perfectly round and I tend to gush like a fool and say things like "oh, look at my sweet little round rabbits.." Thus the name. I wish I had a more exciting story to tell that didn't make me sound so incredibly cutesy, but alas... On a funny note, though, I was once asked if Round Rabbit was my Native American name. I said yes.

How long have you been creating your handmade ceramic jewelry?

I've been making ceramic jewelry steadily since 2003. I had been taking pottery classes for a few years before that and abandoned the wheel in favor of hand building and creating jewelry. I began making jewelry as my full time job in 2007.

I know for me, it is difficult to create beads and also make jewelry. Seems like my brain isn't wired for both at the same time.  Where does your inspiration come from for so many diverse designs?

For me, inspiration is absolutely everywhere. I have often joked that I could find inspiration in a Styrofoam cup if necessary. I am inspired by the clay itself and the many different ways it can be worked. Glazes, color and different firing methods can turn me in directions I never would have dreamed of. People, friends, environment...it all sparks my imagination, so much so that I have a very hard time sleeping a lot of the time. It used to make me crazy but now I just go with it (and take a lot of naps at weird times of the day). Aesthetically there is one side of me that is inspired by the Victorian and Edwardian eras with a healthy dose of Art Nouveau, Art Deco and Arts and Crafts thrown in the mix. And there is another side that is all about the modernist movement of the last mid century. I try to put my own signature on the past by preserving and interpreting it in a new and fresh way.

Since making jewelry is where my heart is, I find it very easy to turn my components into finished pieces. Even if I have no ideas in mind when I create something, I look forward to the challenge of making it work somehow. I have some pieces in the kiln at this very moment that are a complete mystery to me but I cannot wait to get them into my studio and turn them into something wearable. For me the hard part is making components for other people to use. I have a love/hate relationship with my supply shop. I am thrilled and eternally flattered and grateful that there are folks out there who like what I make for them to use in their own creations, but I would truly love to

be devoting all my time to my own jewelry.

How many shows do you attend annually and is it difficult to organize your jewelry for shows and also keep your Etsy shop stocked?

 This year I will do approximately 16 shows. They started in April and will go steadily until Christmas. That is really my limit since I have to replenish and make new work after each show. I keep my Etsy inventory separate from my show inventory, mostly to avoid any confusion on my part (which can happen pretty easily). At this moment I am very low on inventory in my Etsy shop,

which is unusual for me so I need to really get moving.

What colors are your favorite to work with?What are your least favorite?

I tend to gravitate towards cool colors but I try to make myself work with colors I normally wouldn't. I'm learning to develop an appreciation for earth tones and warmer colors. I've got quite a crush on chocolate brown lately. But that might have more to do with actual chocolate than the color, now that I think about it...

I see that you have been published is various magazines.

Could you tell us a little more about that?

I've been very lucky in that regard. The editor of Belle Armoire Jewelry saw my work on Flickr some time ago and asked me to submit some work to the magazine. I had been building up my gumption to do just that but her invitation was just the push I needed. Since then I have been a fairly regular contributor to the magazine and I also appeared in the premier issue of Jewelry Affiaire, which was very exciting.

Do you have other creative interests that you like to partake in

when you are not creating jewelry?

For the last several years all of my time has been devoted to building my jewelry business. Thankfully creativity ranks high in that process so I am never deprived in that area. Most of my interests all tend to lead back to jewelry so even if I am working on a new skill, like metalsmithing, for example, it can be applied to what I do for a living. Anything outside of that tends to feel frivolous. Some day I hope to lose that feeling and just enjoy something for the sheer sake of enjoying it, but for now I need to stay focused on what I am doing.

And Lastly, what is your favorite part of the process (jewelry designing, selling,etc.) and what is your least favorite part?

I pretty much enjoy every part of the creating process, even the sanding and refining. The business side of things is my least favorite part. I'm pretty awful at emailing (as some of you probably know all too well) and would rather do just about anything else.
I'd love to have a full time email answerer!!

THANK-YOU NANCY! 

You can find Nancy by following her to RoundRabbit or RoundRabbitExtra on Etsy.  She also can be found blogging at TheRabbitMuse and on Facebook.