About the Lila Collection

In the midst of a heavy artistic drought and a global pandemic, I had moments I thought my creativity had abandoned me forever. Yes, I realize this sounds dramatic and it is. But to be honest I'm sure this type of drama is what fuels my creativity and therefore I don't try to tame it. 

After the heavy workload and hustle of the Holidays, I had completely ignored my craft. Months went by and as my tools collected dust, my home studio slowly became a storage unit that ignited anxiety each time I passed it or even thought of getting onto my bench. 

It wasn't until one morning in early May, I shot up out of bed and ran into my studio to grab my notepad to scribble down thoughts and ideas that flooded my brain as I slept the night before. It had finally come back to me! Inspiration was in me and dying to find a way out. I knew this was the end of my creativity's "strike". I was elated. 

I began sketching, and soon those sketches began to take form on my bench. I was discovering color, I was discovering shapes and techniques I had never used before. I was playing. I wasn't working. This couldn't be work... It was far too fun and exciting. 

I decided in that moment, that I would not continue to create if it meant I were to conform. I wanted to keep playing! I didn't want to think about "what would sell" or "what would get the most attention on Instagram". I wanted to be with my craft who I had missed so much... alone, without judgment. So I did just that. 

I was able to free my mind of a "business" mentality. Thus opening a new realm of thought. How do I relate to my craft? What makes me so passionate about what I do? What is the meaning behind any of this. I started asking bigger questions and I knew I needed time to mediate on them. 

For those of you who don't know, I am not just a metalsmith. I am also a Yoga instructor. Being able to live and breathe Yoga is my other passion, and a huge part of my life. I started thinking about how separate my other passion felt from my craft. How could I have let two HUGE parts of my world remain so far from one another? So disconnected? I couldn't find the reason why I had let these two things become so distant. I just knew I wanted them to collide. 

So this is how the Lila Collection was birthed.

Lila, in Sanskrit means "divine play", which is exactly what I had been committed to doing while making these pieces. Each piece from the collection in named after its own Sanskrit term and meaning (which you can find in the product descriptions) , all of which I have studied myself through yoga teacher training and my own personal yoga practice. My goal is to offer some sort of connection for the wearer in each piece. I want people to find what speaks to them through aesthetic but also through meaning. Jewelry has always had a sentimental factor. My only hope is that the wearer can find another layer of sentiment within these pieces that honors the magic within themselves.

So with this, I present to you The Lila Collection.