DEEP DIVE | SARAH PAULI JEWELRY
This is the first of our interview series, spotlighting our amazing artisans who fill our shop with color, beauty, and joy. Today we’re featuring Sedona loca, Sarah Pauli, a dear friend, and an incredibly talented artist. Her pieces can be found gracing our shelves. We’re delighted to share her work and wisdom with you...
1. How did I get started making jewelry?
I knew I was an artist when I was 4 years old. So I have always been on this path of making and designing. When I was in high school I had the good fortune of having a mentor who really shined the way to not only making it as an artist but also showed me that you can create your life. Her name was Laurel Burch. She was a Haight Street hippy turned successful entrepreneur who lovingly took me under my wing and showed me that anything is possible when you hold the vision. I studied Industrial Design at the College of Arts and Crafts in San Francisco and worked for jewelry designers during this time. Upon graduating it was clear to me that I wanted to create life on my terms. I love the functionality and beauty of jewelry so this is where I started. But, underneath this is a great love of ancient cultures and human adornment. The delineation and celebration of the human body with clothing or jewelry, what is revealed or accentuated, and what is a significant expression of an individual on a soul level are things that interest me. I love just wearing a sea shell around my neck and feel connected to the ancients and their earth through this simple gesture.
2. What is my favorite stone/ gem to work with?
Wow! This is a hard one to answer! There is some kind of magic that happens when I put materials together, much like being a chef! I suppose each artist or cook has a certain language that comes naturally and a set of influences and even parameters
So I am in love with the whole palette of possibilities regarding stones. I am moved by the intrinsic energetic qualities, but not by what I read in a book, but by the way, something feels to me. I am captured by the quality of color and unique cut. I have had a long love affair with color and I know what feels harmonious to me. I am led to choose certain stones and pair them with other materials by what gives me joy and pleasure. I let the materials speak to me.
3. If I had to choose a necklace of earrings which would it be?
Oh, although I love both, I would choose a necklace. There is something primal about wearing a stone, pearl or shell around the neck. It's almost shamanic or animistic for me in the way that I like to honor and feel the life in all-natural elements. In art history years ago I read about an ancient druid gravesite and the man was buried with a bone hanging from his neck. I understand adornment can represent a lot of things, like status and cultural place and identity. What really excites me about a necklace is the personal meaning for the wearer, the feeling of this expression. It can be empowering and emotional and about sheer beauty. A necklace is often worn close to the heart as we hold a quality or memory there. And it can be worn at the clavicle which highlights such a sweet part of the woman's body. Also, I love that a necklace can be sexy and sweet the way it hangs at the nape of the neck and down the spine in the back.
4. What most inspires my work?
I probably have touched upon much of what inspires my work in the previous questions, but I will say that growing up in Alaska influences what I am drawn to and how I design. In the midst of the powerful landscape and intense seasons of Alaska is a subtle beauty that floats for a moment in the shifting light or the fleeting bloom or flash of color in the cold and fast waters. It is the same in the desert, there is the subtlety that you can take in with all of your senses if you are still for a bit. So I love the tension and balance found in the in-between of the delicate and the rugged and earthy and the play between feminine and masculine qualities. Also my sisters are my eternal muses for their beauty, style and creativity.
5. What advice do I have for aspiring jewelers?
It's sweet to be asked this question after 26 years of designing jewelry. I have designed for Sundance Catalog and Antropologie and other big names, but the most rewarding work has been working with small business owners and other makers and artists. I think creating something and bringing it to the world is about two main things:.What the process gives to you and What joy is cultivated in the community created when sharing your work. I try to remember to 'Follow my Bliss', like Joseph Campbell said. I think it is important to find sustainable ways to enjoy the process without burning out. This can mean delegating certain tasks when possible. Do not undervalue the worth of your time and expertise when pricing your work. This means believing that you are worthy. Asking a price that is reflective of these things will actually command more attention than belittling your efforts and asking low to people please. This is a challenge as a woman. Know your customer and be that person! Invest in quality materials. Be clear about the 'story' you are creating in your collection. Be integrous. Allow yourself to dream and believe that it is possible to create the life you want. This is an on-going and daily work for me. I certainly have not 'arrived', but the arrival is in the little achievements and the quantum leaps that are possible. It's about the journey and who you become along the way! Try to always come back to care for yourself so your creative energy flows more effortlessly. And trust. Tap into your desire, rather than fear, and try to return to this and dwell here as much as possible.