(BBTB) Bringing Back The Blog… Memento Mori

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  1. Momento Mori
  2. Friends 
  3. Be Yourself Silly & Social Media
  4. What Wild Prairie Silver is… and is not
  5. Take Care Of Yourself ~You’re Worth It

It’s been awhile since my last blog post and I just get caught up in life and work (which are one and the same) and it’s honestly great. I am here to share what’s been going on and all the thoughts in an artists head that keep them going. I am super lucky that I have so many thoughts I can just keep going and going and going. Am I ever going to stop? Yes, I sure will stop…when I am dead. Hence the reason for this email.

Momento Mori ~ Someday You Are Going To Die

With this in mind what are you doing? The board in the photo below hangs on the lower part of my bench. It is next to my right knee this very moment as I type. Each circle is a week of your life. On Monday mornings I fill in the next circle. On my birthday I should be to the next line on the board which is another year.

I ask myself, ‘Did you do anything last week that was anything?’

For me pushing myself daily is just that… worth it. I am doing what I was meant to do. It is something completely different for you but just check yourself and make sure it is what you want it to be. You never get this life back.

What do you love to do? You might not know what that is? Go find it. It’s out there. You do have to look. Every single person I know that does find that ‘thing’ always says that it’s a struggle.

So, no, it’s not easy. It would not be worth it if it was. Easy is easy. Everyone can do easy. You are the only you. Go be that best you. It does take work, resilience, persistence, patience, change, pain, hardship, sacrifice, love, support, faith, tenacity, kindness, understanding, friendship & work (oops already mentioned that)… see it’s no problem…. go for it.

If you notice the last 20 years I have circled off in silver… Most people do not live past 80 years old. I am leaving that time as a bonus. It’s a ‘probably not’ section of your life.

You got friends? Friends are hard to come by. Do you have friends that lift you up or do you have Frienemys? If you are going to find your ‘thing’ in life, anyone that is a Frienemy has to be gone from your life. This is hard to do with family but a friend that makes you feel like shit, causes you worry, angst, drama, addiction … they have to go.

Friends support you. Friends are honest with you. Friends are there for you. Friends don’t gossip. Friends are shining light on your best parts and they also let you know if your worst parts are showing through too often. Friends do hard things with you. Friends show up. Friends give you a chance to be yourself, make mistakes and still smile at you the next day. You know the old saying, ‘You can’t pick your family but you can pick your nose… I mean your friends.’

Above is a note that Bekah took at college recently… she works here during the summer and is becoming a blossoming jewelry artist. We have done our best to just let her ‘GO’ in whatever she does here. She has a bright future where ever her road takes her. I often think of the bosses I have had in the past. None of them were jewelers.. they all were hard workers. They all supported me mentally. They all had encouraging words and advice. I was fortunate these people crossed my path and I got to experience their lives, their work and their wisdom. That is luck to me… those amazing people being in my life at the right time. A time when you don’t want to listen to your parents and are easily influenced. I had the right adults around me, doing the right things and I was opened minded enough to listen and hear what they had to say. I can thank the grace of God for that. Now friendships are an adult choice. I have some beautiful friendships that I honestly just love – love them, love who they are, love time spent with them even if it’s brief. They are from all walks of life & all ages. I am truly blessed. Those people will probably never know how highly I think of them and how much I think of them.

4 photos below: In Tucson at my good friend Maggies house from @Tularosajewelrycompany. My self, Kali and Bekah.. and a bunch of awesome food that Maggie and her husband made for us. We were starving. As you can see my fork is ready. 2nd pic: at the gym and dying with my friend Michelle. We do some crazy shit together. I look up to her for her strength. She’s the strongest woman I know. It’s made me stronger, physically and mentally. When I suffer physically in the morning the rest of my day is better. I am not sure how suffering makes things better but it just does. 3rd pic: My daughter Savannah. We have been through a lot together. It’s amazing to see her grow into an adult woman and she’s fun. She teaches me that suffering is not good. Maybe you should laugh as well. 4th pic: awesome group of ladies that all spent a few days in Nashville

Be Your Silly Self & Social Media

Social Media has really put a damper on people being themselves. It’s a tough gig to be someone important. People even die trying to get selfies. I am such an ordinary person I can’t even imagine trying to be so important.

I expose my eyes to as little social media as possible and when I do go take a peak at whatever is going on, it’s hard to watch. We take a lot of video here at Wild Prairie Silver. We take thousands of photos a year. We try hard to have it not be of ourselves, which actually hurts our business on Social Media. Crazy right?! The more personal content you have of your face or body the more clicks you get, the more the video/photos are pushed out to accounts that have never seen you. Most of it to me is alien in every way. It’s really great to just know someone in person. (However, I have met some of you because of Social Media which has been amazing.) Which is why you can call here on the phone and text us and stop into the studio.

Social Media has so much fake/altered photos and video on it, stories that are lies, people that are making stuff up… I can’t even. I wish more people would just be their silly selves. Wouldn’t that be fun and honest? It doesn’t have to be a shit show. You don’t need fake lips. You don’t have to be naked. You don’t have to cry. You don’t have to tell me your life’s story. You can be fun. You can make fun of yourself. You can just be you. We need to see that. See your genuine self and be your genuine self. There is struggle every day in everything. We all know that. That is life. Dear Social Media: It’s not me.. it’s you. It’s not about you. It’s about everyone else. There is someone’s story out there so damn bad you can’t even imagine it but here you are taking a picture of yourself again. Let’s not do that. Let’s be silly. Dear Social Media: Lets get over ourselves and make something awesome & take a picture of that. (This is directed at all selfies, not any one persons selfie but all selfies. I just can’t look at it any of it any more… unless it’s ridiculously funny!)

Just being silly 🙂 🙂 🙂 Can ya do it? Do you have to be a super model or naked or crying to take a selfie? I’m so tired of it. Someone have some fun already.

What is Wild Prairie Silver? What is it not?

I got this question after my last blog post… What is Wild Prairie Silver? It is all of the above plus love and God and coffee. This piece of paper has been taped to my bench for I am not sure how long? 20 years?

What is Wild Prairie Silver not? It’s not a commercial entity. It’s art jewelry. What is art jewelry? What is art? Art is your interpretation of your own ideas becoming a physical thing or performance. Art jewelry is made by hand by an artist. Who’s that? At Wild Prairie Silver that is myself (Joy Kruse) and Kali Karnopp. We make pieces of jewelry that represent whatever we are feeling that day, looking at, thinking about. It’s an extension of ourselves. Ourselves is reflected in every single piece. We love what we do. We love what we create. If we don’t love it, we do it over. Sometimes we make jewelry designed by you. We still put our heart and souls into that piece because we want you to love it. You get a piece of us indirectly through your idea & then in turn also in that piece of jewelry. We are not manufactures of jewelry for the masses. We are not making jewelry to appeal to the masses. We make jewelry that we love.

We make jewelry that is, handmade in the United States, by two women in the middle of nowhere. Our goal is to become the best we can at our craft (putting in the work day by day) to put a huge smile on your face and melt your heart. We are not Target (sorry Target to use you as a target – no pun intended). We are not the Mall. We are not a statement of Global politics. We make jewelry to pour our souls out of our fingertips, to practice everyday at this ancient craft of goldsmithing, to make you smile.

We love it. We live it. We sleep it. We dream it and yes, we drink a lot of coffee. 

Take Care Of Yourself ~ You’re Worth It

This is what works for me taking care of myself but whatever works for you is great. 

I am an early riser. I am up at 4:06am every day. I workout everyday unless I absolutely cannot because of some other plans. For me that workout keeps my thoughts organized. I have had a lot of people tell me I need a break or to take breaks… I don’t believe in that. That again is just me. The harder you work and the more you sacrifice the larger the reward. Workout is at 5am, with The Breakfast Club, other crazy people willing to show up at 5am. I’m done and in the shower by 630am and in the studio at 8am. Studio is 8-4 or 5pm. Often times Fridays are later the in studio, customers like to stop in Fridays after work, and most Saturdays in studio as well, customers like Saturdays and I do as well – if you want to stop in just text the studio for an appt…1-920-365-6341

4 or 5pm is time to walk the dog, make dinner, read something, clean something, garden if it’s summer, go to bed. I eat well. (I eat a strict paleo diet and have for almost 3 years: no sugar, no bread/no grains, very little dairy, no processed food/oils.) I don’t drink very much. I don’t watch very much Tv. As I mentioned before I am really getting annoyed by social media, that takes up 5 minutes of my time & I have to shut it off…

Early Bed time: dream of making jewelry… wake up and remember what you dreamt of…

~repeat daily~

I try on Sundays to not use my hands in the studio and not look at a computer. (I have mentioned this before but I take a vacation every year and that is my ‘break’. This year I am taking 2 vacations because I planned a Mountain trip with my son for my 50th birthday in October.)

Just took a vacation to Nashville and then to Florida to see my son. It was good. Lots of good company and sunshine. This is Northern Florida, the panhandle… Panama City Beach. 

This is what works for me taking care of myself but whatever works for you is great.

That’s a wrap…. in conclusion:

You’re going to die so make sure it’s worth it. Have fun and make a lot of jewelry. Have good friends. I am sick of selfies & I have always hated Social Media… Social Media is your worst narcissistic frienemy. Either smoke cigarettes or do deadlifts or both hey, whatever…. and I took a trip recently. All in all life is good and hope to see you in person either at the studio or at an art show this summer. Here is the schedule so far. We are making lots of new pieces for summer time and can’t wait to share them with you. xoxoxo 🙂 🙂 🙂 joy and all the gals at Wild Prairie Silver and Taz says Hi.

Wild Prairie Silver Live and In Person!

Text for your own personal shopping time… at the studio… or bring have a mini show for yourself and friends. We provide the wine and chocolate.

Text To Schedule 1-920-365-6341

Art Show Schedule ~

Disclaimer: No jewelry artists were hurt in the making of this email. No artists had a lip injection or butt lift. Just two regular women, trucking along making cool stuff, trying to meet people that want art to wear on their ears, arms, necks and fingers.

Jewelry Peace Love & Coffee @wildprairiesilver

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