Medusa Jewellery Studio

Medusa Jewellery

What kind of Art/Crafts do you do?
I make jewellery and fashion accessories, as well as working with different varieties of beads, I make my own polymer clay beads and love to experiment with unusual and not so obvious materials. I make brooches, earrings, cuffs, cufflinks and much more.

Where do you create?
I live with my partner in an old town house which we recently renovated. After a lot of work our small spare room became my studio and I am lucky enough to claim this space as ‘my own’. It is at the back of the house, so it’s the quietest room in the house and also the brightest. It’s a dream work space! When I am not at home, I use my old crayon case as my beading tray and a see- through carrier case for all my bits and bobs.



How do you keep all your supplies organised?
Well, organising is a bit of an obsession and “Spring Cleaning” is a favourite phrase of mine. I confess that most of the time, it is unnecessary. Many nights my partner came home from work, only to look for me, lost amongst many things.

Repurposing – should be my second name. I recycle every box and glass jar that comes into my possession and find it a second life. You could say it’s a hobby of mine, which tends to take a lot of my time, just scraping off old jam-jar labels. But what a joy when I find a new life for it.

I use small jam jars to store my beads, tic tac boxes for all my findings, and yes you guessed it all the labels off, nice and uniform is the idea! I cover all the old paper boxes with nice fabric and give it a new lease of life. I intentionally buy candles in a glass containers, that later washed, serve as storage for knickknacks and can be used as tea light holders once more. Good for the pocket and for the environment. Finding a dual purpose for things tends to save space in the house.

How do you keep yourself motivated to keep your space tidy?
I guess you could call it organizing OCD. I am not able to work if things are out of place. I have to admit, that in my organizing endeavours I get lost myself. Sometimes it’s a challenge to remember where I put things.



Any tips for how to keep art spaces tidy or organised?
Well, that’s very dangerous question for an organizing addict like me! First of all organizing is cheap. You just have to look past the obvious use of things. Old furniture can be resprayed in any colour to make it look like new, it can be bought at any second hand shop. I recycled my old furniture that I had in my previous job. By repainting it white we change the look and saved money. As I mention before every glass jar in a kitchen could be washed and reused in a work room. These days they come in nice shapes and sized. Tie racks are handy for holding ribbons, tic tac boxes are great for small items, they are see-through and compact to store in a spice rack for example. The lower shelf of a spice rack is great to keep your tools. Vanish boxes are great too, they come in a few sizes, once the old labels are of they can be relabelled and look great grouped together on shelf. Paper boxes can be covered in a variety of fabrics or paper to suit your interior. Take out boxes from your local Chinese restaurant can be used to store your pencils and pens. They come in a few sizes to, and if closed can be stacked on top of each other. Plastic boxes are great for fabric, for ease of access. Party favour boxes look great and are ideal for storing small items. IKEA is a great place for inspiration for small work places. They have great items to help you save space and be organized at low cost. The key to keeping places tidy is trying to keep everything uniform in colour or theme.

Do you get stressed out when your space gets in a mess?
Not anymore, every time you can’t find something during your creative process, it is more of a reason to improve your working environment afterwards, to organize it and reorganized to suit your project needs. Creative environment is messy sometimes; it’s just par for the course.



If you could have your dream space tomorrow what would it look like?
I am a very lucky girl to have a room to myself. I love my studio just as it is now. But if I could have one thing it would be all the tools from my father’s workshop. He is a goldsmith, so his tool collection after so many years in the industry is very impressive.

Do space limitations get in the way of projects you have in mind?
Not really, all I need is my lap and my little recycled tray. But then again who is not dreaming big.



What is the next big thing on your wish list for your art space?
This is a tricky one. I am happy with everything I have, I have enough supplies and ideas to last me a lifetime. So the answer to the question is - healthy me in my studio. I recently had cancer, and I have learned that I am the most desirable tool in the studio!



Where can people view your work or purchase it?
Etsy Shop: http://www.medusajewellery.etsy.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MedusaJewellery
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/medusajewellery/


Example of Medusa Jewellery

Thanks to Mante for allowing me to publish her studio photos and for taking time to answer my questions! Thank you!