Shout Out // Design Conundrum

Creative living guru, Maia McDonald of Design Conundrum, recently stopped by for a visit in my studio and Crown Nine to talk to me about creativity, art, jewelry, and our beloved Oakland for her inspirational series, Creative Spaces.  Take a peek at our conversation...

Name: Kate Ellen
Occupation: Jewelry Designer + Boutique Owner

What made you want to be a jewelry designer?
Oh my. I love working with my hands, and it's such a powerful experience to have an idea in your head and then make an object. I can't really explain what it feels like when you just know a piece is done, but the best way I can describe it is affirming and joyful. So I love that part of it, the actual thinking, problem solving, and transforming that takes place in my studio in total solitude. 

And then I just love-love-love jewelry, always have, always will. I especially love rings and bracelets because they are the two things that as a wearer you really get to look at and enjoy, you can have little private moments throughout your day in which you can look at your hand or wrist and feel happier by what you see there.  Read on >>>

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On Repeat // Volume Two

Not sure about you, but I spent my youth crafting mix tapes for my friends.  I had one of those huge boomboxes with a cassette to cassette recorder, and the big deal feature was that you could put it on Dubbing and it would record at chipmunk speed.  And you had better been ready to stop the tape when the song ended, otherwise you had to stop, rewind, record a blank sound, and then start your next track.  Let's just say it was an art.

That said, crafting mixes has sort of died along with the rise of easier to use technology.  I miss it.  That is why I am super excited to share with you my new mix project.   I just re-discovered Myspace [of all things, right!?] and I am in la-la-love!  I have been quietly crossing my fingers, waiting for the decline of Facebook [sorry] and maybe this is it?  Whether or not, it now has a awesome feature that allows you to create playlists and share them, so that is how I will share with you my favorite tracks from now on.  

Mix Tape Game On.

Simple click here >>> and it will take you to my MySpace profile [I cannot believe I have one of those again] and the mix should be ready to queue up.  You can leave comments there too, so hit me up it you like something.

1// EPMD [It's My Thing]

2// Fleetwood Mac [Hold Me]

3// Richie Havens [Here Comes The Sun]

4// Mountain Men [Animal Tracks]

L O V E + M E T A L

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THE TRAIL // Mt. Diablo

Sunday morning I ran a 25k race to the top of Mt. Diablo and back with Pacific Coast Trail Runs.  It was my first time on Mt. Diablo and definitely the longest/steepest race I've ever attempted.  I grew up on Mt. Tam, hiking, running, and mountain biking as a kid, but Tam is a mere 2,572 ft compared to Diablo's 3,850. In the blazing sun, no less.

I completed the race in just under four hours, the hardest part being the downhill.  Typically I love to steadily run the uphill sections, but this race was literally over 7 miles straight up, so I adjusted my expectations.  Another runner and I joked that it had become a "hike-race".  

If you're interested in how to hike or run this trail, simply start at Mitchell Canyon Trailhead at Mount Diablo State Park in Clayton, and you can use this trail guide to help you to the top.  I cannot recommend enough PCTR, they are a group of especially kind, professional, and enthusiastic runners and volunteers.  

I know there are a lot of people out there who do not understand why someone would want to run like this, but I get so much nutrition from it.  I learn things by doing them, and when I run I think about all my problems that need solving and somehow the running helps me build the connection between where I am and where I want to be.  A good run is abundant in epiphanies and good ideas, healing and love.

Here are some of the things I learned on this run:

1// It's perfectly okay and awesome to have limitations.  I was running a 25k loop, but there were other runners who ran twice the distance, essentially to the top, down, to the top again, and back down again.  Their power and ability does not in the slightest diminish mine and I draw no reward, ever, from comparing myself to other people.  Best to concern myself with staying in my flow, my rhythm, my body.

2// Speaking of body, I read a chapter from Women Who Run with the Wolves in which the author discusses the body not being a 'sculpture' that we are in charge of shaping, but rather a vessel for information gathering.  I love this idea, and I really felt it on my run.  The core truth of who I am as a person on this planet resides in my spirit, not my body or even my feelings.  I realized that emotions actually belong to the realm of the body, not the spirit.  I think it can be easy to confuse the way you're feeling with who you are.  I am practicing listening to what my body and emotions are communicating to my spirit, what useful information they each are delivering that I can use to develop, grow, heal, and create.

3// This run happened to coincide with the 4th anniversary of when I quit smoking.  If there are any smokers out there reading this, may I please share with you this: When you are ready to give it up, the world will open to you in ways that you right now do not even have the ability to fathom.  You will have a fundamental shift in how you feel about yourself and the world around you.  You will experience real freedom, love, and joy.  It is absolutely, hands down, the BEST thing I have ever done for myself.  Best.  I cannot wait for you to feel the same way. 

4// When you just dig in and do the work, it is amazing how far you can go and high you can climb, without even realizing it.  I look back at the last few years of my personal and professional life, and this rings so true. Don't forget to take stock, take a moment to look at the view, let it sink in a bit.  Maybe there is still more mountain to climb, but don't forget to stop and look at the view from where you are now.

Okay, enough new-agey runner wisdom for one post, here are some shots from my day:

L O V E + M E T A L 

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Insta Love // Installment four

1 // @jimmymarble [sooooooooooo LA.]  Photographer/videographer hailing from Los Angeles.  His feed is filled with images that are inviting but slightly surreal and odd.  I love his portraits of unusual and pretty gals.

2 // @imogenewillie [Our story is probably exactly the same as yours… just with different character names.]  A well loved denim brand from Nashville.  Just simple and beautiful images of real people making real things.

3 // @chasinghygge [An Italian in Copenhagen, Denmark.]  My dear friend's girlfriend, Valeria, who has a great eye for catching the small details in the world around her.

4 // @jennifersashley86 [Stylist. I also like to build and make stuff. Portland, OR.]  Gorgeously styled images with a rustic feel.

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Insta Love

This week I'm bringing you a few more of my favorite feeds on Instagram.  I am trying to collect and curate feeds that are all original photography with a look into a world that you might just want to get lost in. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

1 // @boetjewelry "Jewelry and Sculpture by Emily Bixler".  Boet jewelry is true original style of intertwined heavy metals with beautifully woven fibers and textiles, created by Portland based sculptor Emily Bixler.  Her work is unlike anything you've ever seen, and her feed is a wonderful window into her studio.  See her work in person at Crown Nine.

2 // @oaklandsurfclub "Oakland Surf Club".  This well curated surf boutique's feed features daily updates to their look book, modeled on handsome dudes on familiar streets in Oakland.

3// @clafinthayerco "All leathergoods and shoes designed and sewn by me".  Oakland based clothing designer and leather guru of Clafin Thayer Co.  A worthwhile project on her feed features a custom outfits designed and sewn each month for her new baby, Pepper.  Don't miss the little leather moccasin booties, they are dreamy.

4// @kinfolkmag "Photos by Nathan Williams".  Beautiful photographs from behind the scenes of Kinfolk Magazine.  Kitchens, design, food, beauty.

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Mitsuro Class This Sunday

This Sunday afternoon I will be teaching a really special technique that is close to my heart: Mitsuro.

Mitsuro is a technique dating back to 760 AD in Japan, and is an art that is being kept alive by a very small group of artists.  I started experimenting with the wax myself, but it's a super finicky formula that changes with the weather, the seasons, and the quality of the ingredients.  I have finally found a recipe that I like to use, a modification from one that an artist in Washington shared with me.  It takes a few hours of cooking, I do it in my kitchen in a pot, and the house fills with an incense-like aroma of pine resin and beeswax.  

The real draw for me to Mitsuro is how free and loose the process is.  Usually when carving waxes I am planned out in advance, I have a specific thing I am intent on making.  With Mitsuro, the process is totally guided by the material, I can only make it do so much and I have to make quick decisions and not get attached to any particular outcome.  I think part of the reason why I am so attracted to jewelry crafting is because it really gets me connected to some spiritual lessons I need to learn about acceptance, patience, letting go, and being present in the moment.  You really can't bully or force your way through the craft, which is a great check on my temperament which tends to be fast moving and forward-looking.  I love being at my bench, being totally quiet, and letting the practice alone be enough.

In the class, students will learn about the history of this craft, which is only being practiced by a handful of American artists, as well as how to source ingredients, how to cook your own recipe, and each student will get to choose an object to cast in silver.  Students will also go home with a small batch of the wax so that they can begin practicing right away.

See more details on the class >>>

Email me if you have any questions about the class: crown.nine@gmail.com

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The Trail: East Ridge Trail

It may seem like hiking and jewelry have nothing in common, so why should I write about trail running on a jewelry blog? Well, simply put: they have everything to do with one another.  

Ever since I was a kid, I've loved being outside on a trail.  My dad used to take my siblings and I on long rambling hikes that took the better part of a day, or on mountain bike rides on Mt. Tam.  I've always found calm, serenity, energy, and a feeling of connectedness while in the outdoors.  In the same way that staring into the stars at night can bring you down to 'right size' and make your problems feel less weighty, exploring Redwoods, creeks, Oaks and wild grasses does the same for my spirit.  I think that refueling is essential for leading a happy creative life.  I find that trail running, with all those brutal uphills, create a kind of mental tenacity practice that is required to stick with projects, ideas, and dreams.

The East Ridge Trail is one of my favorite runs when I need a dose of sunshine.  The fire road is up on a ridge and gets a lot of sun.  There are many trails that connect to it so you can make smallish or very long loops, but this morning I really wanted sunny revelry, so I just ran out and back.  It's definitely springtime, there were lots of little bunnies out hopping across the trail early this morning.  This trail is also dog friendly, the majority of the trail is an off-leash zone, which I love.  Lots of cool dogs cruising around and being happy.

To get there, make your way up to Skyline Blvd and Pine Hills Rd to the Skyline Gate Entrance, park, and head to the left of the parking lot.

East Ridge Trail Entrance

I typically run between 3 and 9 miles, this one was 5.  I use Endomondo to track my mileage and time.  Right now I'm preparing for a trail race up in Guerneville by my favorite running group, Pacific Coast Trail Runs, so I'll be doing a few runs a week leading up.

L O V E + M E T A L

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