Karen Higgins is a self taught artist who has had a life long fascination with the natural world, its interconnectedness and intelligent design. 

Her work combines silver clay and traditional metalsmithing methods to showcase the beauty and elegance found in roadside weeds, bits of shell, feather and seed pods that one might otherwise overlook, but we are always surrounded by. 

Karen is not only a talented jewelry artist but also paints. However she put painting aside to focus on her growing jewelry business. As with many creatives, Covid gave her a push to go all in as an artist and turn one of her creative passions into her full time career. 

During our conversation Karen shares how she is still navigating life changes and balancing creative exploration with maintaining a sustainable income. We talk about IG and what IG ultimately wants from us and how to use that to our advantage. We also talk about her experience with publishing a tutorial in a jewelry magazine and when inspiration can turn into copying. And Karen shares how she fell in love with PMC, and how that discovery shifted her relationship with her art and what she could create. 

Honestly I felt like we packed a lot of good stuff into this conversation and I can’t think of a better way to kick off 2025. 

Follow Karen...

On Instagram: @karenhigginsjewelry

On Etsy: KarenHigginsJewelry

Karla Hackman’s path into metalsmithing began in the most unexpected of ways—through a background in academia, ceramics, and a love of collecting stones on long hikes. Karla eventually traded in a steady career in higher education for the leap into jewelry, and over the last twelve years she’s built a body of work that balances the organic and the architectural, the soft and the strong.

In our conversation, Karla shares how her surroundings in the Southwest shape her collections, the inward journey of self discovery that art has taken her on, and the ways she finds both grounding and freedom at the bench. We also talk about the realities of making a living as an independent artist—navigating production work alongside one-of-a-kind pieces, honoring exploration, and letting your creative voice evolve over time.

It’s a thoughtful, down-to-earth conversation about what it means to make with intention, and I think you’ll really enjoy it.

Follow Karla...

Karla on Instagram: @karlahackman

Karla’s Website: karlahackman.com

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Instagram: ⁠⁠@christinemighion⁠⁠

Jewelry Website: ⁠⁠christinemighion.com⁠⁠

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Stacey Hareid is a self-taught metalsmith who’s been carving out her own path for more than a decade, teaching herself fabrication, stone setting, and even lapidary along the way. More recently she’s been diving into wax carving and casting — a process that’s been both exciting and, as she shares, incredibly humbling.

In our conversation, Stacey opens up about her journey from photography into metalsmithing, the winding road that eventually led her back to Portland, and how finding a mentor shifted her perspective after so many years of figuring it out alone. We also talk about the realities of balancing creative freedom with the pressures of business, why patience has been one of her biggest teachers, and the meaningful connections she’s built with her customers through custom work and talisman-like pieces.

Follow Stacey...

Stacey on Instagram: @47sunsjewelry

Stacey’s Website: 47suns.com

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Instagram: ⁠@christinemighion⁠

Jewelry Website: ⁠christinemighion.com⁠

Slowmade: ⁠slowmadepodcast.com

Chela Gurnee is a metalsmith, shamanic practitioner, hypnotherapist, and reiki healer—and she’s one of those rare people who allows herself to follow what’s calling, even when it doesn’t fit into a tidy box.

We talk about how her love of creating beauty with her hands led her to jewelry, her love of stones and how the stones themselves guided her deeper into energy work, and how shamanic practices, intuitive song, and ritual became part of her daily life. We talk about burnout and boundaries, making peace with your body, being multi-passionate, and finding the golden thread that runs through all the parts of who you are.

Chela shares so openly about the seasons of creativity, what it looks like to truly listen to your inner voice, and how she’s learned to honor the balance between flow and structure, especially as a woman navigating a culture that rewards doing over being.

This one is deeply affirming if you’ve ever felt like you had to choose just one thing, or if you’ve struggled to reconcile your spiritual path with your role as a maker.

Follow along...

Chela on Instagram: @chelagurnee

Chela’s Website: chelagurnee.com

Jewelry: chelagurneejewelry.etsy

Intuitive song: Chela Gurnee

Christine's Instagram: @christinemighion

Slowmade Website: slowmadepodcast.com

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Heather Croston of Talulet Jewelry has taken more than a few unexpected turns. She moved from narrative metalsmithing into toy design, and now she’s returned to jewelry with a new rhythm and a voice that’s wholly her own.

Heather creates one-of-a-kind pieces that feel like miniature landscapes—stone pairings that echo the Catskills outside her window, soft textures and patterns that carry a sense of place and feeling. Her work is intentional and thoughtful, but it didn’t come from forcing clarity—it came from allowing change.

We talk about all of it: learning to trust your instincts, creating while grieving, navigating two distinct creative styles, and how building a slower business sometimes means letting go of what we thought success was supposed to look like.

If you’ve ever felt like you came to your art “late,” or wrestled with the idea of having multiple creative identities, I think this conversation will leave you feeling seen and encouraged.

Follow Heather:

Heather on Instagram: @taluletjewelry

Talulet Website: ⁠taluletjewelry.com

Narrative Jewelry: heathercrostonjewelry.com

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Instagram: @christinemighion

Jewelry Website: christinemighion.com

Slowmade: slowmadepodcast.com

Renee Ford, now Renee Busdiecker, has been working in metal for over 30 years, and her path has taken her through so many versions of this life—from grad school to running her own brick-and-mortar fine jewelry store in her twenties, to creating a production line that landed in shops around the world. She’s taught all over the country, mentored students from her studio in Tennessee, and developed tools that many of us use at the bench such as one of my favorites, Hold It.

These days, she’s focused on slower, more intentional work—custom pieces, hand engraving, and passing on what she’s learned to others.

During our conversation we talked about what it’s like to navigate creative life as we age… the shifting priorities, the toll on our bodies, and the deep satisfaction that can come from making work that feels meaningful and connected. 

Renee also spoke about the invisible weight of always having to wear all the hats, and the quiet, tender place she’s arrived at—where the work is less about proving something, and more about listening, refining, and creating from a place of truth.

Follow along with Renee...

Instagram: @reneefordmetals

Jewelry: reneefordmetals.com

Tutorials & Tools: thehammerandanvil.com

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Follow Christine and Slowmade...

Instagram: @christinemighion

Jewelry Website: christinemighion.com

Slowmade: slowmadepodcast.com

SuzAnne Taylor is a silversmith and artist whose journey into jewelry began as an act of survival. After serving as a combat medic in Iraq, she returned home carrying invisible wounds and found herself struggling to reconnect with everyday life. It was during a stay at a VA hospital that her psychiatrist encouraged her to find a hobby—something to do with her hands, something to focus her energy. That simple suggestion opened a door.

A beginner’s chainmail class led to her first bracelet, and something clicked. The rhythm, the repetition, the quiet demand for presence—each small step helped anchor her in the here and now. Over time, and with the support of a kind and generous mentor, SuzAnne began to build a new life through her work at the bench.

Her work, especially her Tuff Gurlz line, honors the imperfect and the scarred, not only in the stones she chooses, but in the stories they represent—stories of survival, strength, and grace.

This episode is a beautiful reminder that art often finds us when we need it most—and that making with our hands can bring us back home to ourselves.

Follow along with SuzAnne...

SuzAnne on Instagram: @stonesandsterlingbytaylor

SuzAnne’s longtime Instagram account @taylormadesilver was removed by Meta without explanation and she is currently working to restore it and will return to this account if possible.

SuzAnne’s Website: taylormadesilver.com

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Instagram: @christinemighion

Jewelry Website: christinemighion.com

Slowmade: slowmadepodcast.com

Jennifer Young is one of those multi-talented souls who’s followed a winding, wholehearted path—through fine art, architecture, time living in Japan, and months on the road with her family in an Airstream. She makes soulful jewelry full of story. And in the corner of her studio, she’s created a small but intentional shop curated with beautiful handmade objects from around the world, all rooted in a deep sense of slowness, simplicity, and reverence for craft.

During our conversation, we talk about finding your creative rhythm, navigating the pull between all the roles we hold, and what it really means to build a life and business on your own terms. If you’ve ever felt like you had too many passions to pin yourself down—or longed for more intention in your creative practice—I think you’ll really enjoy this episode.

We explore the beauty of restraint, the power of ritual, and how letting things unfold—at their own pace—can lead you closer to yourself. If you’re craving a reset or simply want to feel inspired by someone carving out her own quiet, intentional path—this one's for you.

Follow Jennifer...

Instagram: @wren_atelier

Website: wrenatelier.com

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Instagram: @christinemighion

Jewelry website: christinemighion.com

Slowmade website: slowmadepodcast.com

If you’ve ever felt that tug-of-war between creativity and business, or struggled with the balance of freedom and financial pressure, you’re going to feel so seen in this episode.

Julianne is a maker in the truest sense—her work is soulful, organic, and deeply connected to the natural world. We talk about her journey from teacher to metalsmith, the unexpected start she got thanks to her husband’s old silversmithing tools, and how her creative voice found its way through texture, form, and layers that reflect the landscapes of her life.

We also dive into the challenges of building a jewelry business in a rural setting, navigating the rollercoaster of sales, and the ever-present feeling of not doing it ‘right’—even when your heart knows it’s exactly what you’re meant to be doing. Julianne shares how she’s embraced the imperfections of her craft and found freedom in letting go of comparison and self-doubt.

If you’ve ever felt the pull to create simply for the joy of it, or if you’ve ever wrestled with the tension between art and livelihood, this conversation will resonate. You’ll walk away with a deeper appreciation for the slow, mindful process of making, and for the ways we can infuse care and intention into not just our work, but our lives.

Follow along with Julianne...

Instagram: @silverstruckstudio

Website: etsy.com/shop/silverstruckstudio

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Jewelry website: christinemighion.com

Slowmade website: slowmadepodcast.com

In this episode, I sit down with Doug Napier—a thoughtful, seasoned artist with decades of experience in the jewelry world. Doug shares stories from his early days at the bench and how a lifetime of global adventures shaped the way he sees and approaches his craft today.

We talk about what it means to stay adaptable in a changing industry, how to balance time-honored techniques with modern tools, and why teaching, mentoring, and storytelling matter so much—especially now. Doug opens up about the spiritual side of making jewelry, the pressures that come with making a living from your art, and how he works to keep joy and curiosity alive in the process.

We also explore how platforms like YouTube have helped him pass on hard-earned knowledge, and how his identity as a creator continues to evolve. Doug reminds us that it’s okay to question the old rules, to find your own rhythm, and to think about the legacy you want to leave behind—not just in your work, but in the way you show up for others.

It’s a soulful, generous conversation that left me thinking long after we wrapped. I think you’ll feel the same.

Follow Doug...

Doug on Instagram: @jewelrymonk

Doug’s Website: jewelrymonk.com

Doug on YouTube: Doug Napier (Jewelry Monk)

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Connect with Christine and the Slowmade Podcast:

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Email: [email protected]