What does it really mean to live a creative life that’s true — not tidy, not performative, but real?

In this conversation, jewelry artist Susan Wachler shares her journey from a multi-generational family of jewelers to her own late-in-life return to the bench after decades as a psychotherapist. Her work carries the weight of both lineage and lived experience — raw, textural, and deeply human.

We talk about redefining success, creating without proof, and how honesty — both emotional and artistic — can become a kind of freedom. Susan also reflects on what it means to make art in uncertain times, to let intuition lead, and to find joy in the alchemy of the studio.

It’s a conversation about resilience, honesty, and the quiet courage it takes to keep showing up for your craft simply because you love it.

Follow Susan...

Instagram: @susanwachlerjewelry

Website: susanwachlerjewelry.com

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Instagram: ⁠@christinemighion⁠

Jewelry Website: ⁠christinemighion.com⁠

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Have you ever had a season in your creative life where slowing down wasn’t a choice—it was the only option left?

Maybe your body demanded rest or maybe the joy of making faded under pressure and you started to wonder if you had lost that spark for the work that you once loved so much.

That’s where today’s conversation begins.

Laney Clark—known to many as Silent Goddess—has been making jewelry for more than thirty-five years, and I’m thrilled to say I’ve known her for probably 20 of those years. 

Her work is rooted in patience, precision, and the kind of simplicity that only comes from experience. She’s known for her hand-pierced designs, inspired by the tall pines and mountains outside her Washington studio.

We talk about the long arc of a creative life—what it means to work through fear and anxiety at the bench, the rising cost of materials and what that does to our mindset, and how slowing down can become its own form of wisdom.

If you’ve ever wondered how to keep creating when things get heavy, or how to find meaning again after years at the bench, I think you’ll really feel this one. 

Follow Laney:

Instagram: @silentgoddess

Website: silentgoddessartjewelry.com

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Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@christinemighion⁠⁠⁠⁠

Jewelry Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠christinemighion.com⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Have you ever wondered if you can truly grow your business when you love to make every piece with your own two hands?

It was a question that came up in my own growing business many years ago and it’s a question that comes up often in this community — how do you scale without losing the soul of your work? How do you expand, maybe even hire help, but still keep that direct connection to what you’re creating?

For many of us, the thought of letting go of the bench, even a little, feels impossible. The making is the heartbeat.

Today’s guest, Joy Kruse of Wild Prairie Silver, has walked that line beautifully. From her early days making jewelry on the side while working full-time as a nurse, to now running a thriving studio with a small team, Joy has found a way to grow without sacrificing what she loves most — the making itself.

Joy’s journey into metalsmithing began over two decades ago with a love of stones and a curiosity for form. What started as a creative outlet evolved into a full-fledged business known for its bold, organic designs and soulful craftsmanship.

In our conversation, Joy shares how she made the leap from nursing to full-time artist, what it really looks like to run a sustainable handmade studio, and why she still insists on keeping her hands in every part of the process. We talk about failure as a teacher, staying true to your creative voice, and the quiet discipline that keeps the work — and the love for it — alive.

It’s an inspiring, grounded conversation about the beauty and grit behind a life built by hand.

Follow along...

Joy on Instagram: @wildprairiesilver

Joy’s Website: ⁠wildprairiesilver.com

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Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@christinemighion⁠⁠⁠⁠

Jewelry Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠christinemighion.com⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Today I’m talking with Tiffany Chow, jewelry artist and founder of Depo Market on Maui — a beautiful little shop that’s part boutique, part community, and entirely built from love.

Tiffany’s path has been anything but ordinary. After studying at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and running a successful jewelry line in New York, she felt an intuitive pull to move home to Hawaii. That decision led her to care for her brother, Chris — and ultimately to build a business that creates meaningful work for people with disabilities while bringing awareness and connection to her island community.

In this conversation, Tiffany shares how Depo Market began as a pop-up for Chris and grew into a mission-driven storefront. We talk about caregiving, art as a bridge for belonging, and the realities of running a small, heart-centered business on Maui while raising a young daughter. It’s a story about purpose finding you when you least expect it — and how one act of love can ripple out to change everything.

Follow Tiffany:

Instagram: @depo_market

TikTok: @depomarket

Website: depomarket.org

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Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@christinemighion⁠⁠⁠⁠

Jewelry Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠christinemighion.com⁠⁠⁠⁠

Slowmade: ⁠⁠⁠⁠slowmadepodcast.com

In this beautiful conversation, I’m talking with jewelry artist Dawn Hemstreet of Hawk, Hummingbird & Moon. Dawn has this thoughtful, unfiltered way of sharing her story that I know will pull you right in. She came to jewelry later in life, around 49, and her path is such a reminder that it’s never too late to listen to that tug inside and step into something new.

In our conversation, Dawn talks about the evolution of her work—from metal clay to fabrication, from jewelry into the possibility of objects—and how she follows curiosity even when it means starting over. We also get into the harder parts: burnout, doubt, the grind of shows, and what it feels like to wonder, “Do I still love this?” She doesn’t shy away from naming those struggles, but she also shows how resilience and curiosity keep her moving forward.

What struck me most is how she speaks about belonging—about finding her own sense of worth even when family didn’t fully understand, and about the unexpected support from strangers that helped carry her through. We talk about showing up authentically, online and in person, and how connection often comes simply from being ourselves, flaws and all.

This is a conversation about making, yes—but it’s also about strength, self-trust, and the freedom to define success on your own terms.

Follow along...

Dawn on Instagram: @dawnhemstreet.jewelry

Dawn's website: hawkhummingbirdmoon.com

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Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠@christinemighion⁠⁠⁠

Jewelry Website: ⁠⁠⁠christinemighion.com⁠⁠⁠

Slowmade: ⁠⁠⁠slowmadepodcast.com

A graphic designer and lifelong poet, Teresa Kiplinger came to metal later in life as a way to keep herself busy through the end of a painful marriage. Not long after, she experienced the unimaginable loss of her teenaged stepson. 

Wearing her pain like a heavy cloak, she turned to her metalwork and poetry to work through her grief, making a bracelet in his memory, etched with a poem to him. This bracelet, a reminder of her love for him, was a comforting presence in the months that followed. 

From this deeply personal and difficult loss, Teresa says she found her voice. 

During this conversation Teresa shares how her love of poetry and metal came together to so beautifully create what she has coined as modern memento mori jewelry. We discuss the healing and sometimes lifesaving powers of an art practice, curating a cohesive and compelling story, and the freedom that one can find with art as he or she ages.

Follow Teresa...

Website: www.silverpoet.com

Instagram: @tkiplinger

Want to continue these important conversations with a mutually supportive and diverse community of jewelry artists? Then please consider joining us in the ⁠⁠Slowmade Collective⁠⁠. It's the best place I know online that can support you and your desire to create a sustainable business that feeds your life.

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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Without your support I couldn’t continue the Slowmade Podcast. Thank you so much!

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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

Support an episode: Click here to learn more!

Without your support I couldn’t continue the Slowmade Podcast. Thank you so much!