A lot of people ask me why I participate in the crawl when I am busy with custom work. Short answer: it’s fun! The long answer….

The New Westminster Cultural Crawl is a creative exercise that challenges me to think differently. Custom work is like an adventure with an old friend. Every job is different and exciting: there’s a comforting familiarity in the process.

Designing and creating a jewellery collection for the crawl is a lot of trial and error because there are endless options in terms of theme, designs, and colours! It’s a challenge to put it all together and that’s the creative exercise that helps me learn and grow as an artist.

Plus, it’s easier to play in silver because it’s less expensive. There is always a bit of loss every time you work a metal and/or melt it. It’s not a big deal if you lose a little bit of silver.

I think I already have my idea for next year’s crawl collection and I actually can’t wait to get started!

These beautiful photos are by Michele Mateus of Mateus Studios (website link here).