Artist Interview-Jean Yates of Pretty Kitty Dog Moon Jewelry!

I am so excited to share this WONDERFUL interview with all of you. The super stylish Jean Yates of PrettyKittyDogMoon LTD Jewelry was very generous with  information about herself, her business and how she works.   She’s a super busy and creative lady and I know you will be as inspired by her as I am. She is EVERYWHERE, and is a real inspiration to all jewelry designers. Be sure to visit her site and see her GORGEOUS stuff, and ask for something for Valentines Day! 

Website: http://prettykittydogmoonjewelry
Contact Info: [email protected]

I know alot of people already know your background, but for those who don’t – How did you start doing jewelry as a business?Â
I am the mother of five sons (add two grandsons, now, to that)! Two of our boys (ages 14 and 17 this January) are severely autistic. I spent their early years working hard on their educational requirements. This was really important at the time because nobody quite knew what children with autism truly needed as far as learning went. We were all just guessing and hoping. Then, when my oldest son got married four years ago, a little window opened up as far as I was concerned, timewise. It wasn’t as if he had been living at home, and then moved out, because he lived inChicago. It was just that some sort of hard to describe mental shift occurred for me, giving me a tiny bit of freedom, time-wise. It was as if I no longer had to be quite as concerned about FIVE children, two autistic. I was confident my oldest son’s lovely new wife would “take good care of him” (he is a lawyer, by the way).  This change subconsciously spoke to me, saying, “Spend a little time doing something which you find personally interesting!”  That something was making jewelry. I hit the ground running and within months I was regularly in magazines and even on the cover of a book with one of my designs.

Do you remember the first piece of jewelry you ever made?
 My first jewelry was seriously hip!  🙂  I made these pieces at age 13 in 1964, but only for around 6 months. I made papier- mache’ bangle bracelets, which I painted with wild stripes of neon lime green and black in a zebra striped pattern. I stopped after that. I went off to boarding school. Until the point which I have already told you about, there were just some seed beads strung on dental floss which I would make to copy my big sister while we were on summer vacations. You know, bead necklaces which all kids did in the late 60’s. 

 Every artist has a personal ‘creative process’ can you explain yours? I grew up in a world of books and drawing. I also loved acting, and took acting lessons inNew York City as a child. My creative process is very linear: I have an idea and I drive toward it, never allowing myself to be distracted until I have mastered it, as far as I am concerned. It could be that I have seen a focal bead which I love and want to work with. I will work and work on a design for that bead until I am happy with what I have done. I feel as if whatever I do, the end result has to have a clear point which people can see and understand. That will make me happy!  When I want to learn a new type of technique, I self teach. Whatever it may be, I work on the technique intensely until I am satisfied that I understand what it is that I need to know. I remember the first chain maille bracelet I ever made. It was from a magazine pattern. I couldn’t understand the beginning four rows. I did them over and over. I did them the whole first day. I decided to count how many hours the bracelet took me to make. It took twenty-one hours, and the only reason I was able to finish it was I kept thinking of my mother, who never would have given up! When people start doing jewelry, they tend to try a lot of different things before settling down to something that resonates with them, tell us how has your jewelry work changed since you began? I was drawn to wire work from the start. However, I could NOT learn to wire wrap properly. I have to learn at home, because of my children. They need me and my husband all the time. Finally I located a VHS tape on wire wrapping and ran it, stopped it, ran it, stopped it — over and over! — until I could wire wrap properly. I sent a photo of the first finished piece I made, thanks to the tape, to the store which had sold it to me. I am still up there in their student gallery under wire work. I am the only person who has ever been put up in their gallery who was a “long distance learner”. [note: the store is www.beadshop.com]  I think that people pretty much know me for my chain maille and my wire work. I’ll try any thing, however. 

How many hours a week do you spend in the creative side of your business vs. the business side?  You just made me laugh. I don’t even know how to answer this! Let’s just skip this one! What inspires you creatively?

What doesn’t inspire me?  I have a fascination with words, the sounds of words, colors, music, feelings, beauty, nature, riding around in big cars and pretending I am still 16…good grief! I love everything! Therefore everything inspires me. I really live in the moment. I also really try to do my best at whatever it is I am creating, so that it is a form of communication to some other person– anyone at all! –out there in the world. I am sending out a message. This may be because of my two children who have a hard time communicating. It is also probably due to my husband, who is so very funny, and makes me fall over laughing repeatedly during the day. He’s a big inspiration to me.

 Do you have any big/exciting news or different directions for your business this year? 

Well, as a matter of fact, YES! Thanks for asking! I just wrote a super jewelry design book called Links by Jean Yates. The title is derived from the chain maille in the book (some simple but beautiful designs) and also due to the fact that in order to be successful designers, we must create with inspiration. It’s not good enough just to have a bunch of beads and stick them on some beading wire. Links shows you how to look within, and also outside yourself, so you can obtain that inspiration. It also quotes artist friends of mine throughout the book, further illuminating aspects of the creative design process. It’s a beautiful book. I am incredibly proud of how it turned out. It is a North Light book. I will be at CHA this February, signing it and doing demos for my publisher.

Can you tell us about some important goals you have achieved with your jewelry work? 

I am really happy people know who I am and like to learn things from me. That is just really great, as far as I am concerned. I also like the fact that my blog is popular. Sometimes I make myself laugh writing it. So that’s good: I am having jewelry-related fun. It doesn’t seem like a goal, but it is if you realize I didn’t even have a blog a year ago.

 Where do you sell at primarily-website, stores, shows, etc? I sell on my site when I am not busy designing for magazines. I really love designing for magazines because I love looking at photos of things which I have created, and because I love to teach. Frankly, this is the only way I can on any sort of regular basis.

 If you teach, where are you teaching this year?  

Well because of my children, any teaching I do will be through magazines.  I have three right off the top of my head which are coming out shortly, including one, Australian Beading Magazine, which I made the cover of, with my bracelet. I am so excited about that! It is a huge honor. Look for me on the cover of an American magazine in April, as well. 

 Who are some of your favorite artists and crafters? I love Kim Miles, Kate McKinnon, Emma Ralph, Cathy Lybarger, Jill Newman, Aislyn of  Urbanmaille, Lisa Kan, Jamie Hogsett, Tammy Powley, all the Green Girl Studios people, Melanie of Earthenwood, and of course Margot Potter. If you need to know who any of these people are, just email me. They are all fantastic artists.

 What do you like to do in your spare time? If I am not making jewelry? I like talking on the phone to my friend or to my husband, writing an Amazon review, helping a child here at home or one of our pets, watching tv, trying to read, or attempting to plan what I am going to eat at night (that is the time when I eat) and then, often, not eating it. I also like answering interview questions.

  What advice would you give to someone who is interested doing jewelry as a business?  If you are good engineering wise, that is your jumping off point. Then you have to learn to fly. To fly properly, you have to turn away from the other designers in some fashion and just really go with what YOU love. It’s like being an explorer. To be a good designer you have to be brave. Break away from the pack.

 If you do this, people truly will sense that you are an original and want to buy YOUR jewelry! Good luck!

 Thank you so much for this opportunity to be interviewed. It was fun!

 jean