Courtney's work is a big favorite at MADE Art Boutique! Her designs are quirky, lightweight and minimal. At the same time, they are statement pieces that will suit all budgets.
Learn more about her company Crafts & Love, and the expansion and growth for the collection in the future!
What is your favorite part of the maker’s process?
I love sourcing new gemstones and charms to use in my designs. My designs are minimalist, so I spend a lot of time trying to find the best pieces to highlight. Once a year, I travel to Tucson for the world's biggest gem show and buy a lot of my stones during that week, and it is absolutely the highlight of my year.
How do you go about starting new designs, do you plan ahead or just jump right in?
Jump right in -- I typically source charms and stones before starting new designs, and allow them to guide my designs. My trip to Tucson informs a lot of my new designs, just based on what I pick out.
Do you like a tidy work space or functional chaos?
Tidy! I thrive in an organized work space, and spend a lot of time keeping it as tidy as possible.
What has been your biggest challenge as a professional artist and how did you get started?
Feeling the pressure to reinvent yourself every season, or every few years is a challenge. If it's working and customers are happy, I don't feel the need to constantly cycle through new/old things as much as bigger companies do, but it's always in the back of my head that I need to be reinventing something, or I'm falling behind.
What brings you the most joy outside of the studio?
My kids! I have 2 toddler boys, with a third coming this summer, and they are the absolute best buddies to destress with.
What do you wish to see in the future to support artist owned small businesses?
It would be neat to have a platform online that organized resources for small business owners, with reviews from other small businesses. So, say you need to find a new sticker manufacturer, you could search on this platform and see what other business owners are saying about each vendor. That could be a very useful tool!
Anything exciting in the works/coming up for you this year?
Yes! I'm working on a rebrand -- a new logo and brand elements that better reflect where my jewelry has evolved to in the past few years -- it'll be more colorful and funky, and I'm super excited about it!
Is there anything else you’d like to share?
Thank you for supporting our little family business, it means the world!
Shop her collection at MADE :)
You can check her out around the web:
www.craftsandlove.com
Crafts & Love IG