Notes on November thus far

Welcome to my first newsletter! I’ve been wanting a space to reflect on my artistic pursuits, as well as keep everyone updated on my jewelry practice, so what better way than this? Two birds, one stone and all that.

This will be a fairly casual way for me to share snippets of my current work, some behind-the-scenes pictures, and whatever else strikes my fancy. These newsletters will probably evolve with time, but for now I’ll be focusing mainly on: 1. reflecting over what I did (or didn’t get to) this month, and 2. things I want to prioritize in the upcoming month.

With that said, let’s get into...

I feel like I say this every year, but this year in particular feels like the weeks have been flashing by. Maybe it’s because this is the first time I’m fully in charge of my own schedule (I left my full-time tech job in January) but so far it’s felt like a nonstop whirlwind of trial-and-error experiments, pivoting as I go, and realizing that I’m completely out of my depth. And yet, as I look back at everything I’ve accomplished so far, I’m struck by how far I’ve come in these few months, and how much I’ve already learned - about my craft, but also about what I’m capable of when I step outside my comfort zone.

Something I’ve been especially proud of is getting my independent Carve & Sip jewelry workshop series up and running in Philly. For the longest time, I’ve been daydreaming of hosting my lost wax carving workshops in a cafe environment - with vibes less like classroom learning and more like going to a friend’s home for a cozy craft night. Only recently have I been able to actualize this, and a large part of it was finding the right cafe to host me. I give a lot of thanks to Persimmon Coffee and their lovely owners Sawyer and Chae, who were willing to take a chance on this fledgling jeweler and help support my fairly unconventional cafe experiment. I’ve long been a fan of Persimmon Coffee, and their intimate space and generous, community-building attitude immediately fit with my ideal of what I wanted for these workshops.

From the beginning, Carve & Sip felt different from the other workshops I’ve led. Even though I’ve taught carving workshops before, they’ve always been hosted at a parent studio, so I was more hands-off with the marketing, ticket pricing, and all the nitty-gritty details that came with event planning. This time, the planning felt much more personal: it was me who visited a list of cafes and sent out cold emails, me who designed and put up fliers around town, and me who wrote all the messaging to the participants. Of course, this also came with more anxiety - it was also me who would fully shoulder the cost and consequences if this didn’t pan out. The fear that no one would sign up and that I would have to cancel the workshop kept me awake late for more than a few nights.

Thankfully, my worst fears turned out to be unfounded. I’ve held these workshops twice already, and each time I’m learning how to make the next one run even more smoothly. Everyone who shows up is so excited and willing to learn, and I’ve found myself really looking forward to these Friday evenings crafting with strangers-turned-friends.

I’m currently finishing up the rings from the Carve & Sip session earlier this month, but another workshop date is already in the works! The third session will be hosted at Persimmon Coffee again on Thursday, December 11th. I’ll have tickets up on my website later this week for people who are interested in joining!

I’m a little nervous of how busy my schedule is for next month. Everyone I’ve met in the small business community has advised me to pack in as many events as I can during the holiday season, but I’m worried I might have overdone it. Oh well, I’ll never know unless I try, right? That’s been my motto for the past year, and it’s served me well thus far. Here’s my December calendar of events:

• Dec 6: Asian Arts Initiative Community Fair (Philly)

• Dec 7: Ring workshop at RecCreate Collective (NYC)

• Dec 11: Carve & Sip workshop at Persimmon Coffee (Philly)

• Dec 13 - 14: Renegade Craft Fair - Manhattan (NYC)

• Dec 20 - 21: FAD Market - Cobble Hill (NYC)

If you’re free during any of these days, come and stop by for a visit! I always love an excuse to hang and chat, it’s the best part of doing these events.

In addition to all the workshops and markets I have planned, I also want to spend some time improving my offerings. Specifically, I want to focus on:

• Adding to my market table display - there are a few things I want to DIY to customize my display to fit my exact needs and add to the overall vibe of my moonkat studio brand.

• Elevating my packaging - so far, I’ve focused on making the actual jewelry and haven’t spent much thought on the surrounding materials, which definitely shows in how bare-bones my current packaging is. I want to personalize and slightly elevate it, especially for the gifting holidays, so that people have a better experience when unwrapping their jewelry.

• Practicing my stone setting technique - this is probably the thing that’ll get de-prioritized if I don’t have enough time, but it’s the one that I’m the most invested in and itching to do to improve my personal craft. I finally had enough funds to invest in a flex shaft + kick motor, which is a huge milestone in my jeweler journey. Hopefully by the next newsletter I’ll have some more photos to share!

And that’s all I have for this first newsletter. I appreciate you reading to here - let me know if you have any comments, suggestions, or things you’re curious about! Thanks for tuning into my monthly musings :)