Today we’d like to introduce you to Olivia Mandel.
Hi Olivia, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
One of my earliest memories of designing was gathering loose turkey feathers in the Southern California mountains and fashioning them into earrings. I was probably 15 years old, just learning about what it meant to have a DIY lifestyle. The idea of taking ordinary things and transforming them deeply excited me and inadvertently set a trajectory for my future. In the following few years, I would travel abroad and witness historical works of art and architecture that set the stage for my growing interest in design. However, it truly solidified right here at home amongst the adobes and cactus gardens I have come to love so dearly. With my family’s encouragement, I attended the New School of Architecture and Design in Downtown San Diego and graduated in 2015 with a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture. In the course of my studies, I moved around town and really got a taste of everything San Diego offers that I didn’t experience in my childhood growing up in the ‘burbs of Rancho Penasquitos. Simultaneously, making jewelry was always my creative outlet when the bug wasn’t getting fed at school and earned me a few extra bucks when I had the chance to pop up with my goods at the OB farmer’s market or art night at El Zarape. Once landing a job at New School’s fabrication shop, I also acquired a bunch of new maker skills that inadvertently played back into my jewelry interests as well. I then landed a position at a boutique architecture firm immediately after graduating and have been happily working there ever since. And just like when I was in school, I have continued to make jewelry in my off time as an additional creative outlet, further teaching myself the practice of silversmithing.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I am naturally very risk-averse and have a tendency to play it safe when it comes to life decisions. As an artist, that trait can often hold you back, as being an artist is not typically a straightforward path in American society. There has been a constant struggle of fighting the urge to stay congruous with what is expected, not taking the path less traveled. And whether it’s between school or work, my professional ambitions and creative ambitions often clash and ultimately, one seizes the day more than the other. But at the end of the day, there is a path that society deems fit for your life and another that is right for you, and I intend to continue running toward the latter. Even now, I am still figuring out the right balance. Some days are easier than others.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
There are two sides to my work, one is architectural, and the other is jewelry design. I like to think that I am known for both! The architectural design process is intrinsically collaborative, and almost everything I do is under the direct mentorship of people with decades of experience. At this point in my life, I am really here to soak up knowledge so that I can one day spearhead my own multi-disciplinary design practice, but architecture is such an involved and complex craft that it takes many years to really get good at it. So in effect, it is still in a development stage for me. However, the jewelry side has become a way to really freely express my style without barriers. I mainly work with turquoise and silver as a medium to present something heavily influenced by the beauty of nature and a love for vintage westernwear, mixed with something a little bit dark. In turn, I think folx who identify as nature lovers with a flair for western things (and a little bit of darkness) are my ideal jewelry client. As such, I mostly do custom commissions and love working with other’s visions to create something that uniquely fits them while under my particular design umbrella. I am most proud of pieces when a client expresses we have achieved that. It is really the most rewarding feeling.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
I love love, love how-to books. It is the best way to get into a new craft, and they can be completely free if you check them out from the library! As a kid who didn’t want to spend any money, it really catapulted me into the design early in life, while also scavenging at Kobey’s swap meet for vintage DIY books.
Contact Info:
- Email: olivia@oliveonthemoon.com
- Website: oliveonthemoon.etsy.com
- Instagram: Oliveonthemoon
- Facebook: facebook.com/oliveonthemoon
Image Credits
First two images Shannon Partrick
