Today we’d like to introduce you to Amber Vavro.
Amber, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I grew up interested in pretty much everything and anything that you can do with your hands. I painted, I sewed, I drew, I made pottery, I beaded, I did macrame, any type of art or craft I could get my hands on, I did. Then one day I just, stopped. I was busy being a teenager and didn’t make room for creating. During those years I had almost completely shut out the creative side that came to me so naturally. That’s the way it stayed until I graduated college and left to go travel. During my travels, I met many artisans making a living and traveling by selling their art. I was super inspired by that and could feel the need to express my creativity again. I made friends with a fellow traveler/artisan who lent me pieces of wire and a pair of pliers and showed me some very basic jewelry making techniques. I immediately knew I needed more of this. I quickly went to the local ferreteria to buy a pair of pliers and some copper wire. That was my first true taste of making jewelry. I played around with it very casually for years and in a later chapter in life where I was living in Spain I started working on jewelry everyday and my passion for the craft continued to grow. After a couple of years in Spain, I returned to San Diego. By this time I knew that making jewelry was more than just a creative outlet, it was my passion.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I create handmade, quality jewelry using silver, gold and a variety of gemstones, with a lot of turquoise in the mix. Up to this point, I am a self-taught metalsmith. The metalsmithing journey is endless and I am constantly learning new things about the craft with each day I sit down at my bench. I am definitely an artist that thrives off of pushing my limits and slowly but consistently producing more skilled work while honing in on my design style. I spend hours working on my pieces and pour a lot of love into my work.
Artists rarely, if ever pursue art for the money. Nonetheless, we all have bills and responsibilities and many aspiring artists are discouraged from pursuing art due to financial reasons. Any advice or thoughts you’d like to share with prospective artists?
Supporting yourself as a full-time artist definitely has its challenges, especially for those of us living in Southern California! My best advice is to be consistent and persistent. In other words, don’t give up! Stick with it, it can and will be a struggle but that struggle creates strength.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
If you are a San Diego local you can see my collections in person at either the Ocean Beach Farmers Market on Wednesdays or at the Gaslamp Artisan Market every Sunday. The best way to see my pieces is via my Instagram: vdesignssd. Instagram is a great platform where you can see and purchase all of my latest designs. But hey! Purchasing an artist’s work is not the only way to support them, especially in our social media filled world. Sharing my work with others, liking my photos, sending a nice comment, stopping by my market to have a chat, or simply gawking at it on the internet are all ways to support my art. Any support of any kind kept me motivated and inspired to keep creating.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.vcustomjewelry.com
- Email: Vdesignssd@gmail.com
- Instagram: vdesignssd
Image Credit:
Amber Vavro
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