Art & Life with Ora Jana

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ora Jana.

Ora, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I guess you could say art is in my blood. I have a powerhouse of females in my family who are all very talented artists. My Mother is a painter, sculptor, jeweler, master gardener, incredible cook, etc. She had a very successful career in radio sales but has never stopped creating. My Aunt, Ora (my namesake) has a ceramic business in Laguna Beach called Plum Foolish. I spent many Summers in her studio observing her craft and admiring the life she had built for herself. My Great Aunt was an animator for Disney films in the 1930s. Then there is my Grandmother, my biggest inspiration and continues to be at the age of 97. She is still painting to this day and taught me that “bored” was a bad word at an early age. She has gifted me with many of her jewelry and woodworking tools that I cherish. I also can’t leave out that my mother and father have shared a love of art since meeting at UCSB while studying art history.

It is funny that with all of this validation and support to be an artist, I wavered for many years feeling like it was not the practical choice for me. I supported myself in college by making and selling jewelry, handmade cigar box purses, and revamping vintage furniture with paint and decoupage. After college, I moved to San Diego and got a job recruiting for a healthcare company. After two years, I craved something creative, so I went back to school and got my degree in Interior Design. While looking for a job in the design field, I was offered an unlikely job doing bookkeeping part time that allowed me to make and sell jewelry in local boutiques in my spare time. That bookkeeping job turned full time and led to a six-year prestigious position as an HR Director. This was my longest break from being creative and I yearned for something that fed my soul. I had my first son in 2013 and left that HR position shortly after he turned one.

Just as I was determined to get the creative juices flowing again, my Husband’s work needed an HR person temporarily. That temporary job turned into a year. My other son was born and we had daycare at my Husband’s work. So after training my replacement, I had no excuse not to get back to my craft. I started back with jewelry, slowly restocking my Etsy shop. I wasted a lot of time with “Mom guilt” and the guilt of not having a “real” job. Somewhere along the way these last two years I have finally freed myself of the guilt, I’m grateful every day to be able to do what I love and spend time with my family, and my creativity is flowing very freely now. I am giddy when I open the studio door (my garage) and get to start my work for the day.

I am finally able to say confidently “I am an artist,” when asked what I do.

Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I have made jewelry since I was eight years old. I would say that jewelry has always been my side hustle. About three years ago I started metalsmithing and actually melting silver and gold to create one of a kind pieces of jewelry. Then, about two years ago I decided I wanted to try woodworking because I wanted a dresser from Restoration Hardware but didn’t want to pay the $2,500 price for it. It was a pretty aggressive first project for a person with no woodworking experience. I watched a lot of youtube videos, got inspired by some awesome woodworking females on Instagram and absolutely fell in love with the craft. I have since acquired every possible type of saw – most recently my scroll saw that was a gift from my Husband.

I was commissioned in January by Flower Hill Promenade for my first art installation. It is titled “California Aura” and represents the vibrancy and spirit of California. The background is 9 feet tall made of reclaimed cedar wood and the California is about 6.5” tall with a rainbow of colors.

Some of my commissioned pieces are functional, but most are decorative. I love a lot of colors and the energy that it produces. I love when someone tells me what colors they would like in a piece and then they say “do your thing.” I also really enjoy collaborating with a client to make sure the end result is something they will love. I want my work to spark joy in people. After all, happiness is the biggest goal in life.

I feel like I am finally hitting my stride with my work and my newfound self-awareness.

What do you think is the biggest challenge facing artists today?
How to value our work. Pricing my work is still my biggest challenge. I have heard so many artists say, including my grandmother, “never give your work away for free.” This is advice that I have not abided by. I think that one of the reasons is that I doubted myself and was so happy when someone actually liked my work that I would say “take it.” It can be somewhat uncomfortable to charge your friends and family. What I have to remember is that this is my business now and I am spending my time (the most valuable resource) doing this.

Do you have any advice for other artists? Any lessons you wished you learned earlier?
I wish I had not spent so much time doubting and feeling guilty about pursuing a career doing what I love. If you have supportive people in your life who are encouraging you and are willing to give you the space and time to create a career you are passionate about, don’t keep questioning it – embrace it!

We often hear from artists that being an artist can be lonely. Any advice for those looking to connect with other artists?
I am a bit of an introvert and since I have two little boys, I really value my “me time”. I really try to make the most of the time I have to create. Every day I have a hard stop at 3 pm to pick up my boys from school. It pushes me to stay focused and get as much done in the time that have.

I go to an “open studio” once a week to work on jewelry and love the community aspect of bouncing ideas off of one another, getting inspired and getting business advice.

It is my dream to open my own artist co-op one day where we can each have our own studio space but work among one another, share ideas, tools and encourage one another – oh and sell our work too!

What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
Instagram – @orajanastudio
Etsy – orastudio.etsy.com
Facebook – facebook.com/orajanastudio
Art installation “California Aura” at Flower Hill Promenade on Via De La Valle in Del Mar.

My old website thisorathat.com now serves as a scrapbook of my previous work in college and the early years when we moved to San Diego. I like to go look at it every once in a while and remind myself how much I have created and how many of my pieces are out there in the world.

Contact Info:

• Website: orastudio.etsy.com
• Instagram: @orajanastudio
• Facebook: facebook.com/orajanastudio

Image Credit:
Luke Jana, Ora Jana

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