DanaArts Podcast

So I have a tradition that I started with my family and it’s been about 7 years now that we have been doing this. It’s a tradition that I did with my Dad and siblings growing up. I grew up in Paradise California and I remember as a child going with my Dad higher up into the mountains where there would be snow. We would hike around and find a Christmas tree to cut and take home. I don’t know how many times we did this, but the few times we did are stuck in my memory. So I also started this tradition with my kids. It’s about that experience of going and enjoying the day in the mountains hiking around for a Christmas tree. Oh and yes we did purchase Christmas tree permit which you can get at recreation.gov [https://www.recreation.gov/]. :) This year I went twice. lol Once with my family and another with my daughter and nephews. There is no snow here in Arizona where we go at this time of year, but it’s still very fun. The weather was in the 60’s. Perfect to enjoy the day and we did. It’s just so peaceful. I wish I could get out more often. So what are some of your traditions around this time of year? CuttingTheTree [https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57e469e1e4fcb56e71eeb981/1733618576063-OH6RJGH8RGO2S8BKS6IQ/2024-11-30+13.31.02-1.jpg?format=1000w] CuttingTheTree My Daughter cutting the Christmas Tree Cool Forest Image [https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57e469e1e4fcb56e71eeb981/1733618593139-YXUXCYM07B0POLGJWYTO/2024-12-07+11.46.33-2.jpg?format=1000w] Cool Forest Image Just a cool area we came across Forest Relaxation [https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57e469e1e4fcb56e71eeb981/1733618608327-U28YJUTJSKA8I35MRY2Q/2024-12-07+13.20.17-1.jpg?format=1000w] Forest Relaxation Taking a nap in the forest Christmas Tree [https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57e469e1e4fcb56e71eeb981/1733619293334-7O34G6GUSXE63MNUBAAN/2024-12-07+17.45.07-1.jpg?format=1000w] Christmas Tree Our decorated Christmas tree So I love to celebrate the birth of our Savior with family traditions and a time to remember how important the birth of Christ is. Are we actively engaged in a good cause? I sure hope so and of course we are imperfect, but we should always be trying our best. Gifts are a joyful way to give and help others out. I remember as I was growing up I loved to make things. I’ve always made things like cloth bracelets, or beaded jewelry [https://www.danaarts.com/beaded-jewelry]. I’ve gotten a lot more advanced since those early days and it’s continues to be a passion for me. I just like to make the best craft or jewelry item I can. I hope you can enjoy keeping up with some of my arts and crafts. I don’t post as often as I should, but this year I’ll do better. You can find me mainly on Instagram @danaarts [https://www.instagram.com/danaarts/?hl=en] and You Tube @JustinThorup [https://www.youtube.com/justinthorup] I would love to do another give away soon. I missed out on Thanksgiving which is when I like to do it. Maybe I can plan one for the beginning of this coming year. If you agree then just let me know so I can plan for it. :) If no one reads this then I’ll know it’s just not time yet. :) but let’s just keep giving and enjoying life together as we try and help one another out through this journey of life.

So as many of you may know I love to garden even though I am really terrible at it. I do try and try though. Some years are better than others. Now that I’m in my house it should be a whole lot easier to work on the garden instead of having to travel to it all the time. This summers crops were the worst I’ve ever had as it was the building of the houses that interfered. We had no water for a long time and had to transport water. Then when we had it I had to come water it every day by hand. Plants were only surviving. We had no electricity to turn on my drip system. It was just a whole mess though I tried and tried. In the end it fail despite all my efforts. The little that may have survived died because the gophers eat or killed the plants off. So a new season is about to start so I’m excited. I just have to prep the garden and then plant for this winters crops. When I garden it inspires me so much. It uplifts me. I think it’s a combination of hard work and the care I put into it. I also love life and the plants that bring on this new life. Seeing them start out so small and then grow into beautiful plants just brings me hope and keeps me working hard to achieve all this plant life. It’s also just peaceful to be around. I love just sitting there staring at the garden. I waste too much time just staring and thinking. 2024-09-28 07.20.14.jpg [https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57e469e1e4fcb56e71eeb981/1727924841148-57YDUZFEEMF1QTS2MAH5/2024-09-28+07.20.14.jpg?format=1000w] 2024-09-28 07.21.11.jpg [https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57e469e1e4fcb56e71eeb981/1727924834041-3DXSX95U0HUPQA6ULPNE/2024-09-28+07.21.11.jpg?format=1000w] This brings me to how gardening inspires me at times when I design jewelry. When I’m in that uplifted state, I’m more receptive to ideas and there are many times nature itself will be incorporated into my designs. Many times it’s the beautiful curves and shapes that blend together that make up an ever so unique and powerful design for jewelry. I usually will incorporate these patterns and designs into my pendants and rings. The rings are usually wide so that they can fit these organic patterns. There is more room for me to fill the ideas that flow from my head. Not all of them translate into a great design, but the ideas start happening and I can then jot them down and test them. If it doesn’t work then I can play with it until I find something that does work. I have so many designs I have made in CAD but have never cast into metal. As with any small business owner might know, I can’t just come out with new designs every day. I need to work on many aspects of the business to make it all work together. I do wish I could just sit and create all day. That would be the best, but for now I to it all so time is limited. Even through all that I still am inspired to design and build custom designs all the time. If I didn’t then I don’t think I would keep progressing forward one step at a time. That is where passion comes in. I do all the other non inspiring parts of the business to look forward to do the fun inspiring, joyful and satisfying parts of the artistic side of the business. [https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57e469e1e4fcb56e71eeb981/386067df-c0a7-48a6-98a3-39428bc95f3d/black_sun.jpg?format=1000w] https://www.danaarts.com/patterned-bands/square-concave-sun sun and wheat patterns inspired by nature So if you ever wondered how gardening can be an inspiration to make jewelry then well now you know. Gardening does not have to be what helps you make jewelry, but it could inspire you to do whatever you are passionate about. With new life comes new ideas. Try it some time. It does not disappoint!

Making forward steps one at a time is what we are all hopefully doing and striving for. These steps forward don’t have to be anything large like a leap and bound. Each step and how big each step is different for everyone. We all have our challenges and methods to cope with life. Some may be spiritual and others are physical or mental ways or a combination of them all. All of this and I get to my own challenges in life and with running a business. Right now one step at a time is all I can do. We finally moved into our house about a month ago. It’s a great feeling and I am overly joyous of the huge blessing it is to be living on the property. You see, now I can be a whole lot closer to my shop which has been a challenge all in itself. I had no water for long periods during the build and even longer no electricity. Can you imagine working without electricity? Well, a bit impossible so things were on hold for a while. So again, one step at a time. This past weekend we finally got the electricity back to the shop and I’m excited. It’s finally finished and I can start progressing and taking that one step at a time in a forward motion. I feel rejuvenated and inspired to start thinking again about my next steps in moving forward. It still will only be a small step at a time as I’m still spending lots of time unpacking and organizing, but little by little I will get there. Patience is key and I hope to be more active on showing what I’m up to. Stay tuned and if you have any suggestions I’m willing to listen. :) Take care. Hej Hej. [https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57e469e1e4fcb56e71eeb981/36dd562d-bda4-4ab0-8cbb-af2a98a09473/ShopElectricity.jpg?format=1000w] New subpanel to the left coming from main at the house. The right side is where the electricity was before it was moved to the house.

I love designing rings. I remember my first interest in wanting to make jewelry when I was young. I was with my mom at Johnny Apple Seed Day in Paradise California. This fair was once a year and in the heart of Paradise. There was a park that had some booths where venders were selling arts and crafts. So my mom and I were looking at a booth that had some jewelry in it and my mom had purchased from this vender before. I was intrigued by all the jewelry and wanted to see if there was a way I could purchase some sterling silver wire so I could maybe try and make some crystal wire wraps for pendants. I’ve always been into making things so it’s always been apart of me and who I am. The vender did not have any wire to sell us, but it really got me wanting to get some silver wire. I cherish that memory because now that I think about it, it was my mom that really introduced me to the jewelry field without knowing. Then as a teenager I found a shop in Chico California that sold everything hippie like style items. I asked and they said they could get me some. I eventually got my hands on some silver wire and it was my chance to start wire wrapping. Such a fun time creating more crafts related to all the other hobbies I had including leatherwork, cloth woven bracelets, and anything else I could think of to create. Well, through the years I after that I never knew what I wanted to do for a career. Eventually I got married and was working at Anasazi Foundation [https://anasazi.org?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwx-CyBhAqEiwAeOcTdWF35oY3S4XZqWHzD69uUz-1cWvprPAXBiYAw9CwaiMhcY1PyoWkfBoCjFcQAvD_BwE] (a wilderness survival treatment program for youth). I had to find a new career and that was when I started working in a real jewelry store. Since then I have learned to design jewelry in a whole new way. CAD (computer Aided Design). [https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57e469e1e4fcb56e71eeb981/2356f663-d5f3-424c-a9cf-e4094310d404/Woven_silver-bracelet.jpg?format=1000w] https://www.danaarts.com/bracelets/round6holewoven-silver-kpk9f I love working in CAD. It’s something I still have a passion for and love the freedom it gives me to create what I have tucked away in my head. Developing a design can be quick or it can take a long time. I have noticed though, that when I have to rework designs, they become better and better as I rework them. At times I am unwilling to rework a design because I feel I have put my all into it and it’s maybe good enough. Each time that I end up reworking the design it truly does become better and I’m always glad I made those changes. It a bit like life. For those of us that like routines and don’t like change, it’s hard to make changes. My daughter is also the same way. Change is difficult and we don’t want to have to go through with it. We will fight it and deny that we need to progress and make the changes in life. Once we do it’s really wasn’t so bad and things just got a whole lot better. Not all change is great, but I feel that many times it does or can help us to grow into better people. When jewelry changes happen, it’s for the better and I’ve learned that everyone is their own designer. How often do I make a custom piece of jewelry that is fully my idea or deign? Not often. Most people have something in mind that they want and so even though I throw my own flare into the design, the overall idea is the customers. They are the designers and even if I don’t fully love the design it’s what they want. There are only a few times, here and there, that a customer loves my style of craftsmanship and design enough to where they can trust me and I can pretty much design anything and they would love it. Just give me the topic or a little guidance and let me free. That’s what it’s more like at Dana Arts. As I am able to just freely design what I want. That is why I wanted to start Dana Arts [https://www.danaarts.com]. It’s a place where I can design what I like in hopes that others will too. A place where I can showcase my art and ideas. It makes me feel good when someone can wear a piece of jewelry that I’ve fully designed and created and have joy in it. That’s why I love music as it is one of those areas that can touch so many lives. Although jewelry is not the same as music, I would hope I can also touch lives though designs that are enjoyable to wear. Something you can feel proud to wear and show to others. Quality well made custom jewelry is a so breathtaking when you love to wear it. Beautiful rings can bring moments of joy to your life. Wedding rings [https://www.danaarts.com/engagement-rings] are one of those categories. Wedding rings [https://www.danaarts.com/engagement-rings] and wedding bands [https://www.danaarts.com/patterned-bands] are jewelry that we wear daily. I know that you should love what you wear for wedding rings. They mean so much and remind us of our commitment to our partners in life. Finding the right design or having custom made the right ring design can be a decision that stays with us throughout our life. That is why it’s so important to choose the right ring as it reflects upon us as couples and becomes a part of who we are. [https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57e469e1e4fcb56e71eeb981/386067df-c0a7-48a6-98a3-39428bc95f3d/black_sun.jpg?format=1000w] https://www.danaarts.com/patterned-bands Sun ring and a Greek wheat square ring If you are contemplating buying a ring for any occasion, remember the joy a quality handmade ring [https://www.danaarts.com/impressions-of-nature] can be as it will journey with you throughout your life. I will always be making jewelry and if you haven’t noticed I never delete any designs. I will always come up with new ones, but if you ever lose a ring, it will be there to order again. Most companies phase out designs and always keep the new. I strive to keep coming up with new, but keep the old as they are classics too. You can count on me to do the best I can to create quality jewelry that will last through the decades.

So I’ve tried in the past to sell some CTR rings which stands for “Choose The Right”. Then I stopped because of licensing issues. I am now proud to announce that I’m have permission to sell some CTR rings again. There are only five designs that I can sell for now. I have maybe 15 designs. I will work on getting the others approved. As of now I have these five available as I get time to list them on my site. I’m excited to share these designs with you. Here is the first one that I’ve listed. CTR Rock Foundation in Sterling silver [https://www.danaarts.com/ctr-rings] CTR-Greek_SS_b.jpg [https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57e469e1e4fcb56e71eeb981/1709836579074-6HBHMUYLSZIEK3BLNCF5/CTR-Greek_SS_b.jpg?format=1000w] CTR-Greek_SS_b.jpg CTR_Rock_a.jpg [https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57e469e1e4fcb56e71eeb981/1709823684348-MNS4NSN5EL9IXKC5HZ49/CTR_Rock_a.jpg?format=1000w] CTR_Rock_a.jpg CTR-Celtic_b.jpg [https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57e469e1e4fcb56e71eeb981/1709823724448-U7DG5CWE3T09Y3MQKVFA/CTR-Celtic_b.jpg?format=1000w] CTR-Celtic_b.jpg CTR-SI_a.jpg [https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57e469e1e4fcb56e71eeb981/1709823771999-AQOIHT358X0LR2KFLE3Z/CTR-SI_a.jpg?format=1000w] CTR-SI_a.jpg CTR_immovable_h.jpg [https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57e469e1e4fcb56e71eeb981/1709823653091-806C77GDB6RLPTYC2H4I/CTR_immovable_h.jpg?format=1000w] CTR_immovable_h.jpg To “Choose the Right” is not always an easy thing to do. I feel it’s easier to do alone than when around friends that may give a little pier pressure. Either way we need to stay strong and always remember to choose the right especially when faced with hard choices. We may be tempted to take the easy way out, but if we can learn to pre decide and know what we would say or do in certain situations we will make those hard choices become easy choices. So lets choose to choose the right.