DanaArts Podcast

What do Survival and Jewelry have in common?

I have to say I love primitive survival. It’s been in my heart before I even knew it was a desire or passion of mine. I’ve always been drawn to nature, the outdoors, clay, and making things from scratch the hard way. I was always up to the challenge. It wasn’t until I started working at Anasazi Foundation [https://anasazi.org] that many years ago that helped me figure out what I was missing. Don’t get me wrong, I also did love the kids and what this program does for struggling youth and parents, but that is not my focus right now. It was there that I learned how to work with clay to make coil pots that I would use to cook my food. Flint knapping little arrow heads was also a really fun skill to have learned. I started to learn how to make arrows and self bows. Cordage from natural materials like yucca and dog bane. I worked with gourds to make canteens. I was able to attend Rabbit Stick [https://www.rabbitstick.com] in Idaho one year and learned a little basketry, tire sandals. I’ve always played with and worked with leather to create quivers and leather clothing. Oh how I loved doing survivals. There was a time I remember at Anasazi that there were around four of us that did a short training of about maybe 5 days with nothing. We found some wild grapes, but were new to this so that was about all the food we had. It was sour too. lol. We tried hunting small game with rocks. Got fire started with materials we found and used rock that we flaked for knives. It was a great experience, but we desperately needed food and we didn’t really know what we were doing so we starved a bit. We found some, what I call “band aide water” which is sitting water on some rock getting old. It was old and nasty so we used clothing to filter out the junk and it was not good. So I now have some experience with survival, but then I got married and life has happened. [https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57e469e1e4fcb56e71eeb981/31896b7f-c30a-46aa-91ec-5fdf21ce4c54/ApacheMatch_glow.jpg?format=1000w] An Apache Match used like a tinder bundle that is used to help start the fire after busting a coal. I have not been able to go out as much as I would have liked to over the years. The reality is that it just costs too much to always drive hours away into the wilderness. Sadly my kids don’t know the outdoors as much as I would have liked them to know it. Through these years I have been able to keep up with all my skills and crafts. I love to make jewelry and to craft up so many different things. I love designing. That is where my mind excels. Lately I have been making 14k gold rings with lab grown diamonds. Just like any craft it is fun, but also challenging. [https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57e469e1e4fcb56e71eeb981/502dd610-eff0-4a02-bc88-bf42ea959b49/Ashley_EngRing.jpg?format=1000w] https://www.danaarts.com/engagement-rings Recent Engagement Ring I made in 14k yellow gold with lab grown diamonds. [https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57e469e1e4fcb56e71eeb981/2bd369fa-adee-4d61-8e12-746c3afb0224/Knife_dark.jpg?format=1000w] My handy Frost knife with my yucca and leather sheath I made for it. The challenge and love for these to areas of passions I have are really not that different from one another. I find that in survival I have to be creative and do the hard work of living and with jewelry I have the design challenge on up to the crafting of the piece. I have to keep in mind the design, structure, strength and possibilities of the future wear on the design [https://www.danaarts.com/engagement-rings]. Both are challenging and can be satisfying and make you feel good when accomplished. With both skill I have to adapt and figure out the situation and make it work. I have made some natural necklaces in the past. You can use black walnut twigs or thin branches. They have a hallow middle that can be used to string up your wooden beads cut from these branches. Then use some sinew and make a thin piece of cordage with it. From there you can string up your beads. So much fun to make. [https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57e469e1e4fcb56e71eeb981/d0f0dbe7-ee8d-4f97-8412-42c30a90569d/BlackWalnutNecklace.jpg?format=1000w] Black Walnut Necklace [https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57e469e1e4fcb56e71eeb981/b1906eb3-4997-435a-8684-be7537c90c4e/firesets.png?format=1000w] Handmade Bow Drill Jewelry - Charm and Pendant [https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57e469e1e4fcb56e71eeb981/5767320f-2ac6-4123-86e7-ca41577995e1/Side_backpack_sun.jpg?format=1000w] https://www.danaarts.com/crafts/leather-backpack-01 Leather backpack I made from water buffalo hide. The leather I purchased while living in Lao P.D.R. at a tannery. The leather was for cars I think. It’s very strong and the surface is not soft. Good for a rugged environment. So to be honest my survival skills may have diminished or may have not improved as I have not been able to get out to the outdoors very often anymore, but my skills I have kept up with and this has kept me feeling like I still have a connection to it. This is just how my mind works. Always in survival mode, constantly striving to improve upon my skills and attitude. This is what they have in common and why I love them both so much. As much as I’d love to go out more often to practice survival I am working on my own little survival camp on my property. This way even if I can’t go out to the forest, I can still play at home. lol. I’ll post now and then on my progress. :)

Jewelry Photography

So ever since I started to create jewelry I’ve also had to do the photography for my own jewelry. I have a passion for jewelry and making crafts that I’ve literally done this my whole life. I used to play with clay in my backyard growing up. I did leather work, and cloth bracelets for friends. Then there was a time I lived in Lao P.D.R. for a few years. There I learned silversmithing with the locals. I melted the silver down into bars, rolled it out and then drew it out into wire. From there we would make these really cool belts. I look back at this and am amazed at all the work that goes into making these. The torches used gasoline in a glass bottle that had a bellow to pump the gas through another bottle and use the fumes for the torch. Not safe as I saw many times the bottle bust or some disasters happen. [https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57e469e1e4fcb56e71eeb981/88fb3ca2-6fd2-4f20-9a7b-f29c779d39ee/Lao+Blet.jpg?format=1000w] Handmade Silver Lao Belt Once back in the US I was wanting to continue my education in silversmithing. I brought back as many tools as I could and then went to a jewelry supplier in Oakland, CA called Otto Frei [https://www.ottofrei.com] and spent the most money I had ever spent at once in my life. About $1,000 dollars. I was nervous and excited. I then started to practice those skills I learned over in Laos. Then I found a job at Anasazi Foundation [https://anasazi.org] where I learned and honed in more of my passionate skills with leatherwork, flint knapping, pottery and more. I could have worked a job like this forever. Not only to help the youth grow and learn principles in life that are life changing, but also to be out in nature and to feel at peace with me and those around me. Such a memorable experience that will stay with me forever. Then I got married and needed a job that would be a closer to the city. I thought to myself, “I need to work in the jewelry field if I want to learn it.” So I went looking around all the greater Phoenix area for a jeweler job. I mean I had a little experience working with silver, how hard could it be to get a job in this related field? Well, it took me everywhere throughout the valley and you know what they all told me? They said that working with gold is much different and harder than working with silver and we don’t have the time to teach you. No one would hire me. I think I must have gone to almost every jewelry store in the valley with all rejecting me. I finally found someone in Ahwatukee, AZ. He was willing to teach me and help me learn getting paid minimum wage and I was making $6 an hour. I took it and was learning how to size rings and more. I was so happy. I also found out that gold is so much easier to work with than silver. So why did they all reject me? I have no idea. Gold is much easier to work with, although I still love working with silver. I sill was doing my best to create my own jewelry at home in the evenings. I was poor and newly married. I have always found ways to make things work though. I built my own jewelers bench. I continued to hand make jewelry. The internet was just starting to come about and I had no way of utilizing it to help me. My little side business never really went anywhere. Then one day at a new job working with jewelry I was advancing more in the field. I even stared to work with CAD to help build jewelry. I’ve never looked back and that is where I now do most all my jewelry. I still fully handmake jewelry at times, but I also love to create in CAD with the more freedom it has given me to create designs that I can imagine up. By this time went to school for web design. I tried building my own site to sell my jewelry. Still nothing. Since then I have gone away from building and coding my own site to using a templated service where I can design using their templates, but not have to do the backend coding. Yes I’ve done all this just to try and save money instead of hiring someone to do it for me. I have this mindset that is probably preventing me from advancing. I’m trying to do it all my self because I try and make the time for it all, but don’t have the money to pay anyone. So progress is slow. I’m no expert and so the evil cycle keeps going as I continue to try and grow my business alone with no help and me trying to do everything from design, making, photography, web design, writing descriptions, bookwork to every part that is part of a business. This is probably why I still to this day have not progressed as much as one would hope. It’s a passion of mine and I’m sure whether I am greatly successful or not at it, I’ll continue to do it till I am no longer on this earth. So now that you know my life story, I’m going to focus on jewelry photography. I’ve been at it for all these years is what all the blabbing off was about. It’s not easy to capture jewelry on film because of all the reflections around. So many reflections that can get into the stones and then the photo does not look good. I still struggle with it. I guess I learn very slow. I guess what I have learned is to create a white box to keep reflections out. Use good lighting and use photoshop to help clean up the photos. Still not easy, but you can get some decent results. I still don’t have a light box and use a white background with paper as my walls. Lol. Still trying to do it the cheap way. Lately I’ve been thinking to do photo shots with a model. My daughter is that willing participant. Again, I’m being cheap and don’t want to hire a model. So she is my model for now till she moves out. This is my most recent photo. [https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57e469e1e4fcb56e71eeb981/37f64d78-00a6-4deb-a39c-7737689fa02f/Anja_Celtic_ring.jpg?format=1000w] https://www.danaarts.com/celtic-bands/celtic-8-sig Anja modeling my Celtic ring design I took this on a day that was a little overcast. All natural lighting outside in a forest. I can’t always go somewhere other than home, but it was nice to get out and it helped with inspiration. I love art and love photography just as much as jewelry or any of the other crafts that I do (Leatherwork, Pottery, Sewing, and even gardening). If you struggle at photography as I do, don’t get down on yourself. We are all learning all the time. I doubt I’ll ever be stratified 100% with the photography, jewelry or crafts that I make and do. I think that’s just part of being an artist. Just keep trying. We are all at different levels. I don’t make perfect jewelry designs. I’m flawed at certain parts of the processes. Same goes for photography. I admire the individuals that can afford to buy the good equipment and just start taking great photos. I still after all these years need to buy a professional camera. I admit I’m a bit jealous of those people and long for a camera that can help ease my efforts to a better image. Or maybe looking on the brighter side of things, just maybe there is a day I get a great camera and then nothing actually improves. LOL. Maybe the intermediate camera and some developed skills over time is just as good. I don’t know yet. I’m still figuring it all out. I probably always will be. What is the purpose of this blog post? I don’t know. It wasn’t all about photography as I intended it to be, but I’m hoping you may get a sense of what I’ve been through to be where I am. Maybe it can help you avoid the mistakes I’ve made. Maybe it helps you do things in a better way. I hope so. Don’t try to do it all on your own. Progress is too slow. I say stick to the parts of your business that you like and do your best to farm out the rest. This way you can like what you are doing and concentrate on your passions. My issues is that it’s all a passion to me and I love to do it all myself. I don’t like help. Doing it all yourself is not the answer, but I do know I am at peace and love what I do. All we can do in life is keep going and doing our best at what we love. For me if something ever comes of my business I’d be happy to be doing what I love with less worries about the other aspects of life. If not then I already know what that’s like because I live it every day and I do love life. I am blessed and I keep doing my best to improve my skills at photography and all the other skills I desire to have. If there is ever a topic that you wish for me to cover. A skill that I do that you are interested in. Let me know and I’ll share what I know about the topic. I don’t know everything, but we are here to learn together. [https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57e469e1e4fcb56e71eeb981/6a590950-2948-4a5b-afd2-4ed774a55879/GourdCanteen.jpg?format=1000w] Small Gourd Canteen I made with Elk leather straps [https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57e469e1e4fcb56e71eeb981/4a2408b7-cee7-4bc8-8502-2d9b3f462ab8/Silver+Bangle+twist.jpg?format=1000w] Handmade sterling silver twisted bangle. I made this from scratch from melting silver to rolling each part into wire, etc.

A Classic Ring with a Classic VW bug

Ever since my 67 bug’s engine caught on fire a few years back I’ve been wanting to get it working again. I had bought the engine parts years ago and I removed the engine and it’s been sitting outside in the elements with just a plastic bag over it. Not a great situation. So I’ve started to dedicate my time to it so that I can get the engine in and get it running again. It has been quite the process and to be honest the engine is back inside. There are potential issues that will force me to remove the engine again, but with limited tools and equipment I will just have to do what I have to do. If I can get it running then I can worry about the rest. If not then I don’t feel I should spend anymore money on it and just sell it for someone else to put their heart into it. It’s in a stage where if I were to do it properly, I would need to redo so much of it, body work and all. I can’t afford to do that and just want the car to run. I miss it. It brings a good feeling when driving it. [https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57e469e1e4fcb56e71eeb981/46209e4e-bda1-46ff-b73e-dba084d85203/VW+Compare.jpg?format=1000w] My 67 VW bug engine rebuild - Right = engine after fire - Left = my rebuild attempt Old classic rings are like my bug. They look so cool and have that antique look. Even though it has that look that doesn’t mean it has to have been made a long time ago. I made this one classic ring years ago and I love it. It’s not super old, but still has the look and feel. The one in the image [https://www.danaarts.com/engagement-rings/draping-elegance-platinum-antique-style-ring] has a 2ct amethyst stone with small diamonds and other cool design elements. [https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57e469e1e4fcb56e71eeb981/7af78e42-29c0-46ef-b12f-a53b50945ea9/DrappingElegance_a.jpg?format=1000w] Draping Elegance - A platinum ring with a 2ct round center and accent diamonds and filigree. So there is just something about that old classic look. It’s beautiful and feels good to just to own one. The amount of time that goes into fixing a bug up and to design a ring, clean it up and set all the stones are similar on different scales. Lots of time and energy spent on thinking and even getting your hands dirty. Patients and a careful sense of attention to the small details. In the end it pays off and what comes of it is pure joy. It’s the journey that is wonderful and we need to see life in a way that is positive. A life that lifts our soul that can help shine onto others so we can all progress forward in a constructive positive way.

Christmas season is here

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.

Gardening helps invite inspiration to my jewelry designs

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!