Truly, it appears that Kumi pushes herself into new territory continually. I was laughing when she told me she
decided to branch out and try beadwork. “I decided to
try something totally out of my element and took Sherri
Serafini’s bead embroidery class, and I felt like I was embroidering with my feet!” But even here you can see she
just loves to learn. She tells me Sherri “was so sweet and
patient, but while others were almost finished with the
bracelet I was still working the first cabochon!”
I noticed that one of her newer styles is chainmaille,
which she told me that she “enjoys the repetitiveness of
opening and closing jump rings to make chainmaille jewelry. I know it sounds boring, but I find it meditative while
watching one of my favorite shows in the studio.”
I asked Kumi what advice she would give new aspiring
artists just starting out? Her advice was so descriptive of
her artistic journey. “Don’t be afraid to try new techniques
or go outside your comfort zone.” She said that some
techniques or mediums will come naturally, and others won’t, but “there are so many ways to make jewelry
so don’t get discourage if one medium doesn’t resonate
with you.” She went on to say “buy the best tools you can
afford, and if you can afford to take a workshop pick a
teacher that best resembles your style.” And finally, “find
your voice and create what makes your heart sing!”
Given the depth of artistry in her work, you’d think she’d
been making jewelry all her life. But I was surprised to
hear it’s only been a couple of years. She said she got
started when a girlfriend taught her how to make a felted
purse with beaded handles. “While searching online for
beads, I came across wire wrapping tutorials and made
my first necklace.” Next stop was the bookstore where she
said she “purchased every jewelry, beading magazine I
could get my hands on.”
Actually, it all started with clay. “I did pottery in high
school and when I came across metal clay I was intrigued.
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