Rooted

All about my newest collection, and a space to put it down in.

Back in what we’ll call “the glory days of instagram” it was easier to tell a tale and captivate followers simply because people were paying attention. As social media continues to play out like garbage and the creative folks of the world are switching gears to create content over art out of sheer survival, it makes it hard to trust that any of those platforms will be a story telling stage again. And don’t get me wrong, I get it. We are now bombarded in the era of quick, witty and sometimes vulgar content because that’s what catches people first. It’s hard to compete with, so I joined the circus and do my best to please the algorithm gods as much as I can while still staying true to myself and my business. However, that’s not to say I have nothing to tell anymore, or that there aren’t still people out there who want to hear the stories about what I’m creating, because if it didn’t have a purpose then I’d be a bullshit liar always spewing out “created with intentions”

Like all of my collections, rooted was pulled out of experience and is symbolic of my journey to get to where I am. It’s made from bits and pieces of natural materials I found back in Central MA and some that I have collected now that I made the big move to Western MA in my very own yard. It’s hard not to see this new place through rose colored glasses right now as I am breathing in new inspiration, new experiences, and it feels like for the first time in a few years the doors are opening up for new opportunities again.

But it took a lot of sacrifice and careful planning to get here, and I’m not through the woods yet of those sacrifices either. It would be nice to say that this is an entirely clean slate from which I can reinvent myself, but there are still some ghosts I had to pack up with me and unbox in my new home. We’re never truly free from all the shadow work, and I think coming out here has at least given me the clarity on that topic which I plan on discussing at a later time. For now what’s important is to celebrate the victory of making it and ending up where I’ve been screaming I would, even if I arrived a little messy.

Rooted connects the two parts. Some pieces from my previous residency and some from my current. Made out of twigs and other dried materials, it is quite literally a way to say in a physical form, “remember your roots.” Each one has specific gem stones selected for this collection such as smokey quartz, smokey topaz, vera cruz amethyst, phantom quartz, pakimers, and a sneaky little moonstone that hasn’t been revealed quite yet. A lot of these crystals have protective energies around them, or nurturing, making them a perfect addition to this concept of protecting what brought us to where we are, what still makes us who we are, and what will always be us.

In a more literal sense, Rooted is also a throw back to when I started electroforming back in 2015 (ish…I can never really remember what year it was because I honestly picked it up and put it down so many times out of frustration) which mostly consisted of pieces of nature I would sloppily coat in graphite paint and hold together with hot glue, and hope for the best (I don’t do that anymore thankfully, but you know….we all started somewhere). A few of those pieces did turn out ok enough for me to sell, but back then they were very much what I thought I would be doing for the entirety of xtwii which didn’t end up being that case, and that’s ok since I went on to do some really incredible things. However, those pieces taught me so many core values I have to my craft now, so it really does make me ponder about my own roots in my creative journey and how this really did become my full time thing.

Rooted is set to release at 7pm Eastern Time, on Thursday September 19th. There will be ten pieces that make up this collection, and you will be able to find them under the jewelry section in my shop at : https://xtwii.com

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