Meet Ashton Berglund | Business Owner, Creative Artist, Jewelry Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ashton Berglund and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ashton, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
There wasn’t really a whole big idea or huge thought process behind starting my brand, I just did it. At the time I started Drowning Bear, I was 20 years old, just moved to NYC and I had no idea what I wanted to do. I just knew I needed something that was mine and whatever I did, it can forever evolve with me no matter what I made it into.

I have always been entrepreneurial/ independent and creative so I knew that part was never going to go away. The logistics side of it however has been a lot of hard work, research, strategizing and trial and error but the first initial thought of starting the brand (before I even knew what that meant) was never daunting or even a question if I should do it or not, it was just the natural next step for me. Some friends and family had their doubts naturally and told me to get a “real job” but being the rebel that I am, I’m so glad I didn’t listen to them.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My art is definitely not for everyone and I think that’s okay. Jewelry is such a universal language and I wanted to create something that spoke to everyone but in a different, more unique way. So I set out to develop unconventional pieces of jewelry that aren’t overly shiny or perfect adornments but rather see the perfection in the imperfection. I think that is the backbone of what I’ve created, making something that has this imperfect beauty to it.

Everything I do is about breaking the modern rules, taking risks and not doing things in the traditional way. Getting to this point in my life and career was not easy. There were definitely a lot of risks I took but I didn’t see them as challenges, I mostly saw them as opportunities. If I didn’t take the risks, I’d never know what could be. You can either take the risk of doing something or take the risk of doing nothing, and thats a risk I’m never willing to take.

I look at the jewelry I’m creating today and it’s becoming more expressive, bolder and more unique than anything I’ve made in the past and this to me is the most exciting. What I set out to do is to create jewelry that would evolve with you and essentially be more precious to you the longer that you are the guardian of it. To create jewelry that has that spontaneity, those little imperfections in it, really brings it to life and has more of a story in it. It’s mysterious alchemy.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
There are some really great rooftops and markets in downtown LA. Also the 100 year old buildings are truly inspiring. Definitely go to some museums; LACMA, The Getty and The Natural History Museum. Would go to the beaches, eat all the seafood, sushi, Mexican food and Korean bbq. Seeing all of the canyons and mountains and definitely hiking various trails followed by a night in West Hollywood.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My Grandmother, Carol, had a huge part in where I am today. She was the one that taught me how to love and make jewelry at a very young age. Carol always had the biggest, most elegant jewelry I had ever seen. I would always sneak into her jewelry boxes while she wasn’t looking just to gaze at all the diamonds and gemstones. In my eyes at 12 years old, her collection was that of Elizabeth Taylor. Exquisite.

I grew up in a small town in Iowa and Carol lived in California. When I would visit her, she always took me to her favorite bead shop in Orange County to let me pick out my favorites and we would make bracelets out of them together. Sometimes while painting our nails, eating chocolate and popcorn, her with a glass of wine or a dry martini (me of course with orange juice because I was 12 lol) and some sort of tv show on the television. Anytime I would visit her, we were always making something or doing anything creative. Those were such core memories of us together that jewelry making and being creative was kind of just engrained in me. I loved every minute of it.

When I moved to NYC, I always found myself stumbling into bead shops and picking out my favorites and eventually started working at a charm and jewelry store in Brooklyn called Brooklyn Charm and then it was all downhill from there. They taught me a lot, gave me the fundamentals and guided me on courses to take to steer me in the right direction of taking my craft further. Shout out to Tracy and JC!

Now after much research and studying on my own with a clear vision of my brand, Louis Cartier is one of my biggest mentors. He had the passion and drive that I look up to and emulate. Also his vision of the brand and the perfectionism he put in each of his jewelry pieces he created is what made Cartier what it is it today. I really look up to that and try to incorporate that into my brand as well.

Website: https://www.drowningbear.com

Instagram: @drowningbear

Other: Email: info@drowningbear.com
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/drowningbearjewelry/
Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/DrowningBearJewelry

Image Credits
All photos are taken by Ashton Berglund