Meet Shannon Koszyk | Jewelry Artist

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

Hi Shannon, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Truth be told, making jewelry was my hobby for years. I have always loved jewelry and I began making jewelry when I was about 7 years old. Over the years I took classes to learn how to do more. Jewelry was always meditative for me so in a way it was my therapy, I have always loved working with my hands. I have an AA degree in Fashion Marketing and a BA in Business with a minor in Musical Theatre. I have worked within the design industry since I was about 14 years old. I knew after landing my dream job at Elle magazine that I wanted to make something of my own. I had no idea that would end up being jewelry. Later when I was working in PR in the interior design / home furnishings industry the designers I was working with began inquiring about the pieces I was wearing. It sort of just started then and there. It wasn’t a conscience decision, it just happened. So, when they say “Follow Your Bliss” there is real power in that sentiment.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
We artists see life through a different lens. We don’t see what is, we see what could be. Artists are always asking for the impossible and somehow, we get it done even when everyone says it won’t work or that’s impossible. And our mantra is, it must work? This can make our lives challenging but if your truly an artist there is no other way. We stand committed and haunted by what we feel and want to accomplish. Its constantly challenging and it’s not easy. I am often confronted by those ‘designers’ who manufacturer and assemble everything and make millions while we do the actual work and get paid periodically. It’s hard. Buying manufactured in China components and assembling them isn’t art, it isn’t even design, its merely assembly and the industry is so full of that. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned to not compare myself and take pride in what I do and the way I do it. So, what sets me apart is that I do the work every day. I wake up every day excited to do the work. I’m always trying to dig deeper and do better work. Inspiration is my drug.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Venice Beach is my happy place. I know it has changed so much over the years and they say the soul is gone but that happens everywhere. For me I can still connect to the area it’s still there for me. I love the grit of the area and the ocean; the ocean is my life support. I love the gothic Spanish element mixed with the lighter vibration of the beach lifestyle. I love all the characters in Venice Beach, the street art and the smell of the vegetation and ocean. I can sit on the beach for hours, its meditative. I love Los Angeles and I love that you can live in a city that doesn’t feel like a city.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There were so many people along the way, but I would have to say it was really my mother who has always been so supportive of anything I decided to do no matter how far-fetched it seemed to everyone else. My Mom was a designer, she designed Wall Decor, Mirrors and Accessories for the Home Furnishings industry. She had taken me along with her and her design team on a trip to Paris. One afternoon we stumbled into a Paris Flea market, and I was fascinated by all the old medals and coins. So, we bought several of them and my mom said, “you better do something with these.” So, I went home and played with them for a while. I was living in Seattle, and she was in Santa Barbara so when I went home for a visit, I brought a handful of the necklaces I had made incorporating the medals and coins and she said, “Oh my, these are really good.” So, she pushed me to take them to the local lifestyle shop in town which is still my all-time favorite shop. It’s called Wendy Foster in Montecito; Wendy has always been my style muse, so I was nervous and was not expecting much. I walked in expecting to get some constructive criticism and she bought them all, I was verklempt. And that was it, I was in business.

Website: https://www.shannonkoszyk.com/

Instagram: @shannonjkoszyk

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannon-koszyk-23350220/

Image Credits
I took all of the photos