Hello everyone, here is the interview that I’ve been meaning to post for WEEKS, that keeps getting interrupted by work and school and work and shows and life and whatnot — with many apologies to Susan for putting her on hold, here she is at last!

Susan W. Saltzman is the amazing artist/ designer behind SToNZ, where she makes beach stone and glass jewelry. Her jewelry a gorgeous blend of natural beauty and technical skill, and thanks to her graphic design background, there is a wonderful precision to her branding and a stunning crispness to her photography. Her work has been a favorite of mine since I met her.? I am proud to own one of her necklaces, and even luckier to call her a friend. You can find her work at http://www.stonz.etsy.com

1. Tell a little about your business – what do you make, how long have you been in business, and what do you love most about it?

SToNZ is my line of handmade sterling silver jewelry, featuring beach stones, sea glass and freshwater pearls. Being an artist all of my life, I have studied a wide variety of artistic media (including metalsmithing, many moons ago). While earning my graphic design degree from the University of Michigan School of Art & Design, I was hired as an in-house illustrator at a major greeting card company. Upon the birth of my kids, I decided to begin a home-based freelance design studio. After spending more than a decade as an illustrator and graphic designer for a diverse range of corporate clients, non-profits and community organizations, my longstanding love for wearing and working with natural materials and silver drew me back to the jeweler’s bench.

Living near beautiful Lake Erie is a huge inspiration to me. I love to walk the beach and gather stone and glass specimens washed smooth by years of natural tumbling. In August of 2007, I discovered Etsy and realized that it would be a great venue for me to market my new creations and SToNZ was born!

It?s difficult to say what I love the MOST about my SToNZ business. I revel in the beachcombing, of course, but I also love sorting through my finds and designing a new piece of wearable art that best features the unique beauty of that particular piece of glass or stone. I love finishing a piece, and marveling at how it can end up entirely different than the way I originally envisioned. It’s such a thrill to see SToNZ being worn and hearing about how it “speaks” to the wearer. Something about this organic jewelry draws the most amazingly wonderful people. So, I have to say, I also have loved meeting many of the special people who appreciate SToNZ this jewelry really does draw interesting people into my life. Sometimes it is difficult to part with a piece of SToNZ once completed, but when it finally goes to a person who truly loves it, it?s clear ?that it wasn?t meant to stay with me. The feedback I get is truly gratifying and reaffirming.

2. How does it differ from your day job?

SToNZ actually IS half of my “day job”. I alternate my time between the jewelry stuff and the freelance graphics stuff, from my studio, which is set up for both! I guess I get bored doing one thing for too long, so sometimes I work at the jewelry bench, and sometimes at the computer each one giving me a break from the other. Both endeavors are creative, but they seem to use different parts of my brain.

3. Identity is often closely linked to what we do professionally. How do you identify yourself, and does it relate more to your business/ artisan side, or your day job?

I used to say I was an illustrator, then, a freelance graphic designer, then, a jewelry designer. I think I’ll go with artist. Happy artist. I love to make things and always will. How fortunate I am to be able to do these things that give me fulfillment. And many of these things make others happy too, so that’s even better!

4. Give one tip that has been invaluable for your work.

One thing I really valued in art school and in the workplace was being surrounded by inspiring creative people with whom I could share ideas and feedback. As an artist, it’s very easy to get caught up in my work and cut off from the world. I won’t say it’s lonely, because I really don’t mind working on my own for long periods of time, (most of the time I actually prefer it) but it’s easy to isolate oneself. Etsy, as one example, is a great way to connect with like-minded artists. I take classes. I seek advice and feedback from a variety of sources. It’s rejuvenating and educational.

My advice? Seek out people with whom you can share ideas and learn from. Chances are they have something to learn from you as well, and you’ll both come out ahead! I suppose that’s good advice for everyone, not just “artists”.

5. Any additional words of wisdom you’d like to share?

Do what you love, love what you do. Create something new every day. And thanks Chris, for your interest in SToNZ and for the inspiration and creative energy you have shared with me!

my blog has gone neglected in the past couple of weeks, for which I apologize.? So many posts being written in my mind, so little time to press the keys!? So lucky you, yer going to get the Cliff Notes version : )

the topics I would have written include a glowing review of the ArtCraft show, with its stellar “who I wanna be when I grow up” artists, and amazing patrons… a few stress posts on “omg I have so much crap to do but it’s all good stuff”… and a couple that rave about friends who are a rung above me on the ladder of success (I’m so proud of them!!).? I would have thrown in a few “check out this cool thing!” posts, and a couple “my daughter is a nut, but I love her” entries (shh, don’t tell).? I also would have secretly written, then deleted, a post or two on my nutball classroom kids, who are currently bouncing so far off the walls in anticipation of winter break that I may have to break out duct tape and strap them all to their chairs just so I can get ten seconds to pass out materials before getting bombarded by a cacophonic chorus of “whadarewegonnadotoday” screamed in 30 miniature voices.*

Somewhere in there I would have written something hysterical**, somewhere something embarrassingly mushy, and in a little corner, something that attempts to be inspirational.? You would have chucked a little, rolled your eyes, and hopefully breathed a little more fully, deeply.? So just pretend all of that happened… cause the indecision of what to write next when there were a dozen entries trying to burst forth was a lot of pressure.? I’m going to take a deep breath, start from scratch, and call it a “hiatus” so I can can pretend I did it on purpose.

* (now you know why I would have deleted it)

** erm… to me, at least.? still counts : }

I’m a bit of a city mouse, due mostly to a need to remain close to everything practical.? But my heart strings are still connected to a simpler life, where people grow their own vegetables and make their own jams and jellies and light fires for warmth.? I’m realistic enough to know that growing my own food is probably not a good idea (most greenery around here eventually ends up in houseplant heaven).? But the fire thing… that’s my weakness.? Ever since I was a kid we’ve had a pot belly stove or fireplace wherever I’ve lived.? So when I bought my house, it was just a matter of time before the draft-sucking hole in the living room wall became filled with heat.

Two years ago, when I finally fixed all the major major house repairs, I decided it was time.? I did my research (e.g. called the Amish Guy) and found out that the coolest thing around (and apparently the only one that would work with my chimney) is a pellet stove.? Blah blah blah, 95% efficient, runs on compressed sawdust pellets (or cherry pits, but who eats that many cherries??), and even has a programmable thermostat.

So, let me get this straight.? I never have to chop wood, it looks/ smells/ feels/ is a real fire, and I never have to chop wood??? And this new technology comes with the highest recommendations of the Amish Guy.*

AND, get this — it came with a surprise three tons of wood pellets, free!

I’ll let you digest that for a moment.

surprise.? three.? tons.? Now use them in a sentence.

See up until then, I had no real concept of what a ton was.? I mean I know how much, as in numbers on paper, and have used idioms like “I have a ton of laundry to do”, but this was clearly different.

Especially when “free” means they don’t have to go through the formalities of say… calling ahead.**? When I arrived home to find my little house sandbagged like a World War II barricade, I learned exactly what a “ton” was.? and for the next two years as I slowly burned through it bag by bag, til the last one ran out with the most perfect of timing as the ground was thawing this spring.

Come October I had to bite the bullet, say goodbye to my little backyard, and order more.? Now I don’t mind spending the money, because it is way cheaper (and warmer) than a furnace, not to mention the intangible benefit of lying in a heat-induced coma in a comfy chair.? But it is a little bit like paying your entire winter gas bill at once… for the privilege of having your landscaping akin to a war zone.? Still, a small price to pay for heat.

I made sure I was home this time, and got to experience the strange, wonderful blend of cultures that made it all possible.? One Amish Guy to stack dozens of bags, one Puerto Rican Guy to drive the truck and make happy small talk, and one Orthodox Jewish neighbor to peek over the hedges and make sure whatever crazy thing we were doing that night was kosher — or at least not in his yard.? (I also learned that Amish Guys do in fact drive, whether they should or not, when they get get tired of Puerto Rican guys chatting.? And watching them drive a semi-sized trailor in reverse up your little driveway at warp speed is quite an experience.)

……………………………………..with love and warmth,? C.

* enjoy the irony

** Nevermind that Amish Guys don’t have cell phones.

My daughter officially turned 15 last night.? (And I officially became OLD.? Although I’m certain she’s aging in dog years compared to me — or me to her??)? Of course as a 15 year old, she had to have a ParTay, and of course that meant inviting several other teenage buggers as well.? So how many to invite… how about 10.? TEN?? Only Ten? Okay, 12? 12.? Twelve?? Yes, 12. 12 is good.? She gives me a look like I’m asking her to disown the rest.? But she won’t tell me how many the “rest” is.

Now, I love teenagers.? I really do.? I work with hundreds of them every day, and it’s the best part of my job.? They’re kinda like adults, only quirkier, and they ramble a little more when they talk.? And unlike adults, when they start blathering on about some random topic or another of which you care absolutely nothing about, you can stop them in their tracks just by saying “Would you just sit down and shut up already?” and they will totally respect you for it.*? If it’s an adult doing the blathering, you have to feign interest and periodically say things like “oh yeah, those crazy [Democrats/ Republicans/ Cavs/ Buckeyes]” and wait it out.

And honestly, it’s not the teenager part of “having teenagers in my house” part that gets me; it’s the house part. As in, I want it to exist — status quo — when I’m back down to one.? So we narrow it down to 16, which by last night turned into 20. **

Now that it’s over, I have to say it wasn’t so bad : )? Like I said, they really are quite pleasant, quirky people.? Even if they can scarf down more frozen pizzas than I can fit in my freezer.? They don’t even care that was crappy pizza.? They say things like “Sweet!” and “Thank you!” and “Cool, there’s more!”? Cause with teenagers, it’s about the little things.? Little things make them feel good, and little things make them feel bad.? That’s why they’re so melodramatic.? They’re just experiencing every nuance that life has to offer.

When it came to my daughter’s presents, it was definitely the little things that made her day.? Like the bright red lipstick and nail polish she got from her best friend.? I’m sure it was a joke and not (dear lord) to wear, and the fact that it was wrapped in 2.6 miles of duct tape made it even more special.? And the helium balloon that the boy down the street got her that made her squeal like a 3 year old again.? And the shoes a friend gave her, I’m pretty sure just because she borrowed them one too many times.? And the faux mehendi I did using an eyeliner pencil was special enough for her to beg for a touch-up at the end of the evening.

I think what most sticks in my mind is how diverse the party was.? When I attended high school, there was no real diversity.? Everyone was caucasian, and most shared a similar heritage and religious tradition.? It wasn’t until I went to college that I really learned about other cultures, and I remember being utterly amazed by it all.? I made friends from literally around the globe, and they challenged my perceptions completely.? To see my daughter just entering high school surrounded by life-long friends of all colors and backgrounds was comforting; to know that she is open and accepting just because she couldn’t imagine otherwise, even better.

The whole evening (after three loads of dishes, two bags of recycling, and an hour and a half disinfecting) was not so bad after all.? Maybe, just maybe, we’ll do it again next year.? Cause you know, kids these days… they’re pretty okay.

……. with love and warm fuzzies and a clean house, C.

*Please know that I would NEVER do this.? (to your child.) (if you were watching.)

** this, by the way, is “teen math”.? It’s how they multiply when you aren’t paying attention.