On Wednesdays, we look at designer statements or About pages and discuss the vocabulary they use to describe their work. Today we’ll look at the Etsy About page of Alicia Molin, a jewelry designer that specializes in raw stone jewelry.
Here is the text from her About page, in italics.
Art + Science = <3
My name is Alicia and I have been creating electroformed jewelry for almost a decade. I grew up in California combing all types of terrane for rocks, shells, sticks, leaves – you name it. In college I studied environmental studies while my hobbies dipped into the art world. Through my art I aim to marry the consistency of design and the individuality of detail. As in nature, a flower may seem to look exactly like it’s neighbor, but upon closer inspection will reveal subtle differences that makes it completely unique and one of a kind. Noticing this duality in all aspects of life is my main passion. I hope when a person resonates with a piece of my jewelry they will reflect on their similarities to a neighbor while noticing and appreciating their own unique nature.
Now my comments: This designer loves using art and science together, as we can see in the title of her page: Art + Science = <3. In the first sentence, we learn how long she’s been working and what her specialty is. Next, we learn about her history and what led her to pursue this kind of work. Next, she explains the goals of her designs and what makes her work unique. Finally, she describes her passion and the message of her work.
Now, let’s take a look at the language she uses. In the first sentence, we see the term electroformed jewelry. This is a style of jewelry making that uses electricity to add a layer of metal on top of something else, like stone. If you’d like to see a step-by-step explanation with photos, click here. We also learn that she has been working in this medium for almost a decade, which means almost 10 years. In the next sentence, we see the word terrane. I think she actually means terrain, which is land of a particular kind, like forests, deserts, coastline, etc. She also uses the phrase you name it, which means everything you can think of. We often use this phrase at the end of a list, like she does, to mean a lot of other stuff too.
In the next sentence, she says my hobbies dipped into the art world. I think she means she started trying different styles of art as hobbies. Usually, the phrase dipped into means we’re just trying something a little, like dipping your toes into the water to see if it’s cold. The next sentence is a little more complex: Through my art I aim to marry the consistency of design and the individuality of detail. Aim means you are trying to reach a goal, and in this situation, marry means you are combining two things. So she’s saying that her goal is to create pieces that combine consistently good design with unique details.
Next, she gives an example about a flower to illustrate her meaning. The phrase upon closer inspection means if you look more closely, and one of a kind is a fun way to say something is unique. She’s using this example to say that even though flowers may look alike at a distance – if you look closely, you can see they are each unique. Finally, she uses this same idea to encourage the people who like her jewelry to think about how each person is like other people and yet unique. She does a nice job of giving her work symbolism, or meaning, through this idea.
Since this artist loves science and her work involves interesting tools and techniques, I’d like to know more about that. I think she could include another paragraph that briefly describes what electroformed jewelry means and what her process is in making it. She could even talk a little more about the challenges of this medium and how her work has evolved in the past ten years. A good language coach can help you to share your work in a way that is similar to other artists in your medium but still shows your unique style.
At Artglish, we help artists and designers to write a statement or About page that best describes their work. We focus on choosing the best vocabulary and language to help you share your work with others. If you want to learn more, click here to join The Studio and try some free ways to improve your English, or check out our Lessons|Courses page to learn how Artglish can help you succeed.
I’ve chosen 5 words or phrases for you to focus on today. They are in bold. If you don’t know them, look up the meaning, synonyms, antonyms, and other forms of these words. You can find links to Merriam-Webster dictionary sites at the bottom of this page.
To see the original page at PebbleAndStoneStore, click the link below:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/PebbleAndStoneStore?ref=l2-shopheader-name