Featured Designer #1: meghan williams of birdcage jewelry

This is our first, of many, Featured Designer posts. At Paper Boat we stock our shop with items from over 200 artists, crafters & designers from around the country and abroad. So, we decided to ask a bunch of our designers 7 questions to get to know them better.

A large part of the Featured Designer aspect of our Blog is that it helps us remember that one of the many reasons to support independently produced work, is there is a person behind what is being created. Making with work more personable by knowing what makes the people tick, what music they listen to while creating and what inspires make the individual items much more personal and special to us.

So, with that said, we would like to introduce you to our premier Featured Designer......

*Please note that our interviews are not edited and pasted directly from the featured designer's emails.

Name: meghan williams
Business Name: birdcage jewelry
Location: san francisco, ca
(all images provided by the artist)

Paper Boat: Tell us briefly what you make & do:

meghan: i make pretty earbobs and necklaces from vintage beads, paper, horn, wood, bone and other fancy things. most of what i make is one of a kind which makes every girl that wears birdcage very very special.

PB: How long have you been doing it?

m: i started selling in spring of 2006, but i've been messing about since high school.

PB: Where did you learn your skills?

m: mostly self taught. i quit drinking and smoking a couple years ago and had quite a bit of time on my hands. making the jewels kept my hands busy and my heart happy.

PB: What's your current inspiration?

m: i am in school now at california college of the arts (cca) - learning metalsmithing. i fucking love it. it opens a whole new realm of possibilities for me. i am interested in continuing the asymmetry of my current work, but new and improved with METAL.

PB: What have you been listening to while you work?

m: kevin drew, broken social scene, say hi, the smiths, sterolab

PB: What else do you do to keep busy?

m: explore my new town. i moved to san francisco 6 months ago with my boyfriend. there is a ton of awesomeness here and there's always something going on. my new favorite is going to the ocean and taking pictures with my fancy new camera. i am absolutely amazed at how close i am to the beach. i was born and bred in wisco, so you can imagine the shock of it. it is february. i feel very lucky to be here.

PB: Any summer plans you are looking forward to?

m: i am planning to participate in a 3 week studio program in nyc sponsored by cca. i will live and make art and visit artist studios and galleries in brooklyn. i also plan to participate in art vs. craft and visit my hometown for a bit. (i miss you beans and barley! xoxo)

* If you can't make it into Paper Boat to check out birdcage jewelry in person or want to learn more about meghan and her company visit her site HERE.