fire & fae

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and what inspired you to set up Fire And Fae?

My name is Kat. I live and work in Belfast. I am the mum of two young boys.

I have always had a love of unique jewellery and accessories and have been creating in some shape or form for as long as I can remember!

I recently took an online metalsmithing course with my absolute jewellery hero Susan Lenart Kazmer, and this is what spurred me on to create and release my first collection of jewellery at the end of August.

Can you tell us a bit more about what you do at Fire And Fae?

As Fire and Fae is a brand new concept, I am the sole creator / designer / smith / packer / postman for the entire thing!

I work from a small studio, built by my other half, in our dining room.

All ideas / designs are completely my own and I hand forge everything you will see on my website!

I have been metalsmithing for less than a year, so everything still feels brand new and exciting to me – long may that continue!! 

 What/who influences/motivates you?

I have two absolute favourite jewellers – both American – one is Susan Lenart Kazmer – queen of the found object design, and the other is Ace, of Studio Luna Verde – who is queen of the flame!

Both jewellers have an unconventional approach to the craft, which is why I am drawn to their work.

I also describe myself as a ‘texture – vert’ – I am so drawn to textures. I always love a juxtaposition of something very sumptuous with something much more basic or rustic in texture.

I have always been driven by a desire to create – through music / dance / crafts – whatever the medium may be, so to be able to hone in on this particular craft has been a dream come true for me, and that motivates me every day to get better and more imaginative with what I do.

 What has been your biggest hurdle and your proudest moment or accomplishment with your business so far?

My biggest hurdle is definitely getting quality time in the studio to work.

I am constantly running around looking after the boys, getting them to classes, looking after a house, as well as working another job part-time, so finding time to do any creative work is always a struggle!

Obviously, in the current climate with a pandemic that has affected everyone since March, we have had a lot more time at home, but no time alone for creative juices to flow! So studio time has had to be snatched here and there, which makes it a much more pressurised environment to work in.

Being in the studio whilst kids are shouting at computers in the background, is definitely not conducive to being creative!!

And so I regularly find myself either dreaming of designs, or waking up in the middle of the night with ideas! 

As for my biggest accomplishment - I would say just getting this far in a relatively short space of time, whilst homeschooling two children, during a pandemic is definitely something I am proud of! It hasn't been an easy thing to pull off! 

What are your hopes and dreams for the future?

I would love to work as a metalsmith / jewellery designer on a full time basis, but realistically, if I can make enough money to support my gem buying habit, I will be a happy bunny!! (as will my partner!!)

What do you enjoy outside of work?

I LOVE music! I was brought up listening to a lot of soul and blues music, and I play the saxophone, so music has always been a big part of my life. It really helps to level out bad moods – if I am having a tricky day in the studio, I down tools and put on some very loud music and it usually helps!

I also love cooking/ baking – my kitchen is usually full of good music and delicious smells! (and a healthy amount of wine and cheese!)

I love travelling – I’m on a constant quest for sunshine and try to see somewhere new at least once a year!

How do you try and maintain a work/life balance? 

I am fortunate enough that my set-up is quite portable, so I am never confined to one space for work purposes!

I generally just try to squeeze my designing and making in whenever it is possible – at the minute this is maybe just once or twice a week, but I am hoping as normality (whatever that is!) starts to return I can get a bit more time in the studio.

With being unable to travel abroad this year, our family have retreated to the North Coast and I have been able to bring my kit with me, so, in between mountain biking sessions / beach trips / surfing I have had a few glorious hours with just me and my torch!

 Could you give some advice for any young, emerging entrepreneurs?

I’m not sure I would have much advice, as I am brand new to this myself, but I think the most important thing to me has been to remain true to myself – I am trying to create pieces that  I love rather than produce for a mass market – only time will tell if this will work!!

‘Build it and they will come’ though, right?!?

How can we find you online? (website/social media) 

My website – www.fireandfae.com (this is a work in progress!)

My Instagram www.https://www.instagram.com/fireandfae/

Or find me at Fireandfae on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Fireandfae/