Today, we’d like to introduce you to Austin Kent.
Hi Austin, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
My story starts at a really young age. I always joke that I started drawing when every other kid did, I just never stopped. I was graced with deeply supportive parents who quickly recognized my pull toward visual arts. They got me in classes with a wonderful, magical art teacher who exposed me to a huge diversity of mediums and styles. I wandered between pen and ink, charcoal, ceramics, and wire sculpture at different times in my life.
The experience that really changed my trajectory was meeting a gentle old man in Taos, New Mexico. We spoke for some time at his booth overlooking the Rio Grande River, where he was selling his wares. I purchased a beautiful copper and turquoise bracelet from him, and we parted ways. I resonated a lot with his story. A few days later I woke up and the first thought on my mind was, “I think I’d like to learn to make jewelry”. It was one of the most easy, profound senses of “knowing” that I’ve had yet.
I started with wire wrapping because of how accessible it was from a skill and financial startup point of view. After over a year of playing with that medium, I began transitioning to cast metal jewelry. Now as a 24-year-old adult-kid, I’m leaning into cast metal jewelry as my main form of artistic play. The big thing about me that I’ve learned though, is I like to have multiple forms of expression. I’m easily consumed/hyper-fixated on something and then burnt out if I focus all my time on it.
This understanding took time and some hard looks in the mirror to figure out. Now that I know this though, I’ve been working on building my business to work for me. Even though the wax carving for new jewelry is the “bread and butter” of my work, I also like to write, draw, and be outside. To satiate my writing itch, I’ve been putting more energy into my blog as a way to market my business but also just so I have an excuse to write!
I like to draw, so I’ve been incorporating drawing into my creative practice more regularly, sometimes to design new jewelry, sometimes just for fun, and then I share them online. It feels like I’m making all my creative pursuits line up towards the same end, which is growing Austin Kent Art and more specific creative businesses that are sure to follow. The fact that this creative business is getting traction at all, is a blessing and absolute dream for little Austin. Through starting a creative business, I’ve allowed myself to create more routines that support me in having time to make art.
Plus the amount I’ve been learning about myself, my artwork, and running a business, feels surreal. I still work a part-time job at a restaurant in town, yet the fact that I have made money from my art every month, for 9 months in a row makes me feel SO good. I’ve been dreaming about being a full-time creative for probably 5 years or so. I was very back and forth about it, unsure if I had what it takes, unsure if I was good enough/worth it, but in many ebbs and flows, I’m starting to feel like being a full-time creative is really something that I’m ready for.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It’s been a really diverse road; rocky and smooth at different points. Most of the rockiness and struggle have been internal. Lots of self-doubt, indecisiveness, and feeling lost. For me, the thing that really got me moving in the direction I am today, towards being a full-time creative entrepreneur was giving myself permission to “try on” that identity. I literally told myself, “I’m going to spend 1 year acting like an entrepreneur, and see what happens”. For me, that level of commitment without any real expectations, was what allowed me to give MYSELF the permission I needed to get started.
Lots of blocks came up once I started. The big ones were my relationship with money (“Money is evil, I shouldn’t have too much of it”), feelings of overwhelm (“I can’t do this. How am I supposed to learn all these things?”), and fear of wasting time (“What if I learn all this and nothing comes of it? What if I decide I don’t even like this and all this energy was wasted?). It’s taken time to work through all these inner blocks. It’s still a work in progress! Entrepreneurship is hard, but it’s so far been really rewarding, and given me a strong sense of purpose.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I specialize in sculptural cast metal jewelry, that speaks to the interconnectedness of the natural world of which humans are a part. My work advocates for honoring the sacred connection and relationship we have with humans and other-than-humans with whom we share the Earth. What sets my work apart from an artistic and physical point of view, is 2 fold.
The 1st is that I create what I’ve come to call “generational jewelry”. The jewelry I create is made to be worn every day without worry about it breaking, and then still being able to pass it on to your kids (and their kids, and on and on). I do this by never plating my jewelry, meaning the metal you see on the surface, is the metal that there will be all the way through. No amount of scuffing, tarnishing, or polishing will ever reveal a cheaper metal underneath.
In this way, I hope that scratches or dings in the jewelry serve to accentuate and bring character to the piece. I also do very minimal soldering on my pieces, so that there are as few points as possible that can break. In this way, my jewelry is made to be worn for many years to come and become something that carries memory, story, and sentimentality within your life and any who you pass it on to.
The 2nd thing that sets my work apart is the use of abstracted natural symbols and motifs. Rivers, fire, animals, plants, and more are embedded in my work. Some are obvious, like the bull/buffalo head. Others are more subtle, like the flowing lines of a river, embedded in the middle of “Pinnacle”. Nature is where we are from, and of which we are a critical member. I hope my work serves as a constant reminder of this. (Plus, I just really like looking at all the beautiful patterns and shapes in nature!).
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the COVID-19 crisis?
The biggest lesson I learned from the Covid-19 crisis was how important it is to slow down. First, I honor the fact that I was privileged enough to be financially secure and healthy during this time, which wasn’t the case for everyone.
As the world slowed and certain parts of society shut down, there was an immense ease that came from having fewer demands on my attention, fewer social obligations, and more free time. This showed me personally the importance of making time in my life for downtime, something I wasn’t doing before the crisis.
Pricing:
- Sterling silver pendants $100-250
- Copper and silver rings $40-80
Contact Info:
- Website: austinkentart.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/austinkentart
Image Credits
Hunter Stephens and Paula Ray
