Our final interview in the Creative Moms series is with jeweler, Ceeb Wassermann, owner of Mettle Design Studio. I had the opportunity to highlight some of Ceeb’s beautiful jewelry last year and since then have built up a small friendship online. She takes inspiration from her extensive experience in gold and silversmithing. Trained in Australia, Germany and Switzerland, her work has been exhibited in Sydney, LA, NYC, Zurich and Berlin, and is now available on her etsy shop. Here is her interview.

1. First, tell us a little bit about yourself.
I’m half Japanese, half German, Brazilian born and currently living in Sydney, Australia. I have been a jeweler for  over 20 years. I also have a visuals arts degree with a major in jewelry and object design and I have also done one in psychology (very common amongst artists, i think). I’m a mom with a 10-year old (10 going on 35), who is  very musical. I absolutely adore metal and Japanese design and of course I love food! I watch a lot of food shows when I get a chance, but I don’t cook, I make jewelry instead.

2. Just about everything came to a complete stop and I had to shift my priorities when I had my son 6 months ago. What did you learn along the way about starting a business while raising a child?
You have to be fairly good at multitasking and as passionate about your business as you are about your child/children/family.  I found that I slept a lot less and stretched myself in many ways that I would not have imagined before having a child.

From left to right: Field of Flowers Cuff // Ayame Pendant // Kiyo Wheat Sheaf Pendant

3. Have you taught your daughter the jeweling craft? Does she have any interest in the creative arts like you?
My daughter does some work for me whenever she wants to earn extra money. She can do quite a lot of the production work that doesn’t involve any fire or dangerous chemicals or heavy machinery. But essentially she is a drummer – that is what she is aiming for and she’s pretty good at it. Jewelry is a ‘back up’ for her.

4. What keeps you inspired and motivated to create while still being a mom?
I’m very passionate about my work. If I didn’t make anything, I think that I would lose motivation to get up in the morning. Kind of like a domino effect. So that keeps me passionate about all the ‘mom’ stuff too. My daughter and I are great friends. We do alot of ‘road trips’ together and sketch and find interesting things on our travels. She’s a whiz at reading maps!

5. How do you maintain a balance between motherhood and the work you do?
When my daughter was younger I was a part-time mom and a part-time jeweler. Now there has been a shift over a few years as she doesn’t need me as much as she used to, which gives me more time to put into my work.

6. Who are some of your favorite artists?
margaret west
sheridan kennedy
rowena gough
carlier makigawa
richard burns

There are many more. But the list would be immense.

From left to right: Matisse Inspired Seaweed Pendant // Little Sakura Earrings //Chrysanthemum Pendant

7. What are your mother’s day wishes?
A bit of a cliche for an answer: healthy, happy life and random acts of kindness and no arthritis in my hands.

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Thank you so much Ceeb! It’s a great reminder that you need to have the passion for your craft in order to make it work while still being a mom. You are an inspiration, and we wish you even more success in your business!

That wraps up our series. I hope you all enjoyed it and if you are a mom, Happy Mother’s Day! You rock.