Conversations on Craft

When a handcrafted item is displayed on the shelf of a shop, you can see that it’s beautiful. You can admire the color, shape, design – the final product. What’s hidden are all the steps it took to get there. The vision of the artist, the sourcing of materials, the process in the studio and the meticulous formation that results in a one-of-a-kind item that catches your eye. What started as an idea is now a piece that feels natural as an addition to your collection – like it was made for you. As a celebration of craftsmanship, we sat with Blackberry artisans to gather insight into their work and the unique formulas that guide their creation.

Matthew Cummings, Pretentious Glass Co. 
I went to college to become an architect, as I was always very interested in art and scored high in mathematics. So dual art (painting) and math major. The 2D program at Centre College was very traditional, and I loved it. Still-life, charcoal, figure studies, oil paint – that kind of style. But I had devoured every 2D course that I could and needed to take an elective. So, I begrudgingly enrolled in a glassblowing class under the late, great Stephen Rolfe Powell. I completely fell in love with glass during those first few weeks. By the end of the first semester in glass, I knew that it was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. It was immediate and intense. Speaking of intense, the intensity of glass was one of the things that drew me to it. Glass requires absolute concentration, amazing hand-eye coordination, synchronized teamwork and a love for flames. I played basketball throughout high school and into college, so those first three skill sets were already honed and practiced. I didn’t know what I was going to do with glass as a career, but I knew I had to try. Actually, I wasn’t even aware that glassblowing could be a job before enrolling in the class. What keeps me in love with glassblowing is the mindfulness of the practice. I have to completely sync up with the material and listen to how it wants to move, then change my body language to match it. Molten glass has a lot of personality in itself and the way it wants to move. So, surrendering to the process of glassblowing is very liberating, humbling and sublime (in the Kantian sense of being overpowered by nature). After 20+ years of doing this, I am still thankful and in awe of the opportunity to “speak” with molten glass and sync my body and mind to primordial material. 

Jessica Weiss, Jessica Weiss Jewelry
I’ve always been artistic, but once I took a jewelry class, I was absolutely hooked. There’s something about making things with my hands, creating objects for personal adornment, that really excited me – especially when working with gorgeous high-karat gold!

My creative process is anything but linear. I get to the shop. Look at the chaos I created over the past few days. Sit down and think about organizing, and get distracted by a stone that’s been sitting on my bench for six months. Come up with a brilliant new design. Get distracted again. Open my phone to find a creepy podcast to listen to while creating my fabulous new idea. Get distracted and look at email. Finally, open podcast and begin work. Get up to do something, and then pace back and forth looking for my glasses so that I can see to create my new design. Pet dogs for 20 minutes, and tell them how pretty they are. Sit back down and begin creating. Get up to sharpen my tweezers so that I don’t drop my very fine gold wire (making chain). Sit back down and cuss a bit while making said chain. Finish chain and pendant. Eat a bite of something, lose glasses, pet dogs, find glasses and finish piece. Try on new piece and smile, because I am really happy with it. If I hate it, I cut it to pieces and leave it randomly scattered around my studio to start again tomorrow. Eventually, I will make something that I love and leave it sprinkled on my countertops with my other new pieces that I’m procrastinating pricing. After that, I turn off my gas tanks, think about how I should clean shop before I leave, then leave anyway because my brain is tired. Begin again the next day. It’s incredibly fun and rewarding but definitely not for everyone!

John Phillips, Phillips Forged
Since I was a small child, I’ve loved to create. At the center was being in the kitchen – seeing ingredients transform into a beautiful new creation that is more than the sum of its parts. As I grew up in the mountains of Appalachia, I always had a fascination with the mystic and lore around finely crafted knives and tools, just as much as a cherished family recipe. After working for years as a professional blacksmith, I felt called to forge a simple blade for myself, and the millennia of bladesmithing history came flooding in. I became fully immersed in absorbing every facet of the craft and pushed forward by helping inspire others to create memories in their own kitchen through my creations.

John’s Process to Forging with Intention

01. BEGIN IN STILLNESS
Before touching steel, touch earth. Stretch. Breathe. Let the rhythm of the day set the tempo of your mind. This is an invocation. Every step requires full focus.

02. FUEL UP
Pour a cup of coffee (or three). Let it percolate through you until you feel the low hum of readiness. Listen to the rhythms of the Jerry Garcia Band. Let the music tune your soul to the right frequency – somewhere between improvisation and precision.

03. FORGE YOUR INTENTION
Layer the steel. Heat it. Hammer it. Fold it. Again and again. This is prayer in motion. Each strike is a syllable, each weld a vow. You’re not just making a knife – you’re weaving memory into metal.

04. SHAPE THE STORY
With the steel forged, let the soul enter the blade. Heat, quench, temper, grind and sharpen. Touch it like something sacred. Remember every breath taken – let each carefully guide your hand.

05. PAUSE FOR LIGHT
Step outside. Let the sun remind you that not all creation comes from force. Growth also happens in warmth.

06. CHOOSE THE HANDLE LIKE A FRIEND  
Find wood that feels alive. From a storm-felled tree or a forgotten stash in the family barn. Let it tell you what it wants to become. Shape it with reverence.

07. BRING IT ALL TOGETHER
Marry the blade and handle. Bind fire and forest, sweat and stillness, muscle and music. Polish until it gleams not with perfection, but with presence.

08. FINISH WITH A QUIET NOD
Hold it in your hand. Feel the weight. Check the sharpness. Feel the work. You’ve made something true.

Patricia Thacker, Patricia Marie Fine Jewelry

I grew up in Southern California, the youngest of four girls, with orange groves surrounding our home. My mom had ALS, so there was always a quiet awareness that our time with her was limited. Amid that heaviness, my dad and I had a cherished routine. We’d go to the hardware store together, then for ice cream. Watching him build and fix things sparked a deep curiosity in me about how things are made. Even as a girly girl – roller skating in tutus – I was always drawn to the gritty, hands-on work of creating, whether it was mudpies or nature-inspired “recipes” from seed pods and stones.

School never fully captured me unless I was interested in the subject. While attending Santa Barbara City College, I worked a part-time job where I met my mentor, Wendy Foster. She recognized my eye for beauty and style and encouraged me to trust in what made me unique. That gave me permission to pursue my creative gifts. Fashion came first, but as I moved into accessories and then helped start a fine jewelry department in Nashville, something clicked. Jewelry brought me back to the tactile construction I’d loved with my father, but with a layer of beauty symbolism and permanence that deeply resonated. My design process is rooted in duality. I’m from a family of engineers, so the precision and resilience of metalwork speaks to me. But I’m also a collector at heart – of shells, pinecones, antiques and memories. Jewelry lets me bring all of that together. I’m able to incorporate old stones, honor the past and create something deeply personal and lasting. Fine jewelry allows me to be present in the most meaningful moments of people’s lives – and I love that.

In 2000, after the birth of my first son, I officially began building my line. I knew I needed something creative alongside motherhood, and jewelry gave me that outlet. Over the years, I’ve explored all aspects of the craft – wax carving, stone setting, metalwork – but a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis shifted my focus from making everything myself to designing, drawing and collaborating with incredibly skilled female artisans. Together, we bring each vision to life, stone by stone, detail by detail. 

Client connection is everything to me. I love discussing how a piece will work in someone’s day-to-day life. We live more casually now, but we still want to feel beautiful and seen. Jewelry offers that balance: wearable beauty that fits real life. Even though I’m naturally an introvert, that all disappears when I’m talking about my work. My art lights me up. There’s something powerful about taking raw materials – stones, metal, memory – and creating something fine, lasting and deeply meaningful. Jewelry is more than an accessory; it’s a little piece of armor, an affirmation that you’re worth it, a way to carry love and legacy out into the world.

Rod Molina, Mountain Makers

I had a career in the digital world, working in computer software and media production. I enjoyed that it allowed me to flex my creativity, constantly learning new things, but I wanted something more, to create things that could be held, used and take shape in the real world. 

I’ve always had a DIY mindset, so shifting to working with wood, or whatever materials I had on hand, felt like a natural and exciting change. I was even able to find new ways to repurpose my skills. There’s something deeply satisfying about imagining an idea, designing it, bringing it to life and finally holding the finished product in my hands. It’s given me a whole new sense of fulfillment and creative expression.

Rod's Shop Secrets

1 double shot of espresso, strong and invigorating
15 minutes of woodland strolling with loyal canine companions
A generous handful of squats and stretches for balance and vitality
15 minutes of mindful prioritization
A hearty sprinkle of bluesy rock & roll tunes, to taste
1 serving of a nourishing lunch
1 folded-in, 15-minute dog walk
A full portion of 100% focused production
Time to simmer, cool down and close shop