Sarah Munnings Jewellery

Website: www.sarahmunningsjewellery.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/sarahmunningsjewellery
Instagram:  www.instagram.com/sarahmunnings
Email: sarahemunnings@gmail.com



How long have you been making jewellery? 
I have been creating for 6 years, previously I trained as an historian and archaeologist and could not find work when I left uni. Interested in Heritage management I joined HSBC Bank as a Bank Manager to gain management experience, and worked in front line, operations and project management roles until I emigrated to Australia in 2010 with my husband. Chris is a scientist and was offered a job with CSIRO, and we fell in love with Melbourne.
 
How did you get started?
I started creating as a form of therapy. Boxing day 6 years ago I had a TIA – a mini stroke which left me with a chronic pain condition called Fibromyalgia. I was in bed for weeks, and was unable to focus or concentrate on anything I used to be able to do. Being bloody minded I kept going, trying to manage the home, look after my boys but everything was done with a long rest break.

My husband would take me to the beach where I could walk down a ramp and sit and watch them play. They would collect shells and bring them to me. Chris my husband wanted me to do something with the shells – make jewellery maybe. I didn’t know how to use any tools and given that I had lost my passion – reading felt I could not achieve anything new. Luckily Chris persevered, helped me learn to use a Dremel and I started to teach myself to clean and polish Abalone shells. I also collected Operculum – the tiny trapdoors that turbo snails use at sea.

Over time it became something that motivated me, I could pick up a project and see progress. I started selling at a local market, and was able to buy more tools and slowly advanced my practise until I was learning silversmithing from videos books and online tutorials.
 
What is your greatest inspiration?
My greatest inspiration has to be the beach, it is where I felt like I got my life back, and when I feel like I need to reconnect with my creative self I take a trip to the beach, walk along in the shallows and immerse myself completely in the world beaneath. It’s a form of mindfulness for me, watching the waves, observing tiny creatures, collecting shells and sea glass that I can then take home and use as the basis for creation.
 
What is the greatest challenge to owning and operating your own business? 
One of the greatest challenges is that I am so passionate it can be hard to switch off, I run classes every weekend, create during the week. I am learning to get better at managing my time – having fibromyalgia means that my body reminds me when I am doing too much and my boys are great at stepping in and helping me unwind.
 
What is the best thing about owning your own creative business? 
​What I love most about my business is the flexibility is gives me. I work with a sense of pride and purpose, can collaborate with other artists and I choose my hours. This means that I can be home in the school holidays, am there to pick up and drop off my children and run my business around it all.
 
Images in Gallery (right) are of some of Sarah's students work.​

I am a self-trained silversmith who developed my techniques using easy to access tools alongside techniques that can be practised at home. I have been practising for 6 years and for the last two years I have been teaching across Victoria. When placed under restrictions last year I developed 'workshop at home packs' to make my classes available to people from their homes.

I am constantly inspired by my guests and come away from each workshop with new ideas and concepts to try.
I love to immerse myself in the minutia of the natural world and am fascinated by the patterns and textures of the natural world and can become transfixed by the detail in a paperbark, the petals of a native flower, or the textures in rock pools.

I am currently learning about the concept of Wabi Sabi – a beautiful Japanese concept that embraces the passing of time and its effects, it is a minimalistic concept which sees the beauty of the imperfect and is wonderful fun to work with. Together with four other artists who specialise in ceramics, textiles, crochet art and watercolour I am working on sculptural work which challenges and expands my creativity.
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