Interview : Melanie Brooks Lukacs for Links

Leprechaun Detail by Melanie

Peapods, photo by Larry Sanders, created by Melanie

Steam Detail by Melanie, using her face cabochon and a smaller component in a matching glaze

Two Steam Stone charms, both "key holes", in different oxidation glazes. Notice how different they look. Check out the gears on the sides: part of the Steam punk look: Victorian meets Industrial meets Sci-fi! Very cool!

Melanie in the process of making a Pixie. It is a time consuming process!

Melanie Brooks Lukacs for Links
note from jean:

Melanie is a ceramics artist who creates beautiful work which you can easily find right at her own store, Earthenwood Studio (see here for website), owned by her and her husband Chuck, who is an artist as well!
Melanie and Chuck live in Michigan, and offer an impossibly beautiful, fun, funky and imaginative collection of ceramic beads on their site. Melanie's latest fascination has been with the style known as "Steampunk" which she truly has brought to the fore singlehandedly through her hard work and studies. You can follow her creative process concerning the development of her Steam Stone components on her blog, if you go to the section called The Earthenwood Chronicles. Each charm and bead which she created after much thought and research is mindblowingly fantastic.
However that is only part of the site. If you like Nature, or playful charms, or charms which look like fruits or vegetables, or practically anything else you can think of, go check out this exceptional site--after you read this interview! Photographs of some of Melanie's creations are shown, above the interview.

1) Tell a little about yourself and your background.

I have been making ceramic beads since I graduated art school in 1996. Wow that's over 10 years! I made beads in college too, so even longer... In these ten years I had to work jobs to support myself outside of my art, but they were always clay and bead related jobs so it was good. Anyway, I started college wanting to be a metal smith type of jeweler, but did not take to metal the way I did to clay. And so I made pottery and sculpture for a few years and then I had the epiphany to combine my love of jewelry and my love of clay, and so here I am!


2) What happened to you that made you consciously decide to become the person you are? How did your creativity, which you have chosen to fashion into a career, first express itself? At what moment did you know that you would never turn back?

That's hard to answer! I have always known I would be an artist, since I was very young. I don't recall ever entertaining the idea of doing anything else. I didn't know if I would paint or sculpt or do fine craft or teach or write, but I knew it would be something. My parents were great about encouraging this too; as long as I committed to something and worked hard, I could do what I wanted. This was the philosophy. It has always been. I would spend my time as a child doing artsy and crafty things, in all my spare time. I drew, I tinkered in my dad's workshop, I played with Playdoh at my grandparent's house. Anything I could get my hands into, I would make art with!

3) What are you most proud of?


I am proud that I have accomplished the things I have, business wise. I don't really have formal training in marketing, web design, or business, and it was not really part of the curriculum at college, so I had to learn it on my own. I am proud that I made my website myself. I am also proud that I started writing articles, because I was very hesitant and scared to start, for fear of rejection. But I love it now and it has become a very important part of my business and creative process.


4) What do you see happening for yourself in the future? For example: things which will change for you, things you hope for, things which will stay the same<--just thoughts--go anywhere you like


I am at a very happy place in my career, I feel, so I just hope to continue on at the level I have been moving. But also making sure to keep coming up with new ideas and changing and moving ahead with my artwork. So staying the same but different, make sense? hahaha!

I do hope that I will find myself in a more beautiful place, speaking from a strictly geographical location sense. Detroit is wearing heavily on my spirit and my husband and I long for the mountains and natural beauty. So this is a goal we are working towards, a possible move. We really like the Pacific Northwest, but it is very overwhelming to think about such a big move. I wonder about how my life and art would change with such a move, and at this point I desire to discover this and live these changes.



5) What makes you feel fortunate?


I feel fortunate to have a loving husband, a supportive family, a snuggly dog, friends that make me laugh and give me crazy ideas, a job that I love, and the skills and ability to live a creative life.


6) Do you think you see the world differently than other people? If so, is that a positive or a negative force in your work?


In my own head, in my own little world, I don't think I see the world differently than anyone. And living with my husband, whom you mentioned is also an artist, and surrounding myself with creative people and family (my brother is also an artist)...it all seems natural, the way I see the world, because most of everyone around me sees things similarly. And I think this is a good, positive force in my work, being able to be inspired by things around me and translate that into clay and beads.

Sometimes, though, when I go out into the "real world", I see how different I am. When I see people living without beauty and art and creativity in their daily lives, it makes me sad. So maybe I am not grounded in reality at times, but I am happy, and I think it lets me live a pretty charmed life and gives me the ability and energy to make creative things.



7) Do you have something to say here in this article to sum up something important you would like people to know about the creative process?


I just want to say thank you to you, Jean, for these great interviews! You really appreciate the people who make the art beads that you use and we appreciate you in return! To me the best part about working in this creative business is the people and the stories behind the beads and the art, and you do an incredible job of sharing these stories!

Wow!!!<--thanks, Melanie! I am really touched that you said that! appreciatively, jean!

note to view this interiew on Amazon.com., please go here:http://www.amazon.com/Links-Inspired-Bead-Jewelry-Creations/dp/1600610161/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1198879933&sr=8-1