Kate McKiernan
When was the last time you wanted something but didn’t buy it because you couldn’t afford it? And how many of us who might raise their hand in the affirmative here would decide to just make that thing instead? Kate McKiernan would. “I first started making jewelry in college, as I grew interested in natural stone and couldn’t afford to buy the jewelry I wanted,” Kate told us. “I started to take apart pieces I had or found and make my own.”
That spark of creativity would become Adorn, Kate’s small business. She uses rocks, crystals, driftwood, polymer clay, and more to make all manner of beautiful objets d’art. And she manages that while raising three kids between the ages of four and 12. “My love of sculpture was sparked in high school, but it wasn’t until I had kids that I started working with polymer clay,” Kate said. “Until then it was mostly beading and wire work but having a toddler… that wasn’t super agreeable. I saw someone’s work online with polymer clay and figured I’d give it a try.”
Kate starts a project based on an idea or image in her mind’s eye, then uses the clay to “complete the image, so to speak. I love working with driftwood and have visions of bigger projects as my kids get bigger.”
Once upon a time she had a crystal shop in Philadelphia, so she had a “huge” store of crystals to work with. “I closed [the shop] to have my first kid. I started by setting gemstones and crystals in the clay and making jewelry at night. One day my daughter asked if I could make a doll, and the idea of making figures with the clay was born. After a walk on the beach when a lot of oyster shells had washed up, I started using the shells as mermaid tails.”
The results got the attention of Kim Wolfrom, the owner of Summer Studio Avalon in Woodland Village, where her things are now sold. “As each season came up, we would think about what we wanted to bring in new that year, and a beautiful relationship developed,” Kate recalled. “I started making fairies and nature spirits a few years ago and they quickly became a big seller. They’re also some of my favorites to make.”
Kate graduated college with a degree in comparative religion, so it’s not surprising that there’s a spiritual aspect to her work. And she’s managed to incorporate the challenge of raising three kids into that work as well. “My biggest joy I think is sharing this with my kids,” Kate told us. “I love seeing what they do with the materials, or when one of them gets excited to find me a shell or driftwood they think I should use. The making itself is a bit of therapy. I’ve always felt the successful pieces kind of make themselves. There’s a vision there; I just have to bring the form out. Sometimes it’s not how I want; it’s how it happens to go.”
Sometimes, what Kate views as a mistake turns out to be just a new idea. “One time I burned a bunch of fairies,” she said. “I was feeling bad, it wasn’t pretty! My oldest daughter suggested they be fire fairies, so I finished one of them to see how it looked, and they were awesome! Never would have thought of that without her help!”
Of course, there are challenges in being a working mom with a business to run, one of which is not having time for other creative outlets. “I love to paint. I have a whole backlog of painting projects started,” Kate said. “If I had the tools and time I would do more woodwork as well. Another major challenge is making all the things I want to make—years backlogged in my head! But I tell myself my kids will only be little for a while and if the inspiration is important, it will get done or hold on.” But her biggest challenge is…social media.
“I used to say it was finding time with little kids, but honestly documenting and posting on social media has proven the greatest challenge,” Kate told us. “I’m not very tech savvy, so it takes me an insanely long time to make a video to post. Usually, I don’t end up posting because by the time I get through editing something else has gone wrong. This wouldn’t be such a challenge if social media wasn’t such a big part of being an artist these days. It’s one of the many reasons I’m so grateful for Kim and her shop! The ‘getting out there’ (with my art), the work-life balance with little kids, and the seasonal area we live in means in-season weekends are a tossup between craft shows, work, and family.”
For now, her former crystal shop is in her shed, and she makes time for the kids, two cats, one chicken “she is a survivor,” and a few fish. “I LOVE to travel and making time in nature with my kids a priority.” Among her goals this year is to have a spot for her wares at the West Cape May Farmers Market.
“I feel like I could go on but I’m not sure what to say—I love coffee,” Kate said. We’re pretty sure she needs it!
Find Kate’s work at Woodland Village, online at her Etsy shop, SelfSpaceSpirit, and on Instagram at @a_selfspacespirit.
