Meet Our Newest Designer-Kaitlin McKeown!

Greetings Giving Tree...From NYC!
I am so excited to be a part of this weeks debut of a brand new artist to Giving Tree Jewelry, Kaitlin McKeown! 
 
The story of how Giving Tree and Kaitlin 'came to be' is a great one, filled with serendipity and great energy. Kaitlin's boyfriend, George (http://www.grkotsovos.com) was helping me build my new website for How To Avoid Being Sad.
I love working with George. He is so talented, and so ...cool., you know, just one of those people that make 'style' and 'fashion' seem effortless. One day, George casually mentioned that his girlfriend was the head jeweler at one of my FAVORITE jewelry companies ever, and that she was now ready to launch her own collection. George knew nothing about Giving Tree Jewelry (that's the serendipity part!)
And when I met Kaitlin and saw her work, I knew Giving Tree was the place for her!
We are thrilled to debut Kaitlin's debut collection on our site and in our gallery today.


And last night, Kaitlin and I did the art shows in Chelsea together. I had an instant girl crush! Kaitlin is so beautiful, stylish, funny, alive, erudite... (and she loved the same art I did :))
We had a blast.
Below is a bit of our conversation, and a great way to learn a little bit more about this amazing new talent in the jewelry and fashion world!


With love and excitement,
Rachel Leigh Smith
www.howtoavoidbeingsad.com

Talking To Kaitlin McKeown- Brand new designer at www.givingtreejewelry.com

GTJ: How and when did you discover you wanted to be a jewelry designer?
K.M.-I started at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa as a graphic design student and took a Metals class for fun when I realized how much I loved it.
GTJ: Did you study jewelry design?
K.M- Yes. I received my BFA at ISU with an emphasis in metal smithing and received my bench jeweler certification at New Approach School for Jewelers in Virginia.
GTJ: Are you creative in other mediums and fields as well?
K.M- I have been drawing and sculpting since I was young. I am also loving creating my own handbags after an FIT class I took last year. Throughout art school I took several painting and screen-printing classes as well as participated in the Gaffer's Guild, which was ISU's glassblowing club.
GTJ: You worked as a jeweler for a major 'label' .. was this how you learned your craft? What do you most remember/admire from that experience?
K.M- I learned my craft from a collection of experiences, school, and working as a repair jeweler but Ten Thousand Things gave me the kind of knowledge and experience I needed to know how to run a small business. We had a lot of fun at work and it was an awesome atmosphere with great and talented people to work with and for. I wouldn't be doing this today without them.
GTJ: Describe your 'personal style' -dress…etc..
K.M- Tough but cool. Casual with an edge.
GTJ: What kind of music/culture/art do you tend towards?
K.M- The music I listen to has a pretty broad range and it's hard to sum it up quickly. I guess anywhere from Kid Koala to Coachwhips to Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band... and ALWAYS The Rolling Stones! As for culture and art, I spend a lot of Thursdays going to openings in NYC. Basically, I take advantage of all the culture NYC has to offer from the architecture to the art to the parks, beaches, and free music. Most of my friends are artists and musicians and I feel like we take turns supporting each other which in turn has become my culture. Some of my favorite artists include: Lee Bontecou, Richard Serra, Louise Bourgeois, Odilon Redon, and Ray Johnson.
GTJ: You live in Brooklyn right? do you like it? why?
K.M- Yes. I love Brooklyn. I cannot speak highly enough about it. It has everything you could want from NYC; food, boutiques, music, and art but without all the intensity that Manhattan can be. It's really chill but still maintains the high standards anyone would expect out of New York.
GTJ: What do you draw the most inspiration from? people, fashion, art?
K.M- Oh, I'd be lying if I only picked one. Art is probably the biggest inspiration however I think I am constantly picking up on everything around me... people on the subway, fashion trends I see, because in New York you are constantly bombarded by all of these things. To say all of these things don't affect my designs would be wrong.
GTJ: Who would your 'dream model' for a piece of jewelry be?
K.M- Michelle Williams. She is so talented and beautiful but seems down to earth with a good sense of humor. I love her.
*gtj note.. Michelle is also a Brooklyn Girl!
GTJ: Do you design for/as what you would wear?
K.M- I definitely design for what I want to wear. In fact, I wear the double spike necklace in gold and black almost daily.
GTJ: Why did you choose the shapes you did for your first collection? Why tigers eye?
K.M-Well, the tiger's eye, besides being a beautiful stone, was actually given to me originally as a gift from a best friend in support of my new career after school. So I felt I should design a piece around it as an homage to one of my biggest supporters. I love the shapes I chose for this collection because they have a tough edge to them but they are also elegant and beautiful as well.