I must admit it that I am an fan of Brevity’s jewelry designs, so it was a real treat for me to interview Anna Corpron, the designer behind Brevity, for today’s edition of Wednesday Indie Artist Fixx.
Anna’s geometric and horo lines have been featured in countless mags and on a gazillion blogs, but I don’t think I’ve ever featured her work. Along with that fact, and since I love her work, I thought Anna would be a perfect artist to interview. So, on to the interview.
1. Tell us a little about yourself and your work.
My name is Anna Corpron. I was trained as an architect but always loved to design on a smaller scale. In 2006, my then-boyfriend (now-husband) and I collaborated on a number of stationery products and print editions, which eventually became Sub-Studio. In 2007, I launched my jewelry line Brevity, and in 2009 my husband and I launched The Working Proof – an online print gallery and shop with the mission of promoting both art and social responsibility through a series of limited-edition prints. I guess that makes me a design generalist?
2. What’s your creative process like?
Since you’re interviewing me about Brevity, I’ll stick to my creative process for jewelry design…I tend to think in terms of collections rather than single pieces, coming up with a theme and then designing around that theme. My inspiration comes from random places – the Geometric collection was first inspired by an afternoon in Tompkins Square Park. The Horo collection was inspired by a set of old clockhands that I thought were so beautiful all on their own.
I keep a running log of ideas as they come to me, for future collections. Once I’ve decided on a theme, and have visualized a few different pieces for it, I get on my computer and start drawing. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. Usually I’ll do a bunch of the pieces all at once, designing them until I’m happy with them. I ask my husband to critique my design. If I’m still not happy with the collection, I’ll sit on it for a few weeks or even months. Oftentimes, that separation from the work gives me a fresh pair of eyes to really examine the collection and fine tune it.
3. Share some of your inspirations.
I am inspired by the forms and patterns found in nature and the world around us, both natural (leaves, flowers, molecular structures, ice formations, etc) and man-made (building facades, patterns in grates, sidewalks, manholes, urban decay).
4. What’s a typical day like for you?
I split my time between my three businesses, so it really varies depending on which business needs my attention most urgently. My husband still works as an architect, so I get up when he gets up. My day is a lot of emailing, admin, shipping, and design time.
5. What blogs and mags do you read and what shops do you shop at?
My favorite blogs are a combination of design blogs and personal blogs. Design-wise I love too many blogs to name, but my favorites are Notcot, Kitsune Noir and Designboom. My favorite personal blog would definitely be Dooce. The only magazine I still subscribe to is Newsweek, and even that will probably be coming to an end soon, because I don’t end up reading them. I rarely shop online, and when I shop in the real world, I usually keep it pretty cheap with the likes of Forever 21, Urban Outfitters, Uniqlo, etc.
6. Share something silly about yourself.
I hate avocados? Does that qualify as silly?
7. What 3 things can’t you live without?
Probably the Internet, some daily quiet time, and sweet things…
8. What’s new or in works?
I’m working on curating a gallery show in November in San Francisco, redesigning our blog, and a few website designs for some clients. I am letting some ideas for new Brevity collections marinate.
Wow so glad I found this! Just what I was looking for. Thanks 🙂
Oh man, a single line of hexagons does it to me every time! Thanks for sharing.