her white sunrise: March 2012

Many years ago, I met the creator of Kingdom Come, and over a hot Arizona lunch, giggles and artistic dreams ensued. I was able to take some time from the talented designer to answer a few questions. I fully support her endeavors and am constantly inspired by her work, and the stories underneath it all. Thank you !

1. Tell us a little about yourself- What did you want to be when you were younger, Did you always have an interest in jewelry making?

When I was younger there were few options on my "when I grow up" list, and they all fell under the umbrella of being famous. I wanted to be on Broadway until I was about twelve but then a sweet southern teeny-bopper named Britney Spears hit the scene and I was pretty sure I was destined for MTV.

Amidst all of that I was always very fond of art and ended up getting my Bachelor's of Fine Arts in Sculpture from Arizona State. It wasn't until my last semester that I took a small metals studio and absolutely fell in love with more intricate metal working. Starting a jewelry line became a dream of mine then and it's been so much fun to see parts of that dream come to fruition!

2. What is your favorite part about the design/creating process?

What's been fun about this is that it is so different than any design/creating process that I've had before. I've always been very plan-oriented, sketching multiple versions of a piece and having a detailed concept beforehand. This has been much more free and more about experimenting with material during the process. Most of my current pieces were created without a sketch or plan, and I have loved having moments of waiting on God to see what He intends for the piece. Before I sit down, I say, "You know what this looks like... help me to trust You along the way." So just doing something different is what's fun to me right now.

3. Where do you draw most of your inspiration?

This first collection is inspired by two things, the first being material. Living in Waco, my materials are very limited and sometimes it just comes down to what I actually have on hand. If a store runs out of a stone that I use, that means my piece is discontinued. So my material inspires me to push the limits of creativity and go beyond what the expected potential of any material is. These pieces are also very inspired by the desert. Being from Phoenix it is such a huge part of my cultural identity; I don't think I had even realized how much so until I moved away. So most of the color palette, the turquoise, taupe, cremes and warm neutrals remind me of home. I had also been reading out of the book of Exodus when I started the collection, and Israel's trek through the desert on the way to their promised land also infiltrated my creative life.

4. If you could do anything, at this moment, what would it be? What would your dream day consist of?

At this very moment I am home for a week long respite in the desert, and I don't think it could get much better than that. So I am exactly where I would want to be, but it would be wonderful to be cooking a lovely dinner for all of my favorite people and to have them all in one place. A dream day for me would be exploring some wonderful city in Italy, doing everything you could possibly to in one day there without being exhausted to complete crankiness (this would be bad for anyone with me- ask my family). And there would be LOTS of bread and pasta. Because everyone knows it doesn't count on vacations (or dream days).

See more of Jessie Nahom's work at

K i n g d o m C o m e

back when.

Marah.

spotlight: Kingdom Come.

Venice+TrunkShowing.

furrrreal.

color blocking.

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