During our trip in San Francisco, we had the pleasure of meeting with Linnea of Bird of Virtue. We have always been a fan of Bird of Virtue’s jewelry and couldn’t wait to see where the pieces were created. Linnea’s studio is white and airy with pops of bright color. We loved the wall art she made out of her wood laser scraps. Bird of Virtue has been a part of many Renegade Craft Fairs, and we were thrilled to be able to talk to Linnea more about her business.
I had been making/selling jewelry for 20 years, but because it was always part-time, it could never be anything huge because I wasn’t taking much of a risk. Bird of Virtue was born in 2012 + came out of a desire to make changes in my life. At that point, I had been working various corporate jobs for close to 15 years + realized my life needed a serious overhaul. So I quit my job, joined a maker studio in downtown San Francisco + launched Bird of Virtue.
The name, stems from my affinity with British culture + their flippant term for a woman, a “bird,” and the “virtue” is symbolic of my desire to make positive changes in my own life. It’s not intended to be a proclamation that I’m virtuous, but rather, humbly admitting that I am working towards becoming a better person. The cornerstone pieces of Bird of Virtue are my Braille necklaces – which express these virtues I strive to live my life by.
I’m inspired by the patterns I see in the world – both naturally occurring + manmade forms alike + my process almost always starts by heading out into nature (the beach is one of my faves) with a sketchbook + pencil. I then translate those sketches into my computer so I can cut them on the laser. I still prefer to design in a tactile manner, rather than just on the computer – so I’ll cut various shapes/versions of the concept + then see how best they interact with one another to get the final version.
Then, I decide my color palettes, which can take me forever. Jewelry is such a personal expression – I want to make sure I’ve perfectly mixed wearable shades that also compliment the design + material (wood). Finally, its a detailed process of hand-painting + gluing the thin layers of wood together.
Be brave + never give up. I think in the long-run its about stamina + faith to make your voice heard.
Thank you, Linnea for letting us spend the day with you in your studio! Plus, congratulations for the big Anthropologie order! We can’t wait to see Bird of Virtue pieces in their stores. If you want to learn more about Bird of Virtue, visit the etsy shop as well as follow her on Instagram and Facebook to stay up to date!
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