Today’s NEXT BIG THING entry is brought to us by our Northerly neighbor Colleen Baran from Vancouver, BC. She makes the framework series ring no. 23, reminiscent of an engagement ring that captures the beauty of negative space. Where’s the romance in that, you ask? Well, let’s ask a designer who is currently collecting old love letters for inspiration.

You started your business very young, yes?
For as long as I can remember, I used to make a bit of everything. I made clothes, painted, drew, wrote, cooked, did photography, etc. But it was jewelry that always pulled me back and drew me in. I started selling it when I was 15. It was my money for coffee, books, clothes, and fun stuff as a teenager. Now that I’m (ahem) “grown-up” it’s my main love and focus but it’s only in the last four or so years that I’ve been working on it solidly. Since then I’ve exhibited in 11 countries and have been published in a couple others. It’s not that I’m not still excited by making clothes and the like, but I can make jewelry all day, every day, and still be excited and inspired, and it will be the first thing I look at. I suppose it was around the time that I realized this that I became serious about it. I think it’s like one day looking over at your best friend and realizing you’re in love.

Tell us more about your Framework jewelry series.
The Framework series is inspired by the idea of negative space and space as a jewel. Like little outlines or drawings in metal, framing your finger. It’s light and simple and wearable and yet quirky and looks a little different from every angle. I like the Framework ring #23 for so many reasons. It’s like a string tied around your finger yet reminds me somehow of an engagement ring. It’s also an interesting little shape on its own & almost doesn’t immediately look like a ring when you see it off the hand.

What inspires you?
I’m inspired by life in general. Plants, shapes of buildings, shapes of the body, hands, books, music, everything. Things that make me happy make me inspired. Ideas come from a little bit of everywhere and I carry a notebook to jot them down. (Actually my current one is by Jill Bliss and carried on fredflare.com! Love, love her notebooks!) But mostly I’m inspired by the actual Making of things. Shapes & ideas usually evolve while I have tools and materials in my hands.

Do you have any particular goals for your business this year?
My general goals over the next year are to make lovely things, to develop exciting ideas and then to see where that goes. More fixed plans include work for upcoming exhibitions, honing my color photography skills, exploring more green/environmentally friendly materials and further developing a few new lines. A project that is related to some of my jewelry is my collection of love stories. And also a few big goals that are secret because I’m a little superstitious sometimes…

A collection of love stories?
I love collecting things (sunglasses, jewelry, dishes, books, etc.) and have recently started collecting love stories to be used in art projects, jewelry, and possibly a book. It’s where my loves sort of cross over and overlap. For my ‘Like Wearing a Love Letter’ series I wanted to make jewelry that was that was just that - like wearing a love letter. Like wearing a dream or a memory of a thought of love. And what better way to add to this project then to use real stories of real love! True love! True heartbreak! Mad passionate love! All of it. So I’ve been collecting love letters and stories internationally. They are amazing! Some have even made me cry. So far I have collected from Canada, Spain, the UK, USA, Denmark and Columbia in English and Spanish but I want them from many, many more countries. Because the whole world is full of love!