Inspiration behind the Guilty Pleasure piece-
When I was a child, I remember asking my paternal grandmother why she would keep the orchid stem once the flowers had fallen off; looking at the plant, I thought it had died. She told me that with care, time and patience, the flower would hopefully once again bloom. I remember in that moment, her response shocked me and I actually could not believe it. That memory inspired the original idea for the Guilty Pleasure piece. I wanted to make a necklace which main component resembled the orchids stem and would hold together the necklace. Upon researching, I was reminded that there are many different types of orchids; each having their own unique shape, pattern and properties. The differences of the varieties inspired me to work on a piece that would feature more than one type of orchid; but all growing from the same plant and stem. Although it seems contradictory that different types of blooms are growing from the same plant, I wanted it to symbolize the different parts that have grown and continue to develop within us as we journey through our life. Some parts have fully bloomed, while other parts are in the process of becoming, and others appear to be decaying. We may not always resemble who we were, but our past selves will always be a part of who we are, and each stage we go through in life shapes us into the person we are today.
