I am a self-employed metal clay artist. I began creating shortly after Precious Metal Clay first hit the US market. I was so excited to work with this material and immediately set up my in-home "studio". The "quotation" marks are to help you to understand what my "studio" actually is. I laugh to myself when customers ask if they can come to see my studio. I work in my basement. A cement hole in the ground with no windows. And lots of spiders. And no sunlight. And it's a disaster. It's amazing I can feel creative in this space, but once I get to work I'm so immersed in the process that I usually forget I'm in the cement hole in the ground. Usually. Except when it's winter in Wisconsin and the cement hole feels like I'm ice fishing on Lake Michigan.

I've expanded my work over the years to include copper and bronze, and as you can see, I'm heavily inspired by sacred trees and ancient, mysterious symbols found carved in stones in Ireland, Scotland, and other parts of the world. I believe I'm being guided by ancestral spirits. I often feel like I'm being presented with little fragments of a rather large puzzle that I continue to piece together. I now feel that I have a cohesive body of work that is somehow connected and makes sense, at least to me. The puzzle continues to build and come into clarity as I move through this journey called life. I feel like I'm exposing little bits of my soul when I present you with something I've created, it's a very personal and emotional experience and when true connections are made, it's the greatest gift I receive in return.

I am truly a one-woman show. Being a self-employed artist with no other employees, I am left not just wearing many hats, but all of the hats. And I don't really even like hats that much. I design and make each piece of jewelry, I order supplies, I apply for juried art fairs, I take photos, I post photos, I set up an Etsy shop, I put up an art fair tent in every kind of weather, and have endured every kind of weather, I create displays and decorate my booth, I do my taxes, I book hotels, I'm the marketing department, I'm the social media girl too. I'm also a mom to two beautiful sons and a really furry, long haired German Shepherd. Sometimes I work in my pajama uniform because I have to do all of those things I just typed up there.

I sell online here on Etsy. I have a Facebook Page and Pinterest as (Soul Harbor Jewelry) and you can also find me on Instagram as Joni Rae Doyle. I like to post pictures of the artistic process, allowing you to come along for the crazy and messy ride. I also sell my jewelry at art fairs and Irish festivals around Wisconsin and occasionally out of state.