Now that I’ve been doing this for a minute or two (or 10 years), I’ve learned that twice a year, it’s absolutely necessary for my body, mind and soul to truly unplug for a week. To replenish, to inspire, to reset. That seems to be the recipe for keeping me and my overworking tendencies from achieving full burnout mode. Because as much as I truly love what I do, and find absolute joy in creating, jewelry work is also quite hard on the body, and producing art on demand can be quite… well, demanding. So, enter this recent trip to LA - a place I used to live, and where I still have enough dear friends around to make visits quite sweet. It’s an easy place for me to journey to for those reasons, but this particular trip was a really special one. One reason being that for the first time in 20 years since graduating, I visited my old college campus(es) at Claremont, and even met with my senior thesis advisor. It felt like I really revisited, reclaimed, and reintegrated some younger parts of myself. Heady, I know. Plus, throw in a visit to the clothing brand (Trovata) where my career in fashion really began, and it was just nostalgia central. I was also glad to get in some treks to the beach in Orange County, time at my friends’ new gallery in Silver Lake (check out Tetrapod if you’re in the area), and a trip to the Huntington Library and Gardens, along with quality time with old friends. It really was a golden egg of a trip. Come follow along my journey in photos…

Driving around Silver Lake in Symantha’s convertible might just be the most iconic LA thing ever