The Next Breadcrumb — Susan Fauman

Last week I started to tell you a story about following breadcrumbs. I told you about my love of a good wink. How I try to infuse a certain, whimsical, flirty, weird, curious vibe into my work. If you missed it, you can find it in my previous story post.

So, basically, the word Wink—and the concept of Wink—was my first breadcrumb.

My second breadcrumb arrived in February, when I pulled out this necklace I made back in 1998. It was my first kinda “major” piece and I made it during a summer at MICA in Baltimore, where I had gone to high school. I was on break from my studies at Oberlin, where I was focused on photography and print-making. The “gem” of the piece is a viewfinder from an antique camera.

When the necklace is worn, the wearer can look down and see what is in front of them. (I made this before we were all spending most of our time look down.) This viewfinder is so evocative for me. My dad was a photographer my whole life. We’re coming up on 3 years since I lost him. Image making was a place where he and I connected. He was probably my biggest cheerleader when I started (and stopped and started) making jewelry. This little object speaks volumes to me of technology and craft and image making and fascination. Also, it’s simply cool.

This breadcrumb was sort of multipart, because—not long after I pulled the piece out to look at it and think about my dad and my work and what next and and and, I went to Baltimore for the first time in 20 years, spending time in places I had haunted as a teenager. I thought about my dad and my work. And through long conversations with dear friends, my Wink appeared. My mind started spinning with ideas for a collection about perception and truth and optics and technology and my dad and sustainability and beauty and value and “simply cool” objects.

So that’s what I’m working on right now. Through the lens of the spy device. (And if you made it this far, you are rewarded with a little glimpse (a Wink, if you will) of some of the components for the collection I’m working on. I promise to actually show something completed next week.

Thank you so much for being here and for reading my stories. I feel so honored when you read them and my heart does a little leap when you respond.

With love and care,

Susan