THANK YOU TO ALL who contributed either financially or by spreading the word. YOU are who made this campaign succeed. You are all amazing !
fARTlek Jewelry is now a registered trademark with the US Patent and Trademark Office.
Thanks to your generous support I have been making large strides in developing the new line. Please visit: www.fartlekjewelry.com
The line was successfully launched July 30 & 31, 2015 at the Beach to Beacon EXPO in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. Next event will be the Dempsey Challenge Festival In LewIston Maine, October 17 & 18, 2015 !
Please check out the GALLERY for updated metal art works.
The
Essentials:
I
am a jeweler, runner and cancer survivor. This project is a way to
use my skills to reach out to others who struggle against personal
adversity and strive to be strong, healthy and positive. This new
line of jewelry is also my way to give back and pay forward, as a
percentage of profits will be donated to cancer research and cancer
related charities.
MY
STORY:
My
life was immeasurably disrupted two years ago when I was diagnosed
with breast cancer. Until then, my identity as a jeweler and teacher
had been secure. As anyone who has struggled with the disease can
tell you, the fight for a cure reaches into every corner of your
life. The radiation and the meds and the meds to counteract
side-effects of the first set of meds... all of it shut down my
ability to teach and to make jewelry, it tore apart my finances, but
more importantly it rocked my sense of self and made me feel that I
was no longer in control.
About
a year into the treatment, I learned about something that would
eventually help me get back on top. I heard some cancer survivors
reporting that extreme physical training could counteract some of the
negative effects of treatment and help prevent cancer from recurring.
With nothing left to lose, I put myself on a training regime to
become a runner. Within a few months, I started to feel a lot of the
severe fatigue, joint pain and depression melt away. Even better I
started to feel that I was in control again; that I could effect my
own cure, my own health, and my own identity.
A
year after my diagnosis I ran my first 5k and learned that there was
more good news in store: the running community, it turns out, is full
of inspiring people who have stories like mine. For them, the sport
is a way to take back control and to feel better physically and
mentally. Others may be running for loved ones who have been brought
low, or in solidarity with afflicted people everywhere. It turns out
that healing, caring and generosity are built into the sport of
running, and it has nourished and supported millions of people, just
as it has become a huge support in my own life.
Fast
forward:
Here
I am two years after my diagnosis. My life has been changed forever,
but it has made me stronger, and I have had an
epiphany. Now that I am able to get back to my work making
jewelry, I am driven by a desire to connect the new and the old in my
life and to find a way to give something back. All at once I clearly
see how I can bring together my passion for jewelry and my deep
appreciation for the community of runners everywhere, and pursue
deeper meaning in my own work.
fARTlek
JewelryTM:
With the grace
of your support, I will be able to dedicate time to designing,
creating and marketing fARTlek Jewelry. Fartlek is a Swedish word,
roughly meaning “speed play”. It is a technique in running, where
for brief times you step up your pace. This resonates to me as a
runner, an artist and survivor as I have been able to step up MY pace
in life once again.
No
matter how beautiful a piece of jewelry, it becomes infinitly more
meaningful when it is deeply significant to the wearer. I have
designed a line of fine adornments for women and men that intends to
commemorate our personal triumphs, and struggles to overcome
emotional and physical obstacles. I have found a way for these
designs to interact explicitly with the act of running, which I can’t
get into until the patents and copyrights are in place. It is
my goal to take this idea further and to reach more lives by ramping
up the scale of production. Eventually, I hope this jewelry design
concept will touch hikers, cyclists and others athletic endeavors.
In
Conclusion:
I
am extremely proud to be able to offer these meaningful pieces to all
of the resilient people who have overcome obstacles in their own
lives, to potentially offer them as race tokens, and to use them as a
platform for raising awareness. For me, this endeavor is a path
forward in my own healing journey and a testament to the strength of
our collective community.
I
need your help to properly develop this new venture and to reach a
wider audience. With a nudge from all of you out there who support
fine art, the running community, and the various intersecting
networks of cancer survivors, I will be able to expand this endeavor
that promises to celebrate personal growth while beautifying many
people’s lives in a small but meaningful way.
To
reward you for your contributions and support for this initiative I
have an array of my individually created works including books,
dvd's, jewelry and art for the home.
I
would like to emphasize, once this project is in full force, a
percentage of the profits will be donated to cancer research and
cancer related charities.
Thank
you, so very much !!!!
Thanks to dear Gary for his constant patience and support !!!!
