In this article, Susan Hamilton Meier interviews Ray Griffith on his source of creativity, his inspirational workspace, and what helps him be productive.
What do you do for work?
When I was a kid, I used to say to my parents all the time, I’m going to be a jeweler when I grow up. I didn’t just say it once or twice. There was no question about it, I was going to be a jeweler. That was the road I was going down, and that was all there was to it. One day my father came home said, I’ve got you an apprenticeship in a jewelry restoration house. From the day I started, I loved it. And I’ve gone forward with that for many years now.
Tell us about the space where you work.
We moved into this space maybe 12 years ago, and it has this arched window. I saw that window, and I was like, okay, I’m done, I’m taking this office. It’s a really nice space to work in, a bright space.
How would you describe your creative process?
My creative process is 24 hours a day. Different things can spark it. I might find a stone in Tucson that I just get obsessed with, and that might lead to a design of a new ring. Then I think, I can produce more in multiple colors, so I’ll get gem dealers to cut the stones in the shape and the size I want. Other times, I’m doing restoration work for people, and they’ll bring me a specific stone, and they’ll ask me to design something around it. Then, that can lead to something that I’ll put into the line. Sometimes I just get all the components out and play with the jigsaw puzzle and see what I can build.
Inspiration comes from everywhere, it really does. Sometimes I’m in bed, and I can’t sleep, and I’m like, let’s design a ring or let’s design an earring, and I just go through the motions. I’ll have a pen and paper next to my bed, so I’ll get up and do a little scribble, so I won’t forget the idea, and then I can develop that further inside of my head.
Access the full article, All that Glitters…, on WorkSpaceStudio.com.
