Laura Bruland, the lady behind the book cover jewelry, wearing one of her designs
For
our ongoing interview series of Awesome Ladies Doing Awesome Things (ALDAT for
short), I’d like you to e-meet Laura Bruland of Yes & Yes Designs.
Originally from Los Angeles and now a proud resident of Oakland, Laura has
shooed aside her degree in linguistics to pursue a path more creative… making
jewelry from book covers. Like Yvonne Leung and her wooden cards, Laura is
dismissing the conventional ideas of jewelry design by turning discarded Reader’s
Digest textbooks into nifty earrings, pins, and necklaces. Read on to learn about
how each piece is made, Laura’s favorite gardens in Oakland, and more.
Brittany:
Can
you tell us a bit about yourself?
Laura:
I have lived in Oakland for about three
years now and I've been making jewelry for
about five years, though my pieces have changed a lot since I first started.
I originally started making fabric jewelry (mostly
flower-inspired) with wool I had inherited from my grandmother last January, I started experimenting with laser cutting
at TechShop in San Francisco, and got really inspired by working with books.
Other tidbits about me: I love ballet (I studied
seriously for 12 years or so) and I also play roller derby with the Bay Area
Derby Girls.
Brittany:
Awesome!
Have you always been interested in pursuing a creative field?
Laura:
Mostly… my parents are both artists and
so we always grew up with our hands dirty, so to speak. I actually went to
school for linguistics, and briefly thought I would head into academia, but I
missed making!
Brittany:
Is
that what inspired you to start Yes & Yes Designs?
Laura:
Yes! I was literally a semester away
from graduating, when I realized, "Oh god, maybe I don't want to do this
for the rest of my life." Of course, I finished school, and don't regret all
that hard work for a second. Linguistics taught me to critically think in
totally new ways, but it also pushed me to look for a way to support myself
with my creative juices. I originally
started making jewelry for family and friends as Christmas presents, and just
didn’t want to stop after the holidays.
I know it’s hard to believe, but these pins and earrings were actually made from
old books.
So were these babies…
Brittany:
Can
you describe the process of creating a new piece?
Laura:
Sure. Most of the time, I'll have this
fuzzy idea in my head, mostly the general geometric shapes I want to use, in
say a pair of dangly earrings. From there,
I'll use my sketchbook to flesh out the exact silhouettes I want, then either
scan my drawing, or rebuild it on the computer. Usually
it takes a few tries on the laser-cutter until I have the right proportions,
and then it's ready to go! Of course, since
I make everything out of book covers, each book reacts a little differently,
and the pieces are almost always one of a kind. I'll
usually cut as many pieces out of a book as possible, to avoid any excess waste.
Each time I cut a new book, I have to test how it
will react, especially if there is etching involved in the design. And, last but not least, after cutting a book, I remove
the pieces and coat them with a clear acrylic spray to help protect them.
Brittany:
What
are some of the criteria you use when picking the appropriate book covers for
your jewelry?
Laura:
I generally try to use books that are
unwanted, or out of date. (Although I have amassed a collection of beautiful,
rare books as well; I just don't cut them up.) The
books I like most have patterns or text on most of the cover, and embossed art
or text is a plus! Old Reader's Digest
condensed books and old textbooks are my bread and butter.
Brittany:
How
so?
Laura:
Well, no one wants old textbooks and
they often have a ton of text on the cover. Text on the cover is wonderful for
me because it provides a little bit more of a window into the piece's former
life. And Reader's Digests were
mass-produced in the 60’s and 70’s. No one really wants to read them anymore, but
they have these awesome patterns on the covers, and they translate into
earrings really well. I like cover designs
with tight patterns, because they tend to translate better onto my small items
of jewelry.
Laura’s earlier pieces, like this butterfly brooch, were made of fabric.
A few more of her earlier pieces
Brittany:
As
you mentioned before, you used to work with fabric. Why have you transitioned
to using book covers instead?
Laura:
Well, I started seeing more and more
fabric flower jewelry out there, especially in the DIY-blogosphere. My pieces
still had their own character, but it's hard to try and sell something to
people when they are thinking "hey, I bet I can make that" in the
back of their minds. The transition first
took the shape of selling two-part brooches: a wool flower would be connected
to a laser-cut butterfly by a few strands of chain. The effect was that a
butterfly was flying away from a flower. I was buying the laser-cut butterflies
from someone online, and I hated that those little pieces weren't my own design
so, I joined TechShop, hoping to do one thing: make
my own butterfly parts. And that’s what I did… at first. However, I also
experimented with more unusual materials and side projects. Laser-cutting books proved to be much more inspiring than
just using wood or MDF. It was (and still is) like collaborating with someone
else. I have the overall design idea, but each particular book provides its own
personality and point of view.
Laura petting the wildlife in her traditionally
colorful garb
Brittany:
How
is your own identity represented in your work?
Laura:
I think of myself as a
"colorful" person. I like to have fun, and experiment, especially
with my wardrobe. I love bold colors and patterns, but at the same time, my
aesthetic is very feminine and vintage-inspired. I think all of that comes
across in my jewelry.
Brittany:
When
you’re not working, how do you spend your time?
Laura:
Mostly playing roller derby. I'm on the
Richmond Wrecking Belles under the name "Chiquita Bonanza."
Laura touting her goods at the A Fair to Remember craft fair in San Francisco
Brittany:
How
has living in Oakland influenced your work?
Laura:
Oakland is such a vibrant environment --
it inspires me all the time! My boyfriend
and I like to go explore little scenic areas around town, and we'll usually
bring our sketchbooks. There are so many times when I've started out drawing
whatever scene is in front of me -- Lake Merritt, the view from the Kaiser Roof
Garden, the Morcom Rose Garden -- and then some little architectural detail
will trigger a flash of inspiration, and I'll have to jot down an idea for a
necklace. Plus, I practically live at the
East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse. It's where I get most of my books (and
donate all my leftover projects). Mostly, I
think Oakland is an amazing artistic playground. Most of my friends or people I
know around town are doing something creative or unusual, and it's stimulating
to be around!
Brittany:
What
can we expect to see from you in the future?
Laura:
Well, something that I've wanted to do
for a long time is experiment with making more products for the home out of
books, especially wall art. The leftover
parts of the books are really cool to look at in their own right, and I think
there is something there. Lamp shades,
picture frames, and wall art could all play with the positive/negative space in
a way that I'm really anxious to try! I'm also working on expanding my jewelry
offerings. Cufflinks and possibly rings are on the (very near) horizon. I feel like I'm on the brink of being able to do Yes
& Yes Designs without a back-up job -- I can't wait for that day to come!
Keep up
with Yes & Yes Designs:
The first
and sixth photos were taken by myself at Monkey Forest Road in Oakland, while the others were used with Laura’s
permission.
