Today we’d like to introduce you to Blair Logan.
Can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today. You can include as little or as much detail as you’d like.
I’m an archaeologist-turned-fusion (“belly”) dancer who pretty much fell into alchemy and jewelry-making.
I moved to Austin from Montana in 2015 for dance, music, and live performance art; it was supposed to be a visit, but I ended up just never leaving. I had already been studying dance for about 10 years, and really wanted the opportunity to be absolutely surrounded by inspiring performers, including some of my dance idols. I was planning to relocate to one of 3 places–Oregon, California, or Texas–and I’d always wanted to experience Austin (the only place on that list I’d never actually visited), so I ventured out to study with one of my favorite dancers, April Rose, only to fall in love with the studio and the city, and never looked back.
I’ve been teaching and performing here for about 5 years, worked with some of my favorite artists, met and married the man of my dreams, and found some of my nearest and dearest friends.
When the pandemic hit, I took my day-job lay-off as an opportunity to work on my online teaching goals and created my Youtube tutorials and Patreon classes.
After about a year of planning and executing daily lessons, filming/editing (ah, the magic of iMovie), virtual performances, and financial struggles, the work of the weekly lessons (as well as the physical distance from my community) took its toll and I became beyond burnt out.
I began making small daily neighborhood hikes with my husband, Kevin Clark, began researching local herbs and plants and trees (something I’ve always wanted to take time to do for myself), and splurged on a small-scale electroforming set up so that I could start creating copper charms from the treasures (unique twigs, snail shells, fallen leaves and flowers) of my ever-increasing Greenbelt adventures.
I have been inspired by some amazing electroforming artists for a few years now, including @the_copper_witch (I so love how her unique necklace chain accents the delicate intricacy of her charms that I source a similar chain for my own charms), so it’s an absolute honor to be recognized by my local community in a similar light.
Has it been a smooth road? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Learning to electroform and experimenting with this artform has been a delightful reprieve from the severely go-go-go routine I’ve had for many years–being able to connect with nature, stop and enjoy the beauty of my surroundings, and create charms from my findings as a part of my own daily ritual and healing routine has been a much-needed change in focus for me this past year.
I’ve been running my dance business on a small scale for several years now, but I don’t feel it’s prepared me as well as I’d hoped for running a jewelry and wellness business. Pricing and sourcing and community outreach all feel very different for vending than for teaching classes or performing at venues/festivals as a dancer. I love interacting with people and enjoy connecting, which I learned and honed through dance and now utilize as a vendor and maker.
I’ve had mega support from my husband (who inspired me to start actually selling the pieces I was making), my mother, my dance family (local and Montana friends), and many local makers and artists, who all continually promote my work and support my business endeavors at every opportunity. I’ve also been fortunate enough to know some brilliant designers and makers in the dance world (Liora Dance & Design, The Cor Chorum, Cheyney Teagan Designs, Amber Jungle) who have helped guide me along the way as I’ve delved into the new world of vending locally and selling online.
Taking a step back from dance has been a real transformation of self-identification for me, especially since I’ve invested in and sacrificed so much for this (almost) decades long passion. Working with copper and showing reverence to nature has been easy and refreshing and balancing for me. The struggle has been to reset my goals to create a thriving business that intrigues, inspires, and heals people on an entirely different level.
We’d love to learn more about your work. What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of? What sets you apart from others?
I’m still fairly new to electroforming, but I love working with natural elements to create charms not only for preserving and appreciating nature, but also for personal empowerment.
I’ve been studying the energies that crystals and plants evoke and utilize this when I’m putting charms together so that the wearer can feel that and remember to be more confident or joyful or appreciative of their unique beauty and intellect or (insert what you wish to bring out in yourself here) when they wear a piece. Every combination is fairly unique and no two pieces ever look exactly the same.
It’s always so inspiring when someone picks up a piece at my booth and feels a strong connection to it–whether it’s the energy they feel or the natural beauty of whatever elements have been preserved in copper. It’s definitely given me a stronger appreciation of and respect for the natural beauty we are surrounded by here in Austin.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
I grew up primarily in the southern states, starting out in Tennessee, and trips to the beach were few and far between. I loved getting to feel the sand in my toes, splash in the water with my family, pushing through the waves (with extreme trepidation and caution for someone so young) to get to the deeper areas with my parents and brother, and become totally enveloped by the sunshine.
My favorite part was scavenging the beach for shells. It was so gratifying to find those large and totally complete scallop shells, or to watch them wash up on shore with the waves as the incoming clams would dig into the sand and quickly vanish before the next wave rolled in.
I tried not to collect too many at once; I would limit my haul to just the undamaged or super colorful shells, but I remember being in my own world when we would look at all the varieties washed up on the shore (whether I was wandering the beach with my family or on my own after everyone else had lost interest).
We didn’t have many vacations as a family, so spending time together on the beach, and finding beautiful mementos from our adventures, was always very special. My husband and I love finding shells together when we get to visit Texas beaches, and my mother always finds the most unique ones when we visit family in Florida together. So, the tradition continues and is even stronger to this day!
Contact Info:
- Email: whimsicalalchemyshop@gmail.com
- Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/WhimsicalAlchemyShop
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whimsical_alchemy/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whimsicalalchemyshop
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Blairdancerbee
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/BlairLoganDance
- Other: https://www.patreon.com/blairloganfusiondance
Image Credits
Cheyney Teagan Stern Hatcher
