Dora Barragan is an artist; creating wearable works of art is her craft. This owner of El Paso-based Wickedgems, shares her view on being a business owner, wife, artist, and mom; roles she knows very well.
She considers herself a mixed-media artist as well as a jewelry designer who has been an artist most of her life. She recalls tinkering with jewelry-making at a young age while she was in the Girl Scouts. More recently (around 3 years ago), Dora’s interest in making jewelry was reignited after viewing a show on the DIY network called “Jewelry Making”.
“It wasn't so much the techniques featured on the show that sparked my interest,” Dora says, “but rather, the products and mediums available for creative expression. One product in particular started me down my current path as a creator of unique, custom, hand-sculpted jewelry using combinations of products that few have considered using together. I have since branched out into many genres of jewelry and have perfected my techniques, resulting in refined and amazingly high quality jewelry pieces that will last for years to come.”
When asked what she loves most about her work, Dora says, “There are many things I love, but the ones that rate most highly on my list would be those that revolve around the artistic side. I never feel pressured to create. In fact, I have a sketchbook filled with all of my future jewelry designs. As I go, I tend to make them reality one by one, but never by anyone else's schedule. After pulling these ideas out of my mind and putting them to paper, I often forget about them until one keeps me up all night and motivates me to ‘bring it to life’.”
Rewards from Dora’s work include customer reactions to receiving their orders. “I never get tired of hearing how my creations have brought them happiness and excitement. It keeps me going.” She also enjoys tracking traffic to her online stores. “I have found so many blogs and social networking sites where people have featured my work and reading the comments is always a big ego booster.”
She continues, “The very best thing, the thing that tops it all, is that I get to stay home for my four beautiful daughters. It gives me a great feeling of accomplishment and freedom, but for the most part it makes me feel that I'm doing the very best thing I can for my kids and I know they feel the same way.”
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Photo: Some very popular Wickedgems creations
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