Monday, May 4, 2020





Please introduce yourself and tell us about what you create?

 I'm Jemica, the owner, designer and maker behind Meekz Contemporary Jewellery.  I'm a qualified silversmith having graduated from Griffith University in 2009 and I love architecture and sculptural art.  I have a real passion for geometric design and love making wearable art, that transforms the everyday into something unique and beautiful.  

What makes what you do that bit different to the other people in your creative field?

My business is a sustainable, ethical and handmade jewellery label.  I draw inspiration from the urban environment and minimalist geometric forms around me.   

Using traditional silversmithing techniques such as hand sawing, soldering, hammer texturing and oxidising, I bring to life my sketched drawings to create statement jewellery that can be worn every day.    

Adopting an ethically responsible and environmentally friendly practice, all Meekz collections are made using recycled, reclaimed and repurposed materials such road signs, recycled sterling silver, electrical wire, recycled aluminium, copper and brass, transforming the everyday into something unique and beautiful.  

By designing my own custom packaging from recycled card boards and card stocks and hand sewing all my own jewellery pouches from discarded industrial felt sourced from local recycling centres, I believe I can further contribute to a sustainable foot print.

I even use discarded timber, wooden blocks and tree branches to create all my unique jewellery displays and market stands.

In my studio I use a combination of recyclable and biodegradable materials and chemicals, adopting a cradle-to-cradle mentality to create all my exhibition and retail production work.



How long since you started on this creative journey?

This July will be my 15th year in business.  I started Meekz Contemporary Jewellery while I was studying at University in 2005.   My lecturer suggested I seek some feedback on my designs and so a group of students and I created a
small business called the JSO Collective and approached the South Bank Markets to see if we could have a stall at the Young Designers Markets and they said yes!  

Once graduating university in 2009, I left the Collective and went on to work full time in my own studio that I created with the help of my parents on their property, transforming an old horse stable into a functioning jewellery space.  

In 2015 some friends of mine asked me to show them how to make jewellery and I guess I fell in love with teaching.  I still teach to this day and have created classes for all skill levels. My workshops offer an insight into the life of a jeweller. From private one on one sessions to group classes, each workshop aims to encourage creativity, confidence and learning while having fun.



Were you creative as a child/do you come from a creative family?

I have always been creative and as a child my mum taught me lots of different things from cooking to cross stitching to painting.  I even used to help her make dolls clothes for her business and helped out at markets selling them (I think that’s where I got the bug for my business you could say).



 What's the story behind your business/shop name (if applicable)?

My business name came from a nickname I gave myself at high school – Meeka, as no one could say my name Jemica.  And when I applied for a trading name Meeka was knocked back so I changed it to Meekz and added a description so no one else would have the same name!

And so Meekz Contemporary Jewellery was born.

Do you do this as a hobby or as a small business?

I  work full time in my small business and love every minute of it!



     How have you found your work has evolved since you started?

My designs have definitely changed over the years.  My first designs out of University incorporated everything from recycled/repurposed/found fabrics to plastics to papers and of course metal.   Over time I noticed I was becoming more a textile artist and wanted to find myself again so ditched everything that wasn’t metal and focused on silversmithing again (what I was trained in) and fell back in love with my art. 

Technological advances over the 15 years have also played a big part in my redirection as well I think.  The introduction of Laser Cutting was a big one for me.   The value, perception, price and accessibility of machine cut acrylic saw my jewellery sales drop over night and I could no longer compete with this, so I dropped the line.



How did you start selling your work? Do you sell online or at markets/shops?

I  started selling at the Young Designers Market as a member of the JSO Collective small business we started while at University in 2005.   I then opened up an Etsy shop www.etsy.com/shop/MeekzContJewellery to test my products online and finally opened up my own  website www.meekzcontemporaryjewellery.com.au  to have full control of design, style and create my own templates. 

I currently have 25 Stockist throughout Australia that are small handmade/sustainable or boutique style shops that I wholesale my designs to. 

My favourite of all platforms to sell would have to be at Markets or Events though as I get to meet my customers face to face and see them light up when they spot something they love.  They are the reason I love what I do. 

My jewellery workshops are also a form of work I sell as well as the tools we use in class.  I get so much joy from seeing a student light up with confidence once they have made something from scratch. 

How do you find your inspiration? 

I  find inspiration from my surroundings, from nature, urban environment and my friends and family.

Describe your studio/workspace?

My studio is small but I love it.  

I  have converted the garage in my house into a studio space.

I have an old office desk that my grandfather converted into a jewellers bench, I have another row of jewellery benches for my students, a bench with a table mounted drill press, a metal guillotine/bender/roller machine and soldering station and a open shelving system with all my finished stock, market displays, market tools, marquee, tables, battery and lights and workshop tools, materials and displays.  

I also now have an office/clean studio which I’ve never had before so that’s cool.  Here I do all my invoicing, accounting, packaging of finished jewellery and store all my packaging, boxes and felt for my pouches.



Describe a typical creative day? How do you balance your creativity with your everyday life/work?

A typical day …well I try to start or end the day with some sort of exercise, I then have breakfast, then head into the studio – create a list with the days tasks and get to work making.  I then have lunch and then head back to work to finish off what I can for the day.  I then either exercise if I haven’t already with a friend if possible and then make dinner and then veg out to some Netflix or a movie, have a shower and then head to bed.   Some nights I may even sit and make jewellery while watching TV.  It's usually a late one for me as I am a night owl.    

How do I juggle everyday life/work… well I plan my life around a Diary. Everything gets entered into the calendar or it doesn’t happen.  Like if I have a meeting tomorrow or want to catch up with a friend next Tuesday or I’m having dinner with my parents in a month, it all goes into my diary or I would forget everything!    

My diary is LIFE, without it I wouldn’t have a business or social life lol.


Do you listen to music/tv/podcasts etc while creating?

I  listen to the radio.  Can’t watch Tv as I start watching it instead and podcasts I haven’t tried yet.

Do you have any advice for someone starting out in the creative world? Any tips that might help them?

Love what you do!  Find your niche, something no one else has and make it yours.  Your customers will love you for it and will keep coming back to you as they can only get it from you.   

Believe in yourself!  You can do this, you are strong, you know your stuff and you are talented or you wouldn’t be starting this.

Schedule in Lunch Break /Time with friends and family and take Holidays! Do this, its so easy to over look all of this and your mental state is worth more than money! 

Do you reduce, reuse, recycle as part of your creative process?  If yes, how is your art/craft eco-friendly?

Yep it is my core value!  I use sustainable materials / methods and chemicals throughout my practise.

Do you have a favourite item to make?

At the moment I would have to say it's my Rain Bow Earrings and Necklaces.  They just have that extra little wibble wobble and I love the combination of movement, mixed metal and mixed textures.



Do you have a favourite quote?

"Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution."
-Albert Einstein, What Life Means to Einstein (1924)  

fell in love with this quote in my teenage years and have lived every day by it.  I even have a tattoo on my back that says “Imagination is Knowledge”.

Where do you see your creative journey taking you in the next 12 months?

In 12 months… designing even better jewellery designs, having hopefully a larger studio space, one that I can teach bigger classes in and that I can paint/ decorate and make my own!

Where can we find you online/stockists (links etc)?

Check out my website www.meekzcontemporaryjewellery.com.au  

Whereabouts did you find out about BrisStyle?

It was one of the first markets I attended back in the day to sell my jewellery at.   It was so long ago now that I can’t remember where I heard about it from sorry.

How long ago did you become a member and what made you decide to join?

I  joined while I was in Uni so between 2005 – 2009 again not sure on actual date sorry.

What do you think the Covid-19 situation has changed in your creative practice?

Covid-19 has definitely made it hard for my business.  I can no longer attend markets or events to sell my jewellery, teach classes or speak at PD Talks. 

I  however have been able to continue selling online.  Definitely nowhere near as much as I use to make at events, markets or workshops, but it’s something while I wait for Centrelink … my fingers are crossed.

Before COVID-19 I had wanted to start holding monthly Ready To Ship Restocks on my website and treat the stock on hand as though it was a wholesaler and set it aside for when it sells.  I had in the past run my website in a Make to Order format and didn’t get as many sales.

Now with everything going on I suddenly have way more time on my hands and so held my first Ready To Ship Restock in April and was blown away by my customers.  Not only did I sell lots of pieces (which I was so sure I wouldn’t as it had never worked before) but that I sold OUT of items and had customers contacting me personally asking if they could order more.

I’m not sure if this was a fluke but I’m going to continue and have another restock planned for next Friday 1st May at 8pm QLD time so wish me luck.
Xxx Meekz


24 comments:

jason said...

Buy Ayahuasca powder ayahuasca also knows

as the tea, the vine, la purga is a brew made from the leaves

of the Psychotria Viridis.
Purchase Ayahuasca Tea
It is known that ayahuasca is a spiritual and religious drink

by ancient Amazonian and it was not easy to buy ayahuasca tea

or vine online overnight. We are 100% loyal and legit to our

customers moreover we got affordable prices and guarantee fast

delivery to all destinations worldwide
Buy Ayahuasca Online.https://trippysche.com

where to buy ayahuasca

how to get ayahuasca

what is in ayahuasca

where can i buy ayahuasca

what does ayahuasca do

how long does ayahuasca last

where to get ayahuasca

Purchase Ayahuasca Tea

how to make ayahuasca

what is dmt

how to make dmt

how to smoke dmt

how to get dmt

where to get dmt

dmt is the brain

where to buy magic mushrooms

where do magic mushrooms grow

how to find magic mushrooms

where to get magic mushrooms

how to make magic mushrooms

how to grow magic mushrooms at home

what do magic mushrooms look like

what are magic mushrooms

how to identify magic mushrooms

how tobrew ayahuasca

where to get lsd

where to buy lsd

where to buy lsd

how to store lsd

how is lsd made

online erectile dysfunction prescription said...

Yes! Finally someone writes about %keyword1%.

johnson said...

buy marijuana-flowers online
buy marijuana-edibles online
buy cbd-oils online
buy vapes-and-carts online
buy accessories online
buy auto-flowering-seeds online
buy granddaddy-purple online
buy psychedelics online
buy cannabis-concentrates-online
buy og-kush online
buy dmt-nn-dimethyltryptamine online
buy blue-cheese-weed online
buy purple-haze online
buy strawberry-cough online
buy black-diamond-kush online
buy blue-dream online
buy moon-rock online
buy blue-dream-feminized online

Psychedelic said...

penis envy
albino a
amazonian cubensis
b cubensis
blue meanie
malabar cubensis
pf classic magic mushroom
transkei cubensis
vietam cubensis
z strain
burma cubensis
fiji cubensis
golden teacher
buy liquid lsd online
buy mdma crystals online
buy dmt online
buy 4 aco dmt online
Psychedelic Dispensary online store is one of the best in the supply of rare and high-grade (Mushrooms, Edibles. Psychedelics, and more)with absolute purity. All our products are tested to guarantee potency after production, during distribution and even storage. We ship globally in discreet and undetectable packaging using our network of trusted partners. Every one of the items is firmly fixed and anchored to shield the item from any sort of altering over the span of delivery. Our prices are friendly and heavily discounted for repeat and bulk buyers and we have a no questions asked money-back guarantee / full refunds.
We pride ourselves on providing 100% legitimate and high-grade products. Our focus on quality standards & scientific integrity and commitment to delivery excellence has earned us the reputation of being the leading Psychedelics, Mushroom, and Edibles vendor in the online market. We work hand in hand with independent testing laboratories to confirm the purities of the products listed on our website

Best Services said...

Wow such an amazing content I really like it. Here is discounted coupon available for you avail it now parcel pending promo code

Merry Smith said...

Wow such an amazing content i never read this before keep it up and keep sharing with us more useful information. Check this parcel pending promo code discounted coupon now and avail it.

Antony Silvado said...

Are you still looking for the best place to purchase quality chemicals online? Purechemshop.com is the best place to purchase chemical of all kinds. Purechemshop.com is one of best online marketplace to purchase chemical online at best prices
Purechemshop.com
Purechemshop.com/product/buy-mescaline
Purechemshop.com/4-Mec-Drug

Merry Smith said...

Saving Cents Together provide different voucher for brands of all categories you can avail them and save your money on items

BESTSITE said...

Your blog is wonderful I love this little announcement!

야설
오피
마사지
건전마사지
카지노사이트

Sami said...

On the Internet, I was very happy to find this company.
Was great to read and I owe you at least one time.
This piqued my interest a little, and you were kind enough to keep it going.
Become a fan of a new article on your site
whynotwin11 crack
winzip pro crack
active password changer iso crack
fineprint crack

MURSALEEN said...


An excellent piece of writing. Actually, it was put to use.
to be enjoyable in and of itself.
It's going to be harder to bring.
You're so thoughtful.
By the way, how are we supposed to talk to one other?
fifa 16 crack
coreldraw graphics suite 2021 crack
corel draw x8 full version with crack



Joseph said...

Nice Blog impressive ! I also want to prefer students about my website where you can get paid online class help. Are you Fed up of completing your online courses?. Need someone’s help to complete your online course? If that is the case feel free to contact Do My Exam Now.

Sabir Hussain said...

Wow, this is a great blog design! How long are they allowed to stay in their current state?
Have you ever created your own blog? You made the blog simple.
Everything about your site is great, not to mention the content.I use this software and no errors or errors were discovered, so I think this is the best choice.
Multilingual skills and collaboration have been very helpful to me.Excellent article. I really like it and I'm very impressed with your work in this article. Keep it up and keep sharing this kind of useful and useful information with us. Thank you for sharing with us.
reviversoft disk reviver crack
home designer crack
coreldraw crack
norton antivirus crack

addfgh said...


Please guys let give this blog FIVE STAR Rating
dapple dachshund puppies for sale
miniature long haired dachshund puppies for sale
miniature long haired dachshund for sale
dachshund puppies for sale under $500
long haired dachshund puppies for sale

Digital Crack said...


Thanks for writing this excellent article for us.
I have gained good stuff from this website. I am looking forward to your next article.
Not only that, but I am happy to share this post with my friends. Keep it up.

tlex suite crack
tlex suite crack
tlex suite crack
tlex suite crack
tlex suite crack
tlex suite crack
tlex suite crack
tlex suite crack

Unknown said...

I am very impressed with your post because this post is very beneficial for me and provide a new knowledge to me. this blog has detailed information, its much more to learn from your blog post.I would like to thank you for the effort you put into writing this page.
I also hope that you will be able to check the same high-quality content later.Good work with the hard work you have done I appreciate your work thanks for sharing it. It Is very Wounder Full Post.This article is very helpful, I wondered about this amazing article.. This is very informative.
“you are doing a great job, and give us up to dated information”.
imazing crack
acid pro crack
dvd cloner gold platinum crack
draftable desktop crack
encryptomatic maildex crack

oliver jake said...

Very interesting blog. I also want to introduce my website to students here if you're student and wondering can someone do my online class , Yes of course you can by visiting DO MY EXAM NOW. Get good grades by taking our online exam help and impress your teachers. Say goodbye to your tensions now!

Web Page said...

Need Take My Class Online services? Reach out to Online Class Help Now. We have the best online class takers to help your do my online class for me needs.
https://pressgames.org/counter-strike-global-offensive-highly-compressed/

Inuman said...

batman-arkham-city

안전놀이터 said...

You make so many great points here that I read your article a couple of times. Your views are in accordance with my own for the most part. This is great content for your readers. 안전놀이터


Apks said...

I am a wordpress developer

oncasino said...

oncasino

Anonymous said...

I guess I am the only one who came here to share my very own experience. Guess what!? I am using my laptop for almost the past 2 years, but I had no idea of solving some basic issues. I do not know how to Crack Softwares Free Download But thankfully, I recently visited a website named xxlcrack.net/
FinePrint Crack
Firebird Maestro Crack

Amelia said...

https://zeilgroup.com/ stands as one the best shopping places in Dubai, offering a wide array of options for budget-conscious shoppers. From stylish menswear to trendy women’s fashion, this thrift store in Dubai provides an extensive collection of clothing and accessories that cater to diverse tastes. Handbags, shoes, and accessories are not only fashion-forward but also pocket-friendly, allowing customers to stay on trend without overspending.