Affirming Jewelry

I wish I could say that I am the stylish fashionable lady I want to be but unfortunately I am not. I have no interest whatsoever in shopping. I can not be bothered to shop. If we are talking design and accessories, then I am your plug but clothes. Nop, that is not me. But however much I may not be interested in clothes. I am very much interested in jewelry.

I even aspire to be a jewellery designer. Afro-centric jewelry to be exact. There is just something about African jewelry that makes me so happy. In fact, a long time ago, I used to sell African jewelry. That was my side hustle and I must say that I made alot of money from it.

Now if you want amazing African jewelry, then you have to go to the Masai Market in Nairobi. These artisans were talented,kabisa!! There was a Saturday market every week where craftsmen and artisans from all over Kenya converged to sell their wares. It was the Taj Mahal for me. I fell in love all over again every time I went there. I had so much joy walking through the paths of brightly coloured kikoys, jewelry made from all sorts of materials from cowrie shells to beads.

I used to jump on the Friday evening bus to Nairobi. It used to leave Kampala at 7 pm and arrive at 7 am in Nairobi. It was a hectic 12-hour journey. I can not even imagine doing that now. But I would take that bus every other month. Arrive in Nairobi and rush to the Masai market to pick out my wares and then take the evening bus back to Kampala. Sometimes, I would spend the weekend with friends and leave Sunday evening, arrive in Kampala Monday morning and just rush straight to the office. It was completely crazy and I would not recommend it.

However, I met the most amazing of designers. These ladies and gentlemen came up with the most creative and innovative designs ever. I always wondered what inspired them. How did they come up with such? How were they able to continue the traditions of their ancestors and infuse themselves in their designs?

I am sure we have heard about affirmations. Mindtools describes them as “positive statements that can help you to challenge and overcome self-sabotaging  and negative thoughts. ” When you repeat them often and believe in them, you can start to make positive changes.

You might consider affirmations to be unrealistic “wishful thinking.” But try looking at positive affirmations this way: many of us do repetitive exercises to improve our physical health, and affirmations are like exercises for our mind and outlook. 

Now imagine mixing African jewelry with affirmations. I can already see that- Affirming Jewelry. A necklace that says,” I am African,” or “I am enough” or “I am a creative”. Imagine combining inspiration and design, creating jewelry that tells the story of who you are. That is what I am thinking about. I may not know where to start from but a new product line is up to be designed. Calling all jewelry designers and creatives. Who wants to partner with me and we design this? Let’s tell a story through jewelry.