Today we’d like to introduce you to Sophia Edgell
Hi Sophia, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Dipping my toes into diverse of artistic media my favorite childhood pastime. I dedicated hours to sculpture, painting, animation, illustration, and, of course, jewelry using them to explore the whimsical worlds inside my head. I decided around 11 that I would go to art college after being particularly inspired by a favorite online artist, and from there I narrowed my focus to digital illustration and animation. I poured over my drawings, posting them for of online followers, and illustration became my priority. Crafting — experimentation — took a back seat.
Then I got into the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) through the Brown-RISD Dual Degree program. If only that 11-year-old could see me now! RISD has a notoriously intense and experimental freshman curriculum involving popsicle stick bridges, wire sculptures, abstract ink drawings, and wooden dragons. It wasn’t what I had come to art school to do, but it unlocked the crafter inside me that I had been neglecting. I found satisfaction in my 3D work, especially one particular project: my Design class final.
What could I design for my final to round out my illustrative AND material skill sets? I decided to try laser cutting, designing a set of wooden stud earrings inspired by natural phenomena large and small, terrestrial and celestial. That’s right — Sophie Skies started as a school project! At the end of the semester, though, I wasn’t done with my earring designs. I searched for an outlet to share my work with others. I turned my mockup business into a real one, and the first place I took it was Union Studio, a longtime favorite seller of St. Louis local art.
Now, I’m focusing on establishing myself in my school’s state, Rhode Island. Brown and RISD both have plentiful opportunities for students to show and sell artwork. I couldn’t be luckier because, between these two campuses, I have all the resources a young artist could ask for. Between school assignments, I’ve post my jewelry on Instagram and work on new designs. I can’t wait to keep growing as a creative.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Being in the Brown-RISD Dual Degree program feels like juggling twenty balls at once sometimes. Sometimes I can barely juggle three, so it is overwhelming. I end up being unable to dedicate the time I want to all the things I care about, including jewelry. I’m content with the business unfolding slowly as I focus on my degrees these next few years.
The earrings themselves also posed material challenges. I had to learn laser cutting on the job, which meant long days in the wood shop fine tuning the technology, learning Adobe Illustrator, and lots of general finagling and failure. Making the designs recognizable was a challenge, too. Some shapes are classic (like a star or moon), but simplifying the visual language of a crashing wave or galaxy is more complex. I can see myself continuing to play with design symbology.
But beyond the technical, I constantly struggle with my artistic identity. Sometimes I wonder if I even have – or want – one! I feel the pressure, both from within and from without, to wrangle my creativity into a cohesive persona. For as long as I’ve been an artist, I’ve also been a content creator. Online artist idols were my blueprint. I was crafting a brand identity at age twelve that has constrained me as I’ve grown. It’s wrapped up in comparison and perfectionism and all the classic artist woes.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I draw: beloved people, characters, real and imagined environments, what I see, and what I can’t see. My visual language favors cartoon stylization, with exaggerated proportions and visible brush strokes. I’m most comfortable with digital drawing, but I’ve practiced with traditional media for school. My two dimensional art usually conveys an emotion or tells a story. I’m fond of graphic novels and animated films because 2D art and animation are great ways to develop original characters and their worlds.
I also craft: I love finding new ways to work with my hands to make toys, accessories, and objects in real space. Most of my latest 3D creations are wood, but I’ve also played with fire to make metal and even glass pieces. There’s nothing like the joy of feeling the weight of your art in your hands or seeing it adorn another person. My 3D work leans miniature as in delicate charms, one-inch polymer clay donuts, and tiny wooden shooting stars. Collected items like shells, rocks, and sea glass are excellent to incorporate into physical pieces.
I go into the world to travel, climb, swim, and learn then I bring my artistic inspiration home with me. So much of my art is naturalistic because nature is my favorite muse. I started out with a more fantastical angle (dragons, witches, talking animals…), but studying space at Brown has made me interested in educational applications for my art. This summer, I get to intern as a scientific illustrator at the NASA Ames Lab in California. So we’ll just have to see where my creativity takes me: to an imagined magical otherworld or just to the next star system over. The only thing I feel certain about in this point in my journey is the fact that I simply feel called to keep creating.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
Sophie Skies isn’t my only business! Well — maybe “business” is a strong word for my second occupation, since I work for my school’s dining services and not independently. But I run a weekly pop-up at RISD’s Portfolio Café called Sophia’s Smoothie Saturdays. I work in the on-campus cafe kitchen every Saturday making a ton of smoothies using my original recipes that the cafe stocks and sells. It’s a one-woman operation and I thoroughly enjoy it.
Pricing:
- earrings are $15 / pair at Union Studio
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sophiaeedgell.wixsite.com/sophieskies
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sophieskiesjewelry/profilecard/?igsh=NDlwN3V6anFyZTQ0
