Meet Stephanie O’Brien

What’s your favorite material to work with? Why?
I love working with found materials because it makes the process and the finished piece more interesting! For jewelry, I like using rocks, coins, and things I find at reuse centers or thrift stores. When I am quilting and making bags, I like to use fabric, yarn, and thread from recycling and reuse centers.

You recently exhibited your work at Renegade Craft in NYC. What was that experience like?
Renegade Craft is an organization that hosts craft events throughout the country. I always love being able to sell work face-to-face with customers. It’s such a different—and more personal—experience than selling on my website or through a retail store. Plus, coming up with a display set-up is a craft in and of itself!

Which piece of jewelry are you most proud of making? What did creating it mean to you?
I really enjoy making pieces with materials that are significant to me because I love having an emotional connection and ability to share stories about the pieces. For example, my grandfather gave me huge bags of golf gear that I saved to make into something special for myself. I ended up making 3 brooches from the ball markers that I love! Another example is when I made a quilt from all of the old clothing and bedding that I had saved since I was a child.

Can you describe your art-making process?
When I start creating, I usually sketch out a bunch of ideas in my sketchbook, getting as many things down on paper as I can. These sketches are rough and include ideas about the shape or materials. My drawers are full of materials so next I’ll pull things out and group them. I like to keep my materials organized by color, but as you can see in some of my photos, everything gets mixed up and messy once I start creating! The final step is assembly. I usually move over to my jewelry bench to do the actual metalsmithing, which includes hammering, soldering, and sawing. (Sorry to my downstairs neighbor!)

Explore my studio space below!

Does your art practice process inform your work as a senior analyst at CI? How?
I am a Type A thinker. I love to make lists and have step-by-step processes even when I am being creative and messy. I think that’s why I love the work that I do at CI so much. I enjoy fitting pieces of a puzzle together. I’m not analyzing data while making jewelry or bags, but it has the same cathartic feel of working my way through a process.

What do you love about working with arts organizations?
I love working with arts organizations because I love visiting arts organizations—especially art museums. I also love having the opportunity to work with people who are creative and equally passionate about the arts.

What’s something about your job that makes you excited to come to work every day?
I love my colleagues and clients! Everyone is so passionate about the arts and always are down to talk nerdy about data analysis. I also enjoy that each day is different—I learn about new exhibitions and performances that my clients put on, which gets me so excited about the future of the arts.

What’s one tip you can give to help arts organizations market smarter?
Think about what your goals are! If you take the time to take a step back and think about what you are trying to achieve, developing strategies, content, and copy is much easier and, most importantly, more effective.

Where can we see more of your work?
You can see more of my work on my website, Instagram, and Tiktok.