Today we’d like to introduce you to Xochi Maberry-Gaulke.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Xochi. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
When I was in middle school, I came across dozens of bins of jewelry making materials that my moms once used to create jewelry in the 80s. I began futzing around. It wasn’t until college when I started making the kinds of earrings I make today. While at The Evergreen State College, I was enrolled in interdisciplinary programs revolving around visual arts and earth science. I began thinking about my upbringing in Los Angeles where the immense geologic forces converge with the glitz and glam of Hollywood. Making earrings out of found, recycled, natural, and human-made materials is an expression of living in the Anthropocene, a time when human forces rival earth’s forces.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
My journey has been easy because it has been so much fun!! I make my earrings for myself and inspired by myself. If someone wants in on the goods, it’s such a treat! Personal expression is liberating. Creating and wearing my earrings helps me be free. Crafting has always been a meditative activity because it helps me decompress and keep my hands busy while my mind wanders.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into XMG Earrings story. Tell us more about it.
I’m always on the hunt for the biggest, funkiest, lightest object I can hang from my ear lobes. These items delight me; they bring me joy! I’ve collected packing peanuts because of their beautiful blushing pink color and seedpods because of their yonic shape. I obsessively collect the different colored mesh that is used in packaging fruits and vegetables; it’s so sturdy, fluffy, and voluminous. The material I’m most excited about right now is livestock ear tags. I came across a bunch of them last summer at a farm supply warehouse I stumbled upon with a bunch of feminists while in central Utah for Micol Hebron and Cara Despain’s Feminist Summer Camp. A simple tool used for branding animals, I use them to mark my own brand. I love seeing them transform when I bring them in to my own feminist space. I’ll douse them in glitter, beads, reflective cellophane, and sequins. My agenda is maximalist. I care less about trends and more about exploration.
What do you feel are the biggest barriers today to female leadership, in your industry or generally?
While there are a million, real barriers to female leadership, I do my best to free myself from them. In creating my earrings, I am my own leader. I focus on pushing my use of material; I constantly reconsider what can be worn on the ear; I make everything big and bold. I choose to look forward and focus on my own creativity where the only barrier I experience is lack of time!
Pricing:
- Typically $15-$45, includes free US shipping
- Commissions, custom orders, and trades accepted
Contact Info:
- Phone: (323)240-0450
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @xmgearrings
Image Credit:
Xochi Maberry-Gaulke
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