In the Studio with Doug Napier – A Slowmade Collective Member Spotlight
Doug tell us a little about you and your work.
Located in the Black Hills of South Dakota, I have been a metalsmith since I was 19 years old. I have worked in jewelry factories throughout the world ever since. After a bout of colon cancer at 49 years old, I decided to quit my current job and founded the JewelryMonk Studio and Training Center in 2016. In 2020 a response to COVID, I launched Jewelry by DeCory, my jewelry production facility in 2020. I am also a Jewelry Consultant and specialize as a Technical Jewelry Model Maker, working with some of the largest jewelry manufacturing companies in the world, specializing in Model Making for Production, Manufacturing Training, System Troubleshooting, and Defect Recognition and Resolution of Production Problems.
How did you first come to your craft?
I have always enjoyed working with my hands, and been detail oriented. At 19, I had a job I didn’t care for, I needed rent and beer money, and I heard of a job opening at a Black Hills Gold Jewelry manufacturing company. I applied and got the job. The owner saw something in me he liked and invested in me. He showed me every aspect of the manufacturing process, and I enjoyed it. I got very good at it, word got around, and I was offered jobs from companies all over the world.
What do you love most about having a creative business?
I think we all have the need to express ourselves through creativity, it helps us confirm our identity, tell our story, and speak into the lives of like-minded life journeyers. Each piece I make is a way I can share and give others a glimpse into myself.
What do you love most about being in the Collective?
Over my life, I have refined the art of secluding myself and being a Lone-Ranger, One Person Show. While being a creative is a release and an avenue to put something into the world that has not been before, it can also be lonely and for someone with introvert qualities, this can be damaging. The Collective is a way to connect with other like-minded people and remember life is better when done in community.
What’s been challenging you lately in your work or business?
I have an endless supply of ideas and things I want to accomplish with the time I have left. A successful production company, a book, and a non-profit regional trade school just a few. The challenge is to balance all of these things, while keeping a few people employed and keeping the bills paid. I keep these goals in sight, while keeping the main business JewelryMonk Studio moving.
What’s something outside of your work that fills you up right now?
Music has always been with me, so I visit my guitar, play and write music daily for at least an hour, as well as my guilty pleasure of playing video games with my son nightly.
What’s the best piece of advice you have ever been given?
Make goals (big and small) and write them down in a place that is visible every day. Make at least 1 small step in that direction daily.
Doug on Instagram: @jewelrymonk
Doug’s Website: jewelrymonk.com
Doug’s YouTube Channel: Doug Napier Jewelry Monk