The Creative Mind of a Jewelry Designer: Inspiration, Passion, and the Journey to Your Creative Self by Alene Geed

9/19/2025

Multi-volume author and jewelry designer, Alene Geed introduces us to her latest book, “The Creative Mind of a Jewelry Designer: Inspiration, Passion, and the Journey to Your Creative Self”:
The Creative Mind of a Jewelry Designer shares the eight strategic steps to discovering your passion and taking your own creative journey. Beautiful color photos of unique jewelry pieces and of gemstones in the Gemstone Myths section make this book a visual delight.
-Discover the uniqueness of being a jewelry designer
-Appreciate and celebrate your creative personality
-Create your own passionate life
-Increase your powers of observation
-Examine the source of your inspiration
-Develop perspective that takes you far beyond your career
-Learn strategies for personal growth
-Master the eight steps to begin your own creative journey.

I expected to see pictures of beautiful, handmade jewelry, and I wasn't disappointed! What I didn't expect was a journey of discovery for the author's creative passions. I also didn't expect to be invited to discover my own passions in life. What a wonderful surprise!
My thanks to the author for helping me identify some of the most important things in my life. I felt my creativity was nonexistent or very limited. I learned otherwise.
Read this book and prepare yourself for a wonderful adventure!

You can buy this book:
http://www.alenesadornments.com
https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Mind-Jewelry-Designer
https://www.goodreads.com/-the-creative-mind-of-a-jewelry-designer

You can follow the author:
https://x.com/AleneJewelry
http://www.alenesadornments.com
https://facebook.com/alenesadornments
https://www.pinterest.com/alenegeed
https://www.instagram.com/alenesadornments
https://www.youtube.com/alenesadornments

Copyright © 2025 Mark L. Schultz, except for the author’s introduction

36 Comments

Alene Geed link

9/21/2025 11:30:37 am

Your review of my book was spot on. It conveyed exactly what I hope those who read the book will experience as well. Thank You.

Mark

9/21/2025 01:29:37 pm

I enjoyed your book. It was refreshing and interesting. The jewelry was quite pretty.

First question.

Please tell us more about yourself. Perhaps something a little bit beyond your bio.

9/22/2025 10:29:25 am

Thanks Mark. I grew up in the Midwest spending most of my time in Michigan and Indiana. Migrated to Minnesota and spent 16 years there and then ultimately moved to Arizona. I was visiting family in Tucson one year (both of my sisters lived there). We drove up to Phoenix for the day. As we approached Phoenix, I declared “this is where I want to live”. I went back to Minnesota made arrangements with my work and within six months had moved to Arizona. I’ve never looked back. I love it here

9/22/2025 10:39:12 am

I have heard Arizona is a wonderful place to live. But I have never been there. I didn't expect to leave Oregon until our youngest child and her family decided to head for a warmer climate, Florida. We now live in sunny, central Florida.

New questions.

Are you a full-time or part-time writer?

What kind of work do you do if you are a part-time writer? Feel free to skip that question if you would rather not answer.

9/22/2025 04:19:11 pm

I am a part time writer. Actually, except for a New Age Directory I published over 30 years ago, This is my only book. I am primarily a Jewelry Designer but also maintain a part time business in Promotional Product Sales. It was my only career for 30 years until I became OBSESSED with jewelry design, This book highlights my journey to becoming a designer. My love for gemstones is the reason I added a section on gemstone myths as well.

9/22/2025 05:47:50 pm

Your mention of a New Age Directory reminded me of The Whole Earth Catalog. Do you remember that? It was like the internet on paper for homesteaders and hippies. It first emerged in the late 1960s, I think. I enjoyed browsing through it.

Promotional products are still a thriving business. As long as someone is selling a product or a service there will always be a need for promotional products.

New questions.

What are your three favorite genres to read for pleasure?

Has writing changed the pleasure of reading for you?

9/23/2025 10:44:14 am

I am and have always been an avid reader. And I always preferred an actual book to reading over other options. It’s something about the feel of the pages and the comfort it offers. My favorite genres are science fiction and murder mysteries. Because I have read so extensively I’m very particular about what I read, but I do try new authors often and of course stick with the tried and true ones that always seem to surprise me. Lately. I have also been reading more historical fiction and finding it fascinating. As far as changing the pleasure of reading by writing a book? No, I have to say that nothing could take away the pleasure of reading for me.

9/23/2025 11:18:01 am

We have much in common for our favorite genres to read. Science fiction, fantasy, historical fiction and cozy murders are my favorite genres in that order. Science fiction was my favorite genre until I discovered The Lord of the Rings. I read the series three times before I graduated from high school and The Hobbit once or twice.

A few years later, I was introduced to The Chronicles of Narnia. I discovered how prolific of a writer CS Lewis was. I also learned he was a good friend of JRR Tolkien. Years after that, I discovered a sci-fi trilogy Lewis wrote, Out of the Silent Planet. Lewis fashioned the protagonist after his good friend, Tolkien. Thought-provoking series.

New questions.

Why did you write this book?

Do you also journal?

9/23/2025 04:02:37 pm

I am going to look for the C.S. Lewis Out of the Silent Planet series. Sounds fascinating.
Now on to your questions!
Initially, I did not consider writing a book. I just wanted to create jewelry. Twelve years ago I was contacted by someone on social media who challenged me to write a book! They suggested there were many others who were searching for their passion; where they could feel as I do upon discovering mine later in my life. Once the seed was planted, I could not stop thinking about it. I liked the idea of sharing my journey and helping others as well. The first edition of my book (12 years ago) featured much of my journey and information on some collections. Fast forward until 2025. While the story of my journey was still relevant, I felt the collections were outdated. I had also gained a love for gemstones in those 12 years and wanted that to be part of the book. So I published this edition with some changes to the text and all new photos and Collections.

For your second question. Yes, I do journal, but I have to admit sporadically! I still have journals I wrote in my 20s.Every so often I dig them out and read them.

9/23/2025 04:35:36 pm

I hope you enjoy the series.

I think a lot of people struggle with finding something to be passionate about in their life. Some find it quickly and others take a long time. I think the best part is that there isn't a limit of only one passion per person. I have several things I am passionate about in my life. Jesus, reading, cold-brewing my coffee at home, to name only three.

Two books and a website. The latter makes it easy for you to offer new collections and photos as you are inspired.

New questions.

How has writing changed your life?

Does your work, past or present, have any influence on your writing?

9/24/2025 11:10:19 am

How has writing changed my life?
The first thing that comes to mind is that I am more open and willing to share deeply. Early on in the writing of the original manuscript, I had the help of someone who read my words and offered advice. I was encouraged constantly to dig deeper into my feelings and express them freely. While this was difficult at first, I found that opening up and letting the world in (through my words) was a breath of fresh air. It was a sense of relief to truly be myself!
I feel writing the book made it easier for me to start a blog and a YouTube channel as well. Basically letting others see the real me.

9/24/2025 12:16:16 pm

Sharing your feelings in that manner was liberating; almost all of us hide behind masks. Having one less mask to worry about is wonderful. Book, blog and your YouTube channel have brought you far.

New questions.

Who was the first person to inspire you to write something to publish?

Will you keep writing in the genre or will you branch out?

9/24/2025 05:09:19 pm

My sister Marilyn is the person who originally let me know that I had a talent for writing.
We both worked for a promotional products firm and were constantly coming up with ideas to generate business and share our expertise with other sales people. We hosted 2 seminars, wrote the content, provided workbooks and did the presentations. She told me I had a knack for it. We kicked around the idea of writing a murder mystery too but that never manifested.
I also created a fun newsletter back in the day called the AD-ventures of Alene!
Moving forward, I will limit my writing skills to my blog and You Tube Videos!

9/24/2025 06:53:27 pm

How nice that your sister suggested you should write. Selling things that help people can be very rewarding. It sounds like you both had fun also.

I am not surprised that you are not planning on writing any more.

New question.

Have you ever seen a UFO or UAP, Unidentified Aerial Phenomena?

9/25/2025 09:25:02 am

Wow! This is a question I did not expect to get. The short answer is no I have never had that experience. That being said I do believe they exist. I know many have claimed to have seen UFOs. I feel that our government and probably other governments around the world have had contact with extraterrestrials, but for reasons unknown are keeping that information secret. After all, Why would we be arrogant enough to think we are the only beings in the universe. This is probably why I love reading science fiction so much. These tales expand my mind, allowing me to dream of so many possibilities

9/25/2025 09:59:15 am

I have not seen one either. But my sisters say we did when we were children. I have no memory of that event.

New question.

Have you ever seen a cryptid, an animal unknown to modern zoologists, or found evidence of one?

9/25/2025 12:01:59 pm

Hi Mark. No I have never seen a cryptid or found the evidence of one. Did you know that Baltic Amber was formed millions of years ago. Often a prehistoric insect is embedded in it! I own a few Baltic Amber specimens but sadly am not fortunate enough to own one with the embedment.

Marilyn

9/25/2025 11:43:58 am

This book was very interesting; the author is interesting. And I loved the pictures and descriptions of gems

9/25/2025 11:53:30 am

thanks Marilyn Any burning questions to ask me?

9/25/2025 12:31:24 pm

Amber is a fascinating substance. Does it keep getting harder? I have wondered about that.

Marilyn, thank you for dropping by. I agree with you on all points.

New questions.

How many drafts did your book go through before publishing?

Who designed the cover of your book? Feel free to drop a copy-and-paste link if appropriate.

9/25/2025 04:39:01 pm

Amber does harden. I love that it is so lightweight, too. It is perfect for creating earring jewelry designs. Easy on the lobes!
I worked on the changes for the updated book for at least 6 months. Ultimately I hired someone to create the proper template for the pages. At this point there were 4 drafts before I was comfortable with the final manuscript.

I designed the cover myself. I wanted the design to 'pop' and be dramatic. The black background accomplished both those requirements. Featuring one of my custom designs was my husband's idea. I love the result.

9/25/2025 04:51:28 pm

The book and cover are quite nice. Good on your husband for a great suggestion.

New questions.

Was it hard to come up with the title?

What was the process?

9/25/2025 07:47:06 pm

My original title was 'Inside the Mind of a Jewelry Designer' When I would talk to people about my jewelry design journey often the comment was something like " I do wonder what goes on inside your mind' So this was a natural option for the title.

When I created the updated version it was suggested that I change the title and publish it as a new book. The reasoning? It is a glitch in the Amazon system. If someone orders the new softcover version and there are still copies of the old one in stock.. Amazon automatically sends the old version. That was not acceptable so I altered the title slightly to 'The Creative Mind of a Jewelry Designer'

9/26/2025 08:52:14 am

That makes a lot of sense. I didn't know about that issue with paper books. I thought the paper books, softcover or hardcover, were printed when an order was placed.

New question.

What marketing strategy, if any, has had an immediate impact on your daily sales?

9/26/2025 12:20:04 pm

Yes I was surprised about that issue as well. The person that was doing the formatting and submissions told me it had happened to 2 other of her clients.

Marketing strategies? Right now I have been rather low key with the marketing. My newsletter subscribers and social media have all been contacted. I have done several posts highlighting different sections of the book. (my journey, Collections, Gem Myths) I plan more social media posts and more aggressive advertising on several platforms.

9/26/2025 01:18:02 pm

Marketing and promoting can turn into a full-time job if you let it. Most of my customers are pressed for time between a job, a family and writing, so I have recommended that they take one or two hours a week or two and devote that time exclusively to marketing. With more than two million books published annually on Amazon, the only guarantee of getting your book noticed is if you do nothing then nothing is what you will get.

One of my favorite blogs is about pursuing the local author or custom jewelry maker angle. How to be a marketing star right where you live. A copy-and-paste link or search the title in the search box below: https://annerallen.com/2019/08/hometown-book-marketing/

I would add a few tips: seek out literatureor art teachers at the high school and college level to share in their class and there might be a club in the school. Local newspapers are a good resource for an interview as well as local cable access. There might also be a broadcast arts curriculum and/or a club at the high school and college level. Have some questions ready to hand the interviewer if they seem uncertain.

Senior centers are another good possibility and they usually welcome any sort of activity like that. Contact the events director.

If there are tourist destinations try and place your books with the local author angle. Museums, gift stores, motels, hotels, tourist attractions are all possibilities. Keep a box of books in your trunk. Get a counter-top holder for a few books, paste a picture of the cover on the holder behind the books and put re-ordering information on the back of the holder.

Consider renting a table at a comic convention, county fair, farmer's market or a flea market. Have free swag to hand out such as a bookmark and sell mugs or posters. There are so many ways to be the 'local author or custom jewelry maker' I doubt I have exhausted the list of possibilities.

New questions.

What do you think of the current controversy regarding AI, Artificial Intelligence and books?

Did you use AI in any of your writing or planning for your books? I am not including research in this question because most of the major search engines have embedded AI in the browser.

9/26/2025 05:32:55 pm

Thanks thanks for the tips for marketing my book. Appreciate it
AI is a completely new animal for all of us, and it will be interesting to see how it affects many industries. I do feel that the individual creator and author cannot really be duplicated by artificial intelligence. Perhaps the basic cookie cutter, romance and mystery novels could be done by AI, but these will never offer the intrigue and true mystery that comes from a human mind. That’s just my take on it

9/26/2025 07:12:35 pm

You are welcome. Many authors have found that they sell quite a few of their books at live venues.

Many authors agree with you, AI will never be able to write a story the equal of human writers. Not long ago, Amazon stipulated that authors must disclose if they used AI in writing their book. Even more recently, Amazon limited authors to uploading only three books per day. That tells me there must be thousands of thousands of books written by AI. I have yet to find a novel that has been written by AI. Which leads me to two possible conclusions: first, those writers using AI are writing only non-fiction books; second, those writers using AI to write a novel are not disclosing to Amazon the true authorship of their book.

New question.

What was the first paying job you worked as a kid and how old were you?

9/27/2025 11:47:21 am

My first paying job was at a local department store. I guess you could’ve almost called it a five and dime in those days. It was a small store in a very tiny town that I grew up in. I was 16 years old. And my job was basically to just straighten shelves and talk to customers. Honestly, I found it pretty boring.
My next real job was during college. I worked as a travel agent. This really appealed to me. I loved the idea of travel and I have traveled extensively. I learned so much about the industry and of course, got to take several trips. At that time, trips that were free to employees.
They were called fam trips, short for familiarization. The individual tour operators would take us on trips to show us an area so we could sell their destination to customers. In this manner I visited much of Asia and Europe.

9/27/2025 12:08:03 pm

I had that department store job also. But it was far from my first job. It bored me to tears and I wasn't at all unhappy to be let go after the first week. I was too young to understand about serving the customer first.

My first, first job was babysitting for a neighbor when I was in 6th grade. My second, first job (that I had no problem admitting to my friends) was picking strawberries and beans in the summer for commercial farms. I ate so many strawberries.

Those fam trips must have been wonderful! I would have loved a job like that.

New questions.

Have you done any public speaking?

If so, will you be doing more in the future?

9/27/2025 04:52:31 pm

I did some babysitting too. Guess I was trying to wipe it from my memory😊 picking strawberries would be fun if you got to eat the merchandise along the way.
Officially I haven’t done any public speaking. However, that being said, I did present a few marketing seminars to other sales reps. And I did some speaking to groups of artists when my first edition of the book was published
. I don’t know if there will be anything moving forward in that sense. I do intend to expand a lot into my YouTube and Rumble channels and technically I guess that’s public speaking
I did consider joining Toastmasters many years ago but did not follow on it. It would have been a great way to overcome the fear of larger groups.

9/27/2025 06:12:52 pm

The strawberries were wonderful. I would have made a lot more money if I hadn't eaten so many.

Public speaking scares nearly everyone. It scared me quite a bit, also. I had a serious stammering problem all through my school years. When I was nervous, which was all the time unless I was reading a book, some sounds were really hard to speak aloud. In a group setting the tension was higher than one on one with a friend. I learned that I needed to speak slowly and stop to let the tension in my mouth and tongue dissolve. People waited. I learned that lesson several times. That was my first secret. The second secret that I learned from a Dale Carnegie course on public speaking was to speak only about something I knew really well; I was the expert. If people were there to hear me speak they would wait for me. Secret number one worked really well.
I spoke to several hundred people more than once. Bright lights made it easy to forget so many people were there. People are eager to hear an expert jewelry maker or an author share about their craft.

I am sure Toastmasters would be fun, but don't let the lack of learning from them hold you back.

New question.

Among present or past family members and friends, how many are or have been writers, authors or custom jewelry makers?

9/28/2025 12:12:00 pm

Thanks for your comments about public speaking. I love the first secret, slow down. Speak slowly. People will wait.
Actually, I have family members who have been authors. My father self-published two different books. One was a series of quotes to be used to start a discussion or write an article. Power Packed Pronouncements.
It is not in print now, but of course I have a few copies! He sold them to Toastmasters groups and others who were interested in using these quotes to jump-start their speech or an article.
The second was a series of short, inspirational stories. At the time, Amazon or anything similar did not exist and he had to physically get them printed and distribute them that way.
My mother loved crafts and any form of art. She painted, she worked with floral arrangements and so much more. I remember as a child when we would take gifts to our teacher, everyone else was giving them hankies and perfume, etc. My mother had always prepared a floral arrangement using dried flowers. I was embarrassed, but the teachers were always thrilled.
Later in life, my mom was approached to write a book on crafts. It was published by a small publishing house. We sold them most frequently to nursing homes, youth groups and others interested in crafting using everyday materials such as popsicles sticks or cotton balls.

9/29/2025 03:26:00 pm

Such creative parents! I love both of those skill sets. My mother was also very creative. She dabbled in many different artistic disciplines over the years one at a time. She loved reading also. I think my love of books came from her. I learned to read before the first grade.

Last question.

I noticed that your book is in Kindle Unlimited. How is that working out for you? Why did you choose that exclusive venue?

9/29/2025 03:44:22 pm

I did offers several options along with Kindle for the first edition of the book. I know I was asked to remove other options in order to allow a special promotion on Amazon. I just never added in the other options but should do that now. I believe there are several possiblities including Barnes and Noble. Could you share with me the other avenues for listings?

9/29/2025 04:35:41 pm

Amazon owns Goodreads, and most books, if not all, are placed there automatically by Amazon. They also have some kind of a deal with Barnes and Noble, but I didn't find your book there. I bet Kindle customer service could provide that information for you. I don't know what it is, unfortunately.
Amazon requires exclusive placement for a period of time to be included in the Kindle Unlimited program. I don't know how long that exclusive period lasts. You might be able to place your book on other platforms. The more platforms the broader your reach. Apple Books, Google Play Store (I think), Walmart, Smashwords, and Rakuten to name a few. There are probably others.

A new promotion starts tomorrow. So our time here must come to an end. I am very grateful you hired me to promote your book. I have thoroughly enjoyed our chat.

Until next time, write or make more jewelry.

The Creative Mind of a Jewelry Designer: Inspiration, Passion, and the Journey to Your Creative Self by Alene Geed

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