Bio

My name is Alison Miller, and I'm the owner and designer of Red Creek Spirit Jewelry. I have always loved making things. It must be a trait I got from my paternal grandmother, because she is the only one anywhere in the family tree besides me who likes to do crafts. My mother found my interest in crafts both amusing and confusing, wishing I'd learn to play piano instead. But she never discouraged me from it. So with scraps of fabric I bought at Woolworths, I taught myself to sew things by hand when I was 8. My parents bought me a brand new Kenmore sewing machine for my 12th birthday (which I kept for 44 years!) and I started making clothes. I taught myself to wallpaper, to stencil, to scrapbook...I was happiest when I was doing something creative.

My creative interests, and energies, dried up when I hit a rough patch personally, and stayed pretty dormant during my years serving in the Army (first as a psychiatric nurse, then as a psychiatric nurse consultant, 2004-2009). My work was filled with soldiers who were in the darkness of terrible suffering, and there was little left of me at the end of the day.

That is, until one day, while living in Colorado Springs, a friend suggested I join her on a trip up to the Denver Gem Show. I had no real interest in "gems," but she is a fun person and I needed the mental break, so I went.

Big gem shows are totally overwhelming. Dizzying, even. I wanted to look at every, single table, but Ellyn kept pulling me along, saying, "If you think this is amazing, wait 'til you get to the wholesalers' area!"

And the next thing I knew, I was standing in front of a table that had a small basket of these pendant-like stones in colors that were...mezmerizing. It was like holding autumn in my hand. Something electric happened inside of me.

I had never made jewelry before and, in fact, had been rejecting all forms of jewelry for many years because they always reminded me of a terrible burglary that we had lived through where every dear and precious piece of jewelry I had been given over the years had been stolen. I never wanted to be that vulnerable again.

But these...these stones hummed. They had an inherent, organic power to them. And all I knew was I had to buy them, and I'd figure out what to do with them later.

I now know that the stones that started this new chapter of my life are called Red Creek Jasper. Sometimes, they're referred to as Cherry Creek Jasper or even Rainbow Picasso Jasper. They are rare to begin with, and the best quality stones are even harder to find. But on that day, I didn't know any of that yet. All I knew was that the colors in those stones were lighting up my brain and I wanted these things around me.

Ellyn taught me what wire and tools to buy and how to crimp, and that was enough to get me started. My first design was a necklace for myself with the stone I felt closest to (a necklace which still gets comments every time I wear it!). Then I made gifts for friends and family. I started playing around with all kinds of other stones, but always came back to the Red Creek Jasper. Somewhere around the 20th necklace, friends began to push me to sell my work...and that's when you met me. Here, on Facebook. Four years ago, in 2010.

As many of you have already found out, I don't ask things like "What are your favorite colors?" when I'm designing something custom for someone. I ask, "How do you want to feel when you wear this?" The answer to that question drives the design more than anything else. Maybe you want to feel courageous. Maybe you want to feel empowered. Maybe you want something that will remind you of someone special...or remind you that YOU are special. It's different every time.

I don't think of myself as someone who makes jewelry. I think of myself as someone who, through these pieces, helps others to reclaim a part of themselves that they think is lost. When we feel whole, we work on the side of peace and healing. Helping others to feel whole has always been my calling.