Maker Stories

This Just In-spiration: Meet Michale Dancer

August 5, 2015

UncommonGoods is excited to unveil what we’re proud to call the Uncommon Collection – an assortment of some of our very favorite offerings that fully embody our core values. Each week we introduce new artists in our This Just In-spiration series, but we’re happy to give a special introduction for one of the artists helping us grow this collection of truly uncommon designs.

In meeting our five key standards, all designs featured in the collection are original and demonstrate exceptional ingenuity, while makers adhere to responsible business practices and leave a minimal footprint on our environment. What makes an artist’s design special and motivates them to have a positive impact on the world is certainly worth sharing. Meet Michale Dancer, the maker behind the new Gilded Branches Jewelry Tree, exclusively at UncommonGoods.

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When did you know you wanted to be an artist?
My Father was an apartment building landlord, and he brought floor plans home when I was a young child. I started walking through the spaces and learned to create my own apartment designs. I was young but it stayed with me, so I when I had a chance to study, my first love was design and architecture.

What was the most exciting thing about becoming a professional artist?
That professional buyers were interested in my creations, enough to pay for them.

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What does your typical day in the studio look like?
I meet with my team and create a production list that needs to be accomplished that day. Our team divides and manufactures products depending on which department will be in production. Each department has their skill set (i.e. harvesting, plating, manufacturing Still Life ornaments, jewelry, nightlights, and various custom creations). I check my office for emails and calls from clients. At the end of day, we take 15 minutes for meditation to leave calm and relaxed. It really works!

Is there a trinket, talisman, or other inspirational object you keep near?
I have a collection of beautiful objects found on my hikes, such as skeletonized leaves, branches, pods, shells, pine cones, acorns, etc.

Did anything in particular inspire your design?
I was hiking one day when I saw a leaf decaying, and had noticed the delicate lacy structure of the leaf. Nature is incredibly beautiful, and at the same time, ephemeral, and wouldn’t last. I wanted to bring this beauty to people and found a technique that would allow me to do so.

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Imagine you just showed your work to a kindergartener for the first time. What do you think they would say?
Wow, a real gold leaf!

What quote or mantra keeps you motivated?
Nature is the best designer I know and therefore, my motivator. I’m self- motivated in that I can’t stop designing. My mind is always thinking of how to bring nature indoors to show people it’s true beauty.

Why is sustainability important to you?
We all live on this wonderful planet, and obviously it has become polluted from all our dirty manufacturing processes. I appreciate the beauty of nature in it’s true form, so why not create items that are made directly from nature. If we can show people how to use sustainable products, perhaps we can help our planet heal.

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In what ways does your design reflect social and environmental best interests?
Everyone that owns a Still Life product understands it comes directly from the earth. We want people to learn that we don’t have to make beautiful décor from plastics and other methods that continue to pollute our planet.

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8 Comments

  • Reply Elizabeth Fowler January 21, 2016 at 12:49 pm

    How many inches long is the chain on the ginko necklace?

  • Reply Lauren Dilloughery September 15, 2016 at 7:43 pm

    Is there anyway to replace the smaller gold ginkgo leaf? Mine fell off and is now lost. I absolutely loved this necklace-I’m so sad!

    • Reply Emily G. September 16, 2016 at 1:22 pm

      Hi Lauren,

      Oh no! So sorry to hear about your necklace. 🙁 I’ve let customer service know and they should be in touch with you soon.

      -Emily

  • Reply Christy Wilhelmi May 18, 2017 at 7:38 pm

    Michale, I love the kale leaf necklace. Is it possibly available in silver? I’m not a gold person.

    • Reply Cassie May 19, 2017 at 2:31 pm

      Hi Christy, we’re glad you love the necklace! It’s not available in silver at the moment, but we will pass the suggestion along to our jewelry buyer. Thanks for reading our blog!

  • Reply Roger W Faulkner May 30, 2018 at 11:21 am

    Antique gold aspen necklace – I am about to return a second necklace because neither are as represented in the product picture. Both are a solid blob of plating with no voids to show the delicate veins. I will reorder again, but is is possible to get some TLC and pick one that represents the ad? This will be a gift for my wife, we live in the Colorado mountains and love the changing colors in the fall – the Aspen is our favorite.

    Thanks in advance

    • Reply Hadley May 30, 2018 at 1:45 pm

      Hi, Roger. I’m sorry to hear that you’ve been unhappy with your recent orders! Unfortunately, though, we can’t hand-pick items from our warehouse. We hope your next necklace is perfect, though!

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