I’m Mae, the one-woman show behind Laska. And I’m writing this bio from the mountains of Colorado.

My venture into metalsmithing was rooted in the deep desire to get back to working with my hands and to truly create something from scratch. I was practicing photography professionally full-time and while that art will always be a great love of mine, I was feeling burnt out on the digital space. Something was missing and it was time to honor a different creative call.

I was craving something real, and something raw. A way to physically connect with myself in a new creative way. A grounding way. Instead of constantly sending off my digital photo work to just live on someone’s social media or website, it feels so much truer for me to create in a physical sense. To know that my art can be touched, worn, and aged with those who carry it, feels very special.

And so, Laska was born. I don’t have any traditional training in this craft and I pride myself on being someone who generally teaches themselves how to do damn near everything. I can thank my mother and our Finnish roots for that one. Instead, this process feels intuitive to me, and it feels so refreshing to trust and flow with that.

This is a slow craft. Perhaps I’m even slower. I create each piece with such intention and care. Nothing will ever be mass produced from me. It’s even hard for me to make the same pieces twice. Instead, I’m creating tiny little art pieces and each one is unique.

Every single step in the creation of each piece is hand done. There are lots of fancy tools out there that perhaps someday I’ll have. But in the meantime, there’s something very fulfilling and personal to me about truly letting my hands do all the slow, careful, and often tedious work. Letting imperfections be proof of the process and story. My hands are not soft and clean, and I love it that way.

I know I will continue to evolve and grow in this craft and I already have my sites set on techniques I’d like to explore. This is just the beginning for me and your support throughout this journey truly means the world.

All the love,
Mae