Reflections on 2022: The Year of Community

It’s that time of year again, friends and wow…how the time does fly. Each December, as I bid the year farewell, I like to take time to reflect and share with you. I also love pondering on previous years and since journaling is a regular part of my routine, it makes it easy to look back. As I’ve built and developed this small business, the high and lows are the very things that help me to become more tenacious, confident and fulfilled. What a journey it continues to be…

In 2022, we launched one of my all time favorite collections, The Hand Project. This was the first time a concept for a project came before the design process for me. I connected with friends and community members to show off the jewelry on all types of different folks. The results were better than I could have dreamed. I can hardly wait for Hand Project II, coming in 2023.

Since my studio is not at street level, I started hosting more regular Open Studio events here at The CMD Shop. So many neighbors, friends and family have helped us to spread the word. It takes a village, y’all! I’ve been quickly shown of how incredibly supportive people are here in my new community.

I launched Full Circle, a conglomerate of my earliest designs that I revamped to feel more in line with CMD’s current aesthetic. I literally traveled down the streets of my childhood and named the new pieces after some nostalgic places. Ciara Perrone photographed this stunning collection right here in Asbury Park and I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to continue collaborating with this incredible photographer.

It was such a joyful day when I was able to welcome Aryana back to the CMD Team. She’s the very reason we ended up in the Ithaca, NY area. Her talent and expertise has added so much value back to our already KILLER team. Right now, my team of five is absolutely fierce. I feel like the luckiest boss on the planet.

Personally, this year has been a REALLY fun one. I completely immersed myself into the Asbury Park community. Socializing inadvertently helped me to get even more connected with other businesses like The St. Laurent and Patriae. I also enjoyed getting to know lots of other local businesses like The Transparent Clinch Gallery, Terra Earth & Surf, Lovelight Handmade, Jason Stumpf, Harley Rose, Robert Melee, Sweet Dani B, Interwoven, AP Greenery and Merle Works…just to name a few. I look forward to getting to know even more in 2023.

I bought my first home at the end of 2021 and I’ve found so much joy in making it my very own. I had no plans of having a pool but I fell in love with the house that happened to have a pool. I was lucky enough to hire SP Landscapes to help me to transform the backyard into a West Coast meets East Coast oasis. It feels like an ongoing art and design project for me and I feel so grateful to finally have my very own home for me and Migs. It's like a dream come true.

I could go on and on but I’ll stop here. One bit of advice I will share with you. Remember to always stop and really breathe in the year. Some years are more challenging than others but if you reflect, you can always find morsels of wisdom and knowledge just by sinking your teeth into the reflection. It’s one of my favorite ways to close out a year and I’ll tell you, this was a year I’ll never forget.

With so much love and gratitude,
Colleen