Conversations with Noelle Gilbert

Today we’d like to introduce you to Noelle Gilbert.

Hi Noelle, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I am a Phoenix native, homeschool mom, with a business, Color Me In Flowers, of creating a plethora handmade goods through silversmithing, crocheting, sewing, painting, digital art and beading. Before having kids I was a science teacher, which was a very creative job that I loved so much.

After having children (Valie 5, River 3) I was very deep in my postpartum and really struggled with anxiety and depression and struggled to get out of a really dark place. I ended up not going back to teaching, and left in early 2020. I tried to get through it with medication but that didn’t help in the way I knew I needed, I needed to find myself again and have somewhere to put all my energy.

I wanted to create in a new way and discovered Harold Studio (April 2023) in downtown Phoenix and took a silversmithing class. I quickly fell in love with the craft and started making rings and bolo ties to vend at markets around town. The practice of burning, hammering, and melting silver was very therapeutic for me and I was absolutely hooked. This allowed me to have a passion outside of motherhood and be apart of the community in a new way. I also LOVE being at markets and getting to know other artists and talking to people in the community.

This shift brought me to my sobriety because I was so invested in creating, alcohol seemed to slow down my creative energy so I stopped drinking all together, I haven’t drank in over two years and am fully sober. Even deeper, my diagnosis of AuDHD, which helped me piece together a lot of my mental struggles though my life.

Since starting my business, I expanded to up-cycled clothing, crocheting emotional support mushrooms, and I allow my art to flow with my interests, for example last summer I very into bird watching so I started painting birds. Each new art project was something new I could bring to my markets and share with the community.

I have also started a business, Mama Magic Hour, with my friend Amber Baker where we take moms and kids out on hikes and follow it up with an art project! This has been a way for us to give back to moms, and create a space for both the mom and the child to play and create together!

Additionally I have found a women’s circle through Sistars Rising and this summer I completed their leadership program and am one of the co-facilitators at the weekly women’s circle! I have been able to combine my love for science and art and share it with women through this space.

Finding art has brought me into a life I’ve always wanted for myself, and being able to connect to others through my love of nature and art is the absolute dream, alongside my life as a mother and wife!

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
My mental health and sobriety has been a huge part of my struggle. As a child I always really struggled in school both academically and socially. I found substances early and did not have a healthy balance with my use ever, it was an addiction from the moment I tried alcohol and marijuana.

Once I decided to get sober, a lot came up for me on how much I was self-medicating and had been since I was a teenager. I didn’t know myself sober, and the drinking and partying was a role I learned to play because it was socially acceptable.

I didn’t know I had ADHD, but that was quickly identified in therapy in 2022. Once I was ready for a formal diagnosis, the topic of autism was brought up and I learned about AuDHD, which explained why I was dealing with so many different challenges at once, I have so much energy, I’m a hyper and really excitable, and I am also really sensitive to sounds, lights, and physical sensations so the dance of being a high sensory seeking person, and easily overstimulated is a unique dance I play in life. I’m so grateful to have found some answers so I can build a life that suits my unique brain.

A career in art fits my brain because I can hyper-focus on things that bring me deep joy, and also get the energy out in a vending setting that is flexible and truly something I can create my schedule, my work flow and I can show up as myself, unmasked, and truly high on life(and crafts)!

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
What sets me apart from the rest of I have so many different arts I practice. Each market I do, I have different ideas available! It’s all hand-made and locally sourced.

My up-cycled clothing are sustainable and 100% thrifted materials! My clothes are often up-cycled band tees, or a cool fabric I found that I cut into different shapes and apply to a thrifted top. Each piece is one of a kind, comfortable and functional!

I am the most proud of my work as a silversmith, I love working with turquoise and setting it in both copper and silver, just feels like powerful desert jewelry. I also work with a lot of colorful stones such as bumblebee jasper, pink and orange oyster shell and recently I’ve been really into red bamboo coral stones! The rings are all one of a kind, and I love seeing people fall in love with the perfect ring, knowing it was just meant to be for them. I also make dainty bolo ties that I call my “Daily Bolos” because they are in thin leather and are way more casual than a traditional bolo tie.

My crochet emotional support mushrooms have been my newest craft, they are soft and really cute. People love to buy them alongside a piece of jewelry as a gift. I make them palm size so they are really satisfying to hold and play with, and recently started making mini ones as travel companions for people!

Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
I am finding my place in the world, and really wanting to share my passion for art because it has healed me, and also given me so much back. Since I started creating for my Color Me In Flowers business, my life is literally full of flowers now in the form of friends, hobbies, and community.

My art has brought me into a role of leadership with women who lift me up and deeply inspire me to continue creating without limitations!

Pricing:

• Rings $20-$200
• Bolo Ties $45-$200
• Emotional Support Mushrooms $15-20
• Up-Cycled Clothing $20-$100

Contact Info:

• Website: https://colormeinflowers.com
• Instagram: @colormeinflowers

Image Credits
Kyle Gilbert

My husband a talented photographer in Phoenix!