Fun fact – before working as a family, newborn, & brand photographer, I was an elementary art teacher at a public charter school here in Austin. My first year teaching was 2019…yeah, it was a tough few years. That’s where I met Emily of Wobbly Knees Studio. It was the end of the year, and I had the kids watch Spirited Away. Emily walked by and said it was her favorite movie – she even has a Haku dragon tattoo! Instant coolness, if you ask me.

Add the fact that she is wicked sweet, and a badass clay jewelry artist, and you have a recipe for a great branding session. Y’all, I’ve tried making clay earrings, and we’ll just say that clay is not my medium. But Emily began making clay earrings during the early stages of Covid in 2020, and has been working to perfect is ever since. What started as a way to stay sane during uncertain times, became her main way of expressing herself and a booming side hustle.

We met on a gorgeous Spring morning, and Emily showed off her clay and crochet skills. In addition to quirky, lightweight earrings, she also crochets really cute tops that I could totally see being worn all over town this Summer! It was truly awesome to see her work with clay in ways that I honestly know I wouldn’t have thought of – again, clay is not my thing, y’all. She’s using classic shapes that you may have seen in other clay jewelry, but in really fun, imaginative ways. I feel like I just kept saying “Whoa…that’s amazing…that’s so cool…those are so cute!” under my breath all day. Take a look at some of the photos we got during our time together!

To see more of Emily’s jewelry & apparel, check out her Instagram.