Miyako’s Mood Board: Happiness Is a Technicolor Charm Necklace
June 02, 2014
Every Monday, MM.LaFleur’s designer Miyako Nakamura ruminates on what’s inspiring her this week.
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The beautiful thing about living in New York City is that you can meet and befriend so many talented people here. Today, I want to introduce you to a sun goddess that I know: jewelry designer Venessa Arizaga.
To me, she is synonymous with sunshine. Maybe that’s because she is half Puerto Rican, and she and her photographer husband seem to have a lifestyle that revolves around surfing, the sun, and the sea. Every time I go to their studio, I feel like I’m breathing fresh ocean air. It’s like taking a tiny vacation.
I met Venessa through work before I joined MM.LaFleur. It was an incredibly busy phase of my life. Our team worked long hours, day after day. We saw each other more than we saw our own boyfriends, girlfriends, husbands, and wives. In the end, we became like a family. The connection went beyond work—it was real.
Looking back, Venessa was one of the reasons we all survived and got along. She brought a sense of fairness and positivity that motivated us and channeled our energy in the right direction. It was beautiful how much we enjoyed being around each other, but it would never have happened if Venessa hadn’t led the way.
Now that she has her own jewelry line, you can see her sunny energy in everything she makes. She is known for her charm necklaces, which remind me of something I would have dreamed up from my childhood toy box. I can stare at them for hours and still find new, amusing elements. They’re cheeky and so much fun. It goes without saying that they’re beautiful, but they’re more than that—they make you smile.
This is not to say that Venessa’s life is one-dimensionally sunny. No one’s life works like that. But I believe her inner strength is a constant source of brightness. She knows what she wants, and when she goes after it, it actually happens!
She has been a huge inspiration in my life, and I’m so lucky to have her as a friend. I hope you can get to know her—if only through her jewelry—and invite a little sunshine into your life.
– Miyako
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