- Hi, I'm Claire Lorts, and I'm your neighbor.

(upbeat music) I'm originally from the Detroit area in Michigan.

Grew up there, went to Michigan State University, did that for my undergraduate degree in plant biology.

I applied to Penn State for a graduate program in 2009, and I've been here ever since.

I finished my graduate program and worked at Penn State, managing a lab in plant biology.

And it was actually like a really awesome job.

I enjoyed the work.

My boss was fabulous.

The people I worked with were great, but at the same time, I wanted to pursue a career in art.

I loved art since I was a little kid.

I spent a lotta time in my room by myself, just drawing.

I always wanted to be an artist, but I grew up thinking, oh, this is just like a dream.

My husband is a former artist, and he encouraged me to pursue a career in art.

I think that helped me change my mind about whether it was a realistic career path.

And so I left the lab in 2019.

That's when I made the transition into art.

When I first made the transition, I made something that I called personal jewelry displays.

Instead of putting your jewelry in like a box, where you close 'em, and they get jumbled, and you can't really see them, it's a work of art that's 2D that you mount on the wall, and you can hang your jewelry on it.

The personal jewelry display pieces evolved into just wooden jewelry.

I make dangles, I make studs.

I usually start designing the jewelry by hand, and then I put it into the computer to make the design, which then communicates with the laser cutter.

A lot of people make wooden jewelry, so I wanted to do something unique.

I really enjoy sharp edges and shapes and combining it with curves and with movement.

I experimented with 30 different woods.

The thickness of the wood, I wanted to have something really lightweight and delicate, that was elegant, but sturdy enough.

And so it's this process similar to what you would do when you're developing a new protocol in the lab.

It's this process of cutting out a design and breaking it at different locations, writing it down.

"This is what I did, this is how it turned out.

"Don't do this, here's a different direction."

It's taken me, I would say like two years, to confidently come up with designs and protocols.

I'm really confident now with the designs and the process.

I feel like, as an artist, you can't say, "Okay I'm in a good spot, and I'm comfortable now."

Like, I feel like for me, I always need to be on my toes.

So, I've different things going on.

I have wholesale orders.

I have an Etsy shop.

Then I have shows that I go to.

I have a bunch of different local places that I have jewelry on consignment.

- Hi, Claire.

- How you doin'?

- Good, good, good.

- So I have to prioritize what I'm doing that week, based on what's coming up or what kind of orders I have.

- Those are great.

- Thank you.

- Well, they're doing well, so thanks.

You're paying a part of us.

- Thank you.

Some days it's prepping for shows.

There's definitely days, where it's just like full accounting, organizing, and taxes, and all that good stuff.

So it really varies, and I think that's one of the beauties of being an artist.

Honestly, every day's a fun day.

Life is good, but it's different.

You know, you live a more frugal life.

You're on more of a budget, but you trade that off for more freedom.

I don't set an alarm anymore, I'll say that.

That's one of the most wonderful things, I don't send an alarm.

I'm not a morning person.

There are people who were very excited for me, but there were also people who might have not understood why I wanted to make the career change into art.

There are certain people who didn't think it was realistic, but this is my life, and I have a very short period of time to live it.

And so, I'm definitely gonna give it a shot.

(easy guitar music)