POCHAUNTED
Behind the Labels – Bohemian Diesel Marketplace
Beautiful vegan leather treasures handcrafted in the mountains of northern Sweden; meet Elin Davidsson, designer of our latest Marketplace addition, Pochaunted:
Where did you grow up? How has this shaped the person that you are today?
I grew up in a small town in Sweden, close to nature. As a child I was always collecting and playing with rocks and stones, cones and chestnuts or other things I`d found. Being my parents only child I was by myself most of the time, which certainly shaped me a lot and has made me appreciate stillness, silence and solitude, and develop a heavy imagination… Mountains has always had a dear place in my dreams and my soul. Trips to them made me feel the most free, whether it was heading to our local mountain “Omberg” or to the northern ones higher up the country. On the road, I remember always sitting in the backseat playing “Colours if the wind” from the Pocahontas soundtrack on repeat in my ears while the dark forests with its snowy fir trees passed by outside the car window.
Tell us about Pochaunted.
Pochaunted makes intentional jewelry and accessories from the mountains of Åre, in northern Sweden. With deep love and respect for nature and the great forms of life which here reside. And with aim to keep the craft conscious and cruelty free using ethical sourcing of materials, fair trade, handmade sterling silver tribe beads or reused metal beads and exclusively vegan leather.
What does Pochaunted mean?
For me, it is the association between the earlier mentioned disney figure, who influenced and shaped my childhood thoughts and dreams. And that possession of inner force, connection with the earth and spirits of the earth, which to me, that story illustrates. The name is also a reflection of the opposite of things, nothing is ever only light or dark, small or great, true or untrue.. Contrasts which are reflected in my work as well.
How did you get into jewelry design? Do you have a family background?
Well my grandfather started up his painting company by riding his bicycle with paint cans on the rack, a path my father later followed and developed. Perhaps that is where my stubbornness and determination comes from. I definitely inherited the love for nature from my grandparents. My boyfriends family are probably the more “creative” in the usual sense.. they are all artists in some way.
I have always created jewelry primarily for myself. It started as a combination of an inner vision and the urge to create, but also since I was unable to find the kind of jewelry I wanted to wear where no animal leather where used. I have always been a collector of natural materials, like gathering rocks and other things on the beach, mountains or hikes. I suppose working with these mediums allows me to feel more connected to what is sacred and true. Like many indigenous cultures look for clues and reasonings in their natural surroundings, treating everything in nature as sacred, I believe everything has a purpose, which should be respected and honored.
What was the main inspiration behind the current line?
The nordic nature and wonders, the colors, patterns, textures, the shapes. The first magical silent snow of the year and the sparkling ice crystals. The wild unknown, for its momentum and for that force within yourself. And wild horses.
What kind of woman wears your jewelry?
The ones that marches to the beat of their own drum. Those that are true to themselves and to the earth, who respects, follow and honor their own path and purpose. A lot of the pieces are for men to, and some are designed specially with men in thought.
What’s your favorite part of jewelry making/designing?
I think it´s that initial phase that is the most magical part of it. I never sit down and try to come up with a design, I don´t have to since the ideas just hits me. Mostly when I´m out in the woods, a insistent feeling or image struck down like thunder and I have to battle between wanting to stay out or rush inside to sketch it up and start working… ☺ I would never trade that impulsion though, I love how known or unknown materials kind of seem to speak out how they wish to come out and to follow this desire. Even though it is like impossible to do anything else until the design is “completed”…
In what do you believe?
A wise man once said: “Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished”. So stay true, hold your faith, notice and reflect. Allow yourself to feel and truly live, don´t just exist like most people. Notice the scent of the pine needles, feel the wind and listen to the ice. And cherish your dreams. When the magic chooses you for a creative project, it is because you will grow spiritually from it.
What makes you feel alive?
The flow of creativity. Midnight rambling in the woods and to witness the forest awakening in the early morning. Looking at the sky or in to a fire. Tasting fruit and berries directly from the plant. Snowboarding, music and traveling..
Everyone should at least once in their life…
experiencing a Jex Thoth concert.
What are your future plans? do you have a dream project?
Get more into metalsmithing. Continue to create with materials that connects me, to inspire people to feel, to understand that their truth is needed and to act accordingly.
To be free is…
To let go. To accept when things are not exactly how you would have chosen them to be, but that you are no victim. As the river is anything but steady and sure, ebb and flow with life exactly as it comes, with all the changing currents. To be free is to be able to stay wild, curious and grateful. And to travel!
Have a look at more beautiful designs of Pochaunted on the marketplace and also follow Elin on instagram!!!
