this bring warm nostalgia through photographs and stories, but for Hali MacLaren, that nostalgia is shared with others through her current passion for jewelry-making.

 

     “Being constantly surrounded by those things I love the most are what I aim to recreate in my work,” MacLaren said as she reflected on her childhood and how it inspired her current work with her brand HKM Jewelry.

     

     Originally from Newton Square, Pennsylvania, MacLaren attended the University of the Arts in center city Philadelphia where she further developed her craft. As for the transition from a smaller town like Newton Square to the big city of Philadelphia, MacLaren only looked at it as a chance to make a transition within.

 

“My worldview I think definitely grew and the shelter I was sort of under for so long was lifted,” she said. “At times it felt overwhelming and like I was thrown into this crazy pit of confusion but finding the truth within myself on my own was vital to my being,”

       

     Finding her way into the jewelry world did not come easy for MacLaren, especially since she admits that she was never one to wear jewelry previously. It was professor Sharon Church of the University of the Arts who ultimately encouraged her to stray away from thinking about her assignments as work and rather an opportunity to create the things she liked.

 

     Although her original background was in painting and photography, the interest in exploring something new is what shaped MacLaren’s desired career path. “I often was bored in my computer editing or painting for hours on end. Metal as a material was new and had so many facets to it I began to realize I would be learning how to work with it for the rest of my life,” she said while reflecting on her journey. She added that it was the ability to make pieces that she could call her own that helped decide her direction.

 

     Not only is MacLaren involved in the creative side of jewelry making, she also takes part of the business end as well, especially as a creator of her own brand. She cites her father as one of her biggest inspirations in terms of taking her creativity and turning it into a brand. As a businessman who started right out of high school, he learned all about trades involving kitchen and bathroom design and eventually created MacLaren Fabrication.

 

     Her father’s determination to learn and master both a craft and the art of business always sticks out to MacLaren as she continues to grow HKM Jewelry. “I think knowing that he had to teach himself the ins and outs of owning a business and overseeing people helps when I think about eventually being that established because I hope to learn how to manage people in the same way.“

     

     When she’s not hard at work trying to make a name for herself and her brand, MacLaren enjoys being a self-proclaimed “beach bum.” and reading about exploring the self-reflecting themes in Anne Morrow Lindbergh’s Gift from the Sea. She also cites nature and animals as one of her biggest interests and the general thought of exploration. With the perfect mix of exploration and creativity, there is no telling what MacLaren will run into next as she looks to continue to innovate and make HKM Jewelry a incomparable success.

 

     This is only page-one of Hali MacLaren’s story to her path to success. Check out her N_Ov8TV episode on January 16th to hear from the girl herself who looks to turn an idea into a reality.