The Fierce Practice of Blooming

I have always found confidence to be a moving target. It comes in waves, often layered with the quiet, heavy work of sorting through a lifetime of experiences that can leave me feeling like "true" confidence is completely unattainable.

But is 100% unwavering confidence even a real thing?

Now that I’m in my 40s, I no longer think striving for perfect, permanent confidence is realistic. Honestly, I think it hurts us to chase it. Growing up in the LDS faith, I was handed a very straight-forward, rigid mold of exactly who I was supposed to be, though that did frequently shift depending on which parent I was with. Trying to keep it all straight within the teaching of the church, leaders, and to appease the differences between my parents became a hard weight to carry for a child that just wanted love, stability, and to be seen.

But fitting into a pre-made mold was never in the cards for me.

Choosing to leave that belief system behind in my 30s, following breast cancer with my husband and two small children at the time, meant facing shunning from family and community members—but truth be told, being cast out for just being "different" was and is still nothing new to me. While hard, it marked my journey of finding myself and living in the present.

My life has been marked by heavy chapters: surviving severe childhood abuse—psychological, physical, and even some sexual—and navigating abandonment and major instability during my pivotal years. I endured profound isolation within both family dynamics and my ever-changing communities from moving at a high level throughout my childhood, or bouncing between my divorced parents. I’ve faced breast cancer, wrestled with deep depression, anxiety, and severe night terrors up until the day I got married and started feeling safe within the life I was building with my husband. Most recently, I've had to navigate the physical and emotional frustration of double ankle fractures.

People often look at me today and tell me I am bold, fearless, or fiercely confident. But the truth is, confidence does not feel innate within me. It is a daily practice. Every single one of those hardships has ultimately served as a brutal, beautiful teacher. They have taught me the fierce power of letting go, even when met with anxiety. They forced me to shift inward, to listen to the long-silenced parts of myself, and they reinvigorated a deep desire to accept who I am—with the absolute understanding that others may not.

Sitting in the studio this morning, I was reading a passage from Clarissa Pinkola Estés’ Women Who Run With Wolves, and it felt like reading a mirror of this exact transition. In Chapter 6, she speaks directly to the woman who was viewed as an "eternal thorn" or a "small alien" in the rigid environment of her youth:

"See to it now that you spend less time on what they didn't give you and more time on finding the people you belong to. You may not belong to your original family at all. You may match your family genetically, but temperamentally you may belong to another group of people. Or you may belong to your family perfunctorily while your soul leaps out, runs down the road, and is riotously happy munching spiritual cookies somewhere else."

That image of the soul leaping out and running down the road to find its own temperament is the very catalyst for what it means to bloom.

In depth psychology, this journey represents the transition into the Sovereign Seeker archetype. The Sovereign Seeker is the woman who stops trying to force her wild, expansive nature into a box that was pre-built by someone else's rules, religion, or expectations. She realizes that her trauma, her isolation, and her hardships are not permanent cages—they are the heavy, complex soil from which her authentic power breaks through.

And I think that is the hardest, most terrifying part about finding your worth and standing out on your own two feet: when you choose to do something different, you often cast yourself out of the social group. Further isolation is a real risk when you pursue your truth. But I have realized that the risk is worth it. Because it is precisely in that space—outside the mold—where you find your true worth, where you find your authentic voice, and where you finally find your actual people.

When we give ourselves the grace to move through life with presence, we step away from the pressure of perfection. If we allow ourselves room to breathe within the gradient of confidence, we open up the freedom to truly bloom. It allows us to love ourselves and honor our lived experiences without self-sabotage and the need to please people to satisfy the needs, insecurities, or desires of others, because we finally start to see our worth in the full color spectrum of who we are.

Symbolism in the Studio: The Radiance of Self-Love

That exact journey of embracing the gradient—of finding the fire to stand tall through isolation—is what inspired the jewelry featured today: The Blooming Heart Earrings & Pendant.

This is easily one of my absolute favorite designs. On the surface, it is such a simple design, but it carries immense weight.

The Blooming Heart is a celebration of the joy found when we nurture our own inner growth. Featuring a unique, multi-dimensional design with an intricate flower blooming from within a heart silhouette, this piece represents the beauty of layered self-expression.

In the studio, when I am working at the bench, I am constantly thinking about how metal mirrors our own resilience. Industrial metal is unyielding, raw, and tough. It can be cut, heated, and bent. But when guided by a clear intention, it opens up to reveal something breathtakingly delicate and precise. Crafted with industrial-grade precision and hand-finished right here in my studio, these pieces are built to be as enduring as the path you’re navigating.

The clean, structured silhouette of the heart represents our core—the enduring part of us that holds our history, our grit, and our worth. The symmetrical botanical bloom cut directly into the center is a physical reminder of what happens when you stop demanding permission from the crowd and simply give yourself permission to unfold. It serves as a wearable reminder that the most vibrant love is the one we cultivate for ourselves, allowing our true colors to shine through every layer.

This design is more than a romantic symbol; it is an intentional reflection of the strength found in staying open and joyful. It is a reminder of our magic and our ability to pursue the lives we not only deserve, but are worth having. It stands as a beautiful anchor to live our lives to the fullest and to work for it—even when you aren't 100% confident or sure of yourself. You just have to let yourself bloom exactly where you are standing. Because when we awaken to more, we lift ourselves—and each other.

Bring the Energy

Now, I challenge you to drop the expectation of absolute confidence or social compliance.

Lean into the shift. Find the fire to awaken the Sovereign Seeker within yourself—the woman who stops waiting for outside permission and decides that her lived experiences are the exact foundation of her power.

Bring your vibrant, audacious, and beautifully messy energy to the table today. Show up for yourself, honor your full spectrum, and live out loud—even if you have to stand alone for a little while to do it.

How does the "gradient of confidence" show up in your own life? Have you ever had to choose between fitting a pre-made mold or stepping out onto your own two feet to find your true pack? Let’s talk about it in the comments below.

To carry this reminder with you on your own path, you can explore the Blooming Heart Collection right here in the studio shop with the Blooming Heart Earring set and the matching Blooming Heart Pendant. Don't forget to subscribe to The Studio Journal newsletter below to stay connected with our community.

Thank you for being here. See you on the beloved path.

Bre is the metal artisan behind Via Amata Designs. Her true craft was forged through the fire of resilience, navigating heavy life chapters—from surviving childhood abuse to standing 12 years breast cancer-free and managing osteoporosis by lifting heavy.

 Working alongside her husband as a maker family and inspired by her circle of strong women, she transforms industrial metals into intentional, hand-finished jewelry. Her work is rooted in sacred geometry and ancient symbols, built to serve as enduring talismans for your own beloved path.