What you might want to know:

• pronounced SHOW-SHAW-NAH
• BA in Metalsmithing and Sculpture from
  San Francisco State University
• working with metals for 20+ years
• curses like a sailor
• sculptural and conceptual
• denim on denim
• work in progress

Since closing the book on f. is for frank in 2018, I have been feeling out my next direction. I have learned a lot in the past 10 years, and that knowledge has guided to me to an important realization.

I am not always confident in my words. From a young age, I was always more comfortable communicating and expressing my feelings through imagery. Somehow, I felt more protected.

I still find comfort expressing myself through art, but making art for others brings new challenges. Putting myself out there as an artist – especially while trying to make a living – opens me up to a struggle between staying true to myself and creating something marketable. That can be tough at times. People have many facets, and I find it difficult as an artist to create in only one style.

Right now, the pieces I am creating are my personal three dimensional sketchbook. I am working on ways to process past and current events in my life through creating – a form of therapy, if you will. This means expanding my knowledge base, experimenting, and letting go of expectations. My art may not be mainstream or speak to everyone, and I am learning to be okay with that.

I am no longer a product maker. Through imagery, lines, color, metal, and stones, I am on a journey to tell stories of self-discovery and healing. This new way of being is messy, less curated, and more honest. My hope for those that it resonates with is that you find the perfect piece to rest safely against your chest or nestle on your hand, a reminder of just how complicated and beautiful you are.

XOXO,
SF

f. is for frank
2007-2018

Co-owners and designers Shoshannah Frank and Casey Melton presented wearable art with their distinctive jewelry collection, f. is for frank. Drawing from multiple creative mediums, both women utilized their sculptural backgrounds as the base element in all their work. The search was a never-ending for new textures to mold, new silhouettes to interpret, and found objects to manipulate. These inspirations converged to express a “story without words.”

The women came together after studying art during university in San Francisco and Georgia. Both had moved to Dallas when Casey answered an ad to assist Shoshannah at an architectural elements design company. In 2007, Shoshannah broke off to start her own endeavor where Casey joined her soon after. The women decided to partner and the company evolved into f. is for frank jewelry.

Shoshannah is the realist, a planner, and meticulous while Casey is an optimist, spontaneous, and thrives when things get a little messy. Their contrasting but complementary styles informed all aspects of the business and created a cohesive and well-rounded jewelry line. The two worked in a true yin and yang format, literally finishing each other’s sentences. The refinement of their work came from a controlled madness behind the scenes.

Keeping to the philosophy of the perfectly imperfect, every handmade creation was truly unique, offering a balance between art and function. Every f. is for frank piece was designed, cast and finished in-house at their Dallas studio. As artists, the pair’s main goal was to continuously experiment and evolve with each new line.

In 2018 Casey and her family moved to NC and Shoshannah started a new line under the Shoshannah Frank name.

“It’s the ones that are a bitch to make, the labors of love, the ones that really push me to the limit…those are the pieces that really feed me.” – Shoshannah