Hey there! I’m Adriana J, the face behind everything that makes up AJ Folklore Designs. From the design and creation of products to the details added to the packaging of your order- I do it all!

My passion for beading and designing with beads began when I was very young. I grew up surrounded by art and was encouraged by my family to explore and create as often as possible. My art originally was influenced and inspired mostly by my paternal grandmother. I have memories of sewing, crafting, and designing with her from when I was just a few years old, and grew up spending hours with her learning and growing my creativity. She has since passed, but her spirit remains with me in everything I create. Although I have dabbled in many art forms throughout my life, beads have stuck with me through it all.

During the summer of 2019, I finally took the leap into officially turning my creative hobby into a small business! I created an Instagram page just for my art, and my original experimental art page Arctic Tundra Designs was born. I’ve come a long way since then, including rebranding and growing into AJ Folklore Designs, and if you’ve been here for that journey with me I cannot express my gratitude enough! If you’re brand new here, welcome! I’m so glad you’re here!

I am currently living on the Sitaisaq lands (Brevig Mission) on the western coast of Alaska. These lands belong to the Inupiaq people of the Seward Peninsula, and I am grateful to have the privilege of living here with my husband and family, learning the subsistence ways of surviving from the nuna (land) and taġium (ocean), and continuing to pass on the subsistence lifestyle, traditions, and knowledge for our family’s future generations.

My art is inspired by the nature around me here in Brevig, but my designs are also very connected to my journey to reconnect with my Celtic heritage and ancestry. Through learning as much as I can about my familial Celtic ancestors, including language and folklore, much of my art is inspired by the old stories and traditions that have been woven, retold, and passed on through my bloodline and by my ancestors.

AJ Folklore Designs is not Indigenous-made art or beadwork. If you are looking for Indigenous artists to support please reach out to me through email or Instagram and I am happy to recommend my favorite Indigenous-owned artists!

All updates on sales, adventures, new projects, and all things AJ Folklore Designs related will always be announced on my Instagram page, as well as here on the website!