Simon and Ruby: april creative crush: jocelyn from good denim

The creative world is full of talent, quirky style, and artists that never cease to amaze us. There are ladies who are spot on with innovative fashion, who write beautiful melodies, and whose paintings transport us to new places. We decided that we can't just keep them all to ourselves. Each month, we'll feature our creative crush, a lady who inspires us with her work.

For April, we wanted to share someone who might be our creative soulmate. She has a really awesome style and shares our childhood obsession with Nancy Drew - Jocelyn Harms from Good Denim.

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself and your brand.

Good Denim started completely by happenstance. I play music, but was having some new-found allergy issues that prevented me from playing, so I desperately needed to channel my creativity into another medium. I made a few baby bibs as a gift for a friend and my husband thought they looked so nice that he encouraged me to start my own little shop. We wanted to have a tie-in to the nonprofit world in some way, and the idea came to source the denim material from Goodwill. Admittedly, he even was the one that thought of the name! I opened shop in October 2012, and from Day One I've always had a very strong idea of the look and design of a Good Denim product - clean lines paired with twill tape when needed - and never any pockets or raw edges. The brand itself stands to encourage people to look at soft goods and sewing in a different way, as well as raises awareness of Goodwill's mission.

2. What do you love about working with the materials you use?

I love the toughness and versatility of denim. There's no need for stabilizers or delicate iron settings. Also, because of the way I acquire my denim, no two pieces are alike.

3. What is your favorite thing about what you do?

There's something very creatively satisfying to me about completing a project. From the first sketch, to the construction measurements, to the piecing, sewing (and sometimes ripping out stitches) to the final pressing of seams - there's a sense of satisfaction of seeing that sketched project as a tangible, finished product. It makes me excited to start a new idea and sketch.

4. Who or what are you most inspired by?

I'm inspired by people with a great work ethic. There's something exciting about watching someone carve out something, completely with their own two hands. I have perfectionist tendencies, and not always in a good way. One of the people that inspires me is this legendary producer/songwriter/renaissance man named Cowboy Jack Clement. He is one of the most creative people I've ever met, and yet he starts projects or ideas with seemingly no fear of failure. None. I find such freedom in that kind of creative mentality. It's nice to know that creativity exists, that he's out there. I challenge myself to take a page from his book of thinking quite often.

5. Favorite item from your closet?

I have this vintage accordion-pleated silky black blouse, with a peplum bottom, that I was wearing the day my husband proposed to me. It's kind of quirky but very classic at the same time. It's something that I will never get rid of, but will never go out of style either.

6. 3 of your favorite musicians, who do you recommend?

Three of my favorites would have to be Bob Dylan, Patty Griffin, and The Darkness. Lately I've been listening a lot to Andrew Combs, Cat Power's latest album and Lila Downs.

7. If you could travel anywhere, where would you go?

Honestly, I've not had the means to do that much traveling, so this is a hard question! Probably southern Spain would be my number one spot, followed by the Cinque Terra in Italy.

8. Best travel memory?

My honeymoon, hands down. We waited and took it 2 months after our wedding, so it was very relaxed. We rented a car and drove from Nashville all the way to the California coast, Route 66-style, stopping somewhere different every night. We spent 3 nights at our destination, a tiny town on California's central coast.