California was good to me. When I graduated from the University of Michigan, I packed up my car in pursuit of a career in the arts and a life by the ocean. So long Michigan winters! I spent four years here working for a variety of artists and designers who inspired me and taught me a great deal about being a professional artist. One thing I learned is that no artist's path to success is the same. The journey is as personal as the art we create. My years in California were instrumental in my development as an artist. I went from soldering designs over the kitchen stove to creating a line of jewelry that I started selling in local boutiques. I am forever a Midwestern girl at heart, but Mushka was born in Los Angeles.