The 2025 Kay Uwe Jonas Memorial Lecture was delivered by Lydia Gobena, of Fross Zelnick Lehrman & Zissu, PC, during the MARQUES Team Meetings in Barcelona in March.

The topic of Lydia’s lecture was “The Case for Creativity”. In the talk, she described “how participating in creative endeavours outside of your practice can benefit you professionally and personally”.

Lydia (a member of the MARQUES Famous and Well-Known Marks Team) drew on her own experience of jewellery making, from her first weekend class at a prestigious fashion school in 2001 and making jewellery for friends and family to launching a small business and exhibiting in galleries and exhibitions.

She also illustrated her talk by wearing items of jewellery she had made, including rings and a necklace.

“It has been more than two decades since I first stepped in to the jewellery marking studio and it has been one of the most educational and satisfying adventures I have undertaken. As I explored my creativity, I learned several valuable lessons,” she said.

These lessons include: a greater appreciation for clients’ needs, the need for flexibility and taking a business perspective; developing foresight, problem-solving and imagination; managing anxiety; coping with disappointment; finding a safe space to make mistakes; being authentic and being comfortable with who you are; and seizing the moment.

“Some of the most interesting and beautiful things that you can create will be a product of your mistakes,” said Lydia. “Sometimes, I may even rejoice in those mistakes when they turn out differently than what I had imagined. Thus, instead of dwelling on them or amplifying them, I try to figure out how to avoid them next time - or, better yet, glean something positive from an otherwise negative situation.”

Lydia dedicated the speech to the memory of Kay Uwe Jonas, Cory Joshua Germaine Alleyne and her mother Abebetch Gobena. She concluded: “Live your life fully, imaginatively and without regret and, in the process, you might learn some things and end up finding joy.”

The full text of Lydia’s speech is available to read on the MARQUES website here.