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00:00:01
Rose from @just_rosy
19 Plays1 year ago
In this episode, Rose and I talk about her incredible story of starting her New England-based jewelry business. Our conversation trails through her gardening journey, her childhood in nature, and her perspectives on social media, all of which I haven't been able to stop thinking about. Come get to know Rose with me, it'll be a pleasure, I promise.
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Transcript
Podcast Introduction and Technical Issues
00:00:00
Speaker
Hey, welcome back. If you are a previous listener, welcome, welcome. If you are a new listener, either way, welcome. I'm so glad to have you guys here. You guys know I am just getting started with this podcast, so we are still learning. We're still
00:00:19
Speaker
figuring some things out. We did have some technical difficulties while we were recording. So there's a couple little breaks in the conversation. Just wanted to give you a little heads up. That's a little, there's some little stutters in there. But uh, you know, just wanted to let you know. Either way, I'm so glad you guys are here.
00:00:42
Speaker
Thank you so much for listening. This is, as always, a humongous delight to record, to edit, to post, to have your feedback. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. All right. Let's get into it.
00:00:59
Speaker
All right. Hell yeah. Episode five, the Trellis podcast. Welcome back, everybody.
Guest Introduction: Rosie and Her Journey
00:01:06
Speaker
We're here today with my friend Rose and or Rosie. We're going to go with either one. She is on Instagram at JustRosie. Actually, it's at Just underscore Rosie because that is important. We're just saying what's up. We're just getting to know each other. We found each other the long way via Instagram through a friend.
00:01:28
Speaker
in person, Instagram, beautiful things. So what's up, girl? I'm so good. I'm so glad we're finally getting to chat because we've been like back and forth in the DMS for a while. So this is exciting. Yes, it's awesome, dude. You said you're in the studio before this for you. What were we cooking up today? Today was a slower day for me just because I had a really big show over the weekend.
00:01:56
Speaker
In general, I try to take Mondays off since Saturdays and Sundays are my work days. But I'm doing a really cool collaborative project that somebody needed work samples to see. So I was like, I'll work on a Monday. I'll take photos of my work and send it out, that kind of stuff. That's awesome, too. Do you want to talk about what you do for work?
00:02:19
Speaker
Yeah, I love this. This is like the coolest thing ever. This story makes me just like incredibly happy. I'm like, yes, everyone try something new you never know. It's so nuts. Yeah, I mean, I've been making jewelry for myself since I was like 14. But I was kind of always discouraged from pursuing art as a career, like it just was not encouraged for me at all.
00:02:44
Speaker
And so I was like working as a public school teacher, I had been an education researcher before that. And like, that's what I had gone to school for. But I just felt so it's not that it wasn't fulfilling, but it felt really draining, you know, it wasn't like ever filling me back up. As much as the work was rewarding in some ways, it was just it wasn't the right fit for me personally. So
00:03:10
Speaker
My sister actually bought me a class pass to like take a soldering class and learn how to make a ring. And it was like three hours and I immediately was hooked. I just knew it was going to become something really impactful for me. So I went home and like ordered tools that day and just started making stuff.
00:03:34
Speaker
Being able to fuse together metal with fire and hand tools was the step that just clicked something in my brain. And I stopped teaching that year, at the end of that school year. Wow. Wow. Did you have intentions of leaving teaching before you took this class? Or were you thinking you were going to stick it out? Or were you not sure what was going on? I think, to be honest, I never
00:04:02
Speaker
really had intentions of wanting to teach in the first place. It was like the job that people told me I would be good at. And I love people, I love connecting and I really enjoy working with kids. I just think they have like a very special, there's something special to like the growing process and like how much change happens for them.
Finding Passion in Jewelry Making
00:04:27
Speaker
So I was like a camp counselor growing up and like always did tutoring and like big brothers, big sisters programs. And, um, so I was just teaching because other people told me that that's what I was good at. And I don't think I was bad at it, but it just, it wasn't really where my heart was. So I was thinking of leaving, but I also like didn't really see.
00:04:48
Speaker
what would be coming next, if that makes sense. No, a hundred percent. Dude, I think that happens so much as like, like I know I went to college for like two different things that were just like, people were like, you should do this. And I was like, yeah, for sure. That sounds legit. Cause at like 18, you're like, sure.
00:05:04
Speaker
I don't care. Yeah. And then you get into it and you're like, wait, like, I don't know if this is what I want to do all the time. Like, yeah, that definitely happens to a lot of people. And then so you went to this class, did you go with your sister? Yeah, she and I went to the studio in Boston and it was like a half welding and half metalsmithing studio. So like similar
00:05:31
Speaker
tools, similar concepts or similar concepts, different tools and different scale. Yeah. But it was it was like a three hour class and we soldered a copper ring and then we made a silver ring. And I still have mine. I still wear it all the time. So it's like it's one of my most precious objects because it was like the moment that I was like, oh, not only is this really interesting to me,
00:05:59
Speaker
but like this skill feels very natural. It feels like something that, like I just love the procedural aspect of it. Like you just, it's very step by step. It's very methodical and that's like meditative for me.
00:06:14
Speaker
Yeah, definitely. I think that like a lot of people are finding that now. Like that's how I feel out in the garden is like doing stuff with your hands is like the one way to kind of like turn your brain off from like a lot of other stuff. Like that's how it is for me. At least I get out there and my brain like finally shuts up cause there's like other things to do. Like your hands are busy. So your brain kind of gets to quiet down. Yeah, for sure. It's that like tangible, making tangible change to something I think also like,
00:06:42
Speaker
soothe some part of my brain like it's it's similar with gardening right like you're starting with seeds and then you're you're tending to it and creating something else or like letting it tend to itself i know you kind of like love to let things go wild which is dope i'm definitely a wild gardener like you got this you'll be fine but yeah that's like so do you did you have to learn a lot of like i don't know if chemistry is the word but like what is the like
00:07:11
Speaker
I
The Art and Science of Jewelry Making
00:07:12
Speaker
don't know. I guess I'm not sure I'm trying to ask, but like when you get into the welding aspects of it, like it's a very specific process that you have to do. And like you really, there's steps, you have to follow them. So like, once you took that class, did you have to dive deeper into that? Or was it kind of like, you knew where you were going for? Um, well, that one class kind of gave me some confidence to just experiment. So for like six months, I was just building stuff.
00:07:39
Speaker
like in a little small table at my house. It wasn't like anything that was formal really. And I was still a few weeks or a few months out from ending the school year. So I had to kind of like wait till that ended to really like spend more time focusing on metalwork. But I ended up taking a class at a local art center and they had
00:08:05
Speaker
It was so deep. We learned all the tools. We were making our own pieces and all these really long workshop hours. It was really impactful for me and gave me a super strong skill set. And with metalwork, it's really like you can learn new things forever. You're using different tools to create different effects and make
00:08:32
Speaker
things easier for you in certain ways, but it is kind of all the same at the end of the day. You have to understand the way that metal works more than anything else. I would say probably more than anything chemical, like the bending process, the heating, all of that. It can be a really thin line that you have to watch.
00:09:00
Speaker
I don't know. Before you like snap something and then you're like, oh, okay. We're starting over today. Yeah. Is that like, what is your like design process? Like, like, do you kind of just let things come to you as they happen or like, do you draw things out beforehand? You know what you're going for. It really depends because I have a few different like prongs to my business, sort of.
00:09:24
Speaker
metal pun, not intended, but it does work. But you nailed it, though. It happened, though. Does that one work? Does nail any work? I don't know. Yeah. I mean, hammered it, I guess. Hammered in homes. Yeah. Ooh. I don't know. We have a career in comedy. It's fine. Yeah, we're like, we're going somewhere now. It's about to happen. Love it.
00:09:51
Speaker
Yeah. Well, I'm sorry. What did you ask? Your creative process. Like, and then you said there was prongs to your business. Yeah. And then I got distracted. That's my brain's very like squirrely after a busy show weekend. So I'm going to need some, you know, the reminders are helpful. Thank you. Yeah. So when I'm like working on stuff in my studio, it is more of like a creative flow process where
00:10:19
Speaker
I have, sometimes I know what I want to create and sometimes I'm more experimenting, but I have a million designs in my head. I don't necessarily sketch a lot of stuff out because I've always visualized the end product that I want to make. I think when I was younger,
00:10:41
Speaker
I would get so frustrated because I would go to the mall with like an idea of a thing that I wanted that I just like had a picture of in my mind. And that doesn't mean it exists. Like it's just, that was the lesson I had to learn. I was like, well, I have to make it for myself if I want. That is such facts. Yes. Yeah. Right. Sometimes you have to do it yourself, but so my like core collection that's on my website and that I bring to markets is just that kind of.
00:11:11
Speaker
internally designed. That's all there is to it. Like I just think of something, and then I make it. And then I figure out how to like batch produce it so that I can sell it on a more reasonable scale. And there's some stuff that is more specialized or custom. Like I do a lot of custom work for folks. And that's a lot more communication, co designing, sketching and that type of stuff. So
Market Experiences and Customer Connections
00:11:41
Speaker
Yeah, that's awesome. Do you maybe not prefer, but like, which do you do you lean one way in your business? Like, do you enjoy going and doing the markets? Would you like to prefer doing customs as like doing both fill kind of two different buckets for you? I think I kind of go through phases where I'm more excited about working on customs, which tends to be a bit more of a slow process for me, because I'm
00:12:11
Speaker
really, really intentional with making sure that it's a product that is special to the person who's receiving it. Not that I don't do that when I'm batch producing, but like if I'm making a custom for you, like I know your name, I know why you want this stone. Like we've talked about, you know, what color palette works best for you, all of that. There's like a connection there. So, um, customs are just slower projects for me in general. And sometimes I really like that.
00:12:40
Speaker
And then there's times when I'm like, ooh, I'm so energized and I just want to make like 200 stacking rings today. Like that's all I want to do. Or make, you know, handmade chain, which is soldering, like sometimes 150 or 200 jump rings to make like a necklace. Awesome. That is so cool. Yeah. That is incredible. And you're adding. It's just my day to day. So I like forget that it's an interesting thing.
00:13:10
Speaker
Dude, it's so cool. Are you kidding me? Jewelry making like what? That's like a wild like, I don't know. I love what I'm enjoying a lot about this podcast is like.
00:13:20
Speaker
there's so many facets of like creating things. And like, there's so many people doing just like crazy different things that like, I don't know anything about. Like I've, I mean, me making jewelry is me being like, I used to tie those strings together. Like everybody made friendship bracelets, right? We're going to camp making friendship bracelets. But then like, there's like, you know, your path goes off into like a very deep path of like jewelry making.
00:13:48
Speaker
And like, oh, dude, so cool, such an intricate thing. And to adorn other people with jewelry that you made is a really beautiful, that's something really incredible that you get to do for other people. I just think that that's so fun. Meeting people at markets must be really fun. Watching people come through your booth and see your work and then connect with something and buy it must be so cool. Yeah, it's really special.
00:14:17
Speaker
I was just at Levitate Music Festival over the weekend, and it's my third year vending with them. And it's a real local love festival. People come from all over, but there's just a lot of hype for it on the South Shore. And I know a lot of the artists who've been there at this point, a lot of us are in the Boston vending community or local to the area in some way.
00:14:46
Speaker
it's just so special. And I've, I've gotten to the point where people come back to my booth that bought something from me like a year ago or two years ago. It's just sweet. And there's so many precious moments that happen when people are connecting with like original artwork. And they're like, there's a lot of delight in it, which is special to witness. It like really, really makes me happy to see people get excited or,
00:15:14
Speaker
This one girl bought a really, I have like little happy face with the flowers for eyes. I love that one. I made some pendants. That was so dope. Thank you. Sick. I like to bring those ones to festivals. They're fun, they're cute, and you can just throw it on. She got one for herself and then came back and was like, I have to get one for my mom because she has this as a tattoo, that same design.
00:15:43
Speaker
And she was like, it would be mean of me to have it and like not get one for her as well. That is so freaking cute, dude. I know. Oh my God. But it just like warms your heart. Yeah, dude. Do you work your booth by yourself or do you bring some friends along to help out? I usually bring some friends. The last couple of years I've had one of my childhood friends, we grew up like playing soccer together since like fifth grade.
00:16:13
Speaker
We randomly reconnected like two years ago. We hadn't spoken like since high school. So, I don't know, like 15, 15 years, I don't know, a while. Dude, I hit my tenure this year and I was like, what in the world? Ten years. Yeah, like the time. It just starts coming and don't stop coming, you know? I love that. They really knew it. They knew it and they tried to tell us.
00:16:39
Speaker
They tried to tell us. None of us believed them.
Gardening and Foraging Adventures
00:16:42
Speaker
I was in high school like two years ago in my brain, and now I'm like, I guess I have a two and a half year old child, so I definitely wasn't. You're like, that math actually does not add up. Crazy. Yeah. I'm an adult. Are you joking? Okay. Yeah. Who left this happen? It's wild. Dude, I don't understand. It's craziness. But that's so cool. You guys reconnect. Does she make jewelry as well?
00:17:04
Speaker
She doesn't, but she's a big music person. So I like to bring people because as an artist vendor, I'll get a free pass.
00:17:16
Speaker
Your garden is so beautiful. I love seeing the little pockets of everything in your projects. I had my boyfriend. I was about to say I built a raised bed and then I was like, tell the truth. I had my boyfriend build me a raised bed and started gardening because I was like, I want to do it this year. I was motivated by everything you were sharing.
00:17:39
Speaker
Dude, I appreciate that. It's so much fun. Oh, man. I don't think anything brings me more joy than when people are like, dude, I started gardening. I'm like, you.
00:17:49
Speaker
You didn't want that. It amps me up. A friend that I had from high school, and then we reconnected later on in life as well, started gardening this year. And she sent me pictures the other day and was like, I am a gardener. And I was like, yes, you are. Yes, you are. New identity unlocked. Incredible. You're a gardener. Put a produce stand at the side of your yard. I don't know. This is incredible. Why not? But it did so much fun. What are you growing in there? What do we got going on?
00:18:18
Speaker
Um, I have, it's a small one. So I have a squash and cucumber and then some sweet peas that are like not loving the weird new England weather we've been having. No, you don't know. Surprise, surprise thunderstorms, six out of seven days a week. Great dude. I can't even.
00:19:04
Speaker
Those are some fun. Cucumbers are fantastic. I love doing cucumbers. They're so like laid back. They're just like doing their own thing. And the tendrils from them are cute. So cute. Get out of here. The beans, same thing. I love those too. I never rocket with squash. Have you gotten any to pollinate yet? I have a huge squash right now that I need to pull up. Yes. Oh my God. Zucchini. Zucchini squash.
00:19:34
Speaker
Well, I know there's like summer squash are the yellow ones. I got a big green zucchini. I'm going to make some zucchini bread, I think. And then.
00:19:43
Speaker
Yeah, some other recipes. I've been like waiting for that. Yeah. That's so fun. Oh my god. Pulling stuff out of your garden. Like, oh man. It's the best feeling. How do you feel? I worked on a farm for a summer, so I'm like, oh yes. I should have been doing this for the past three years we lived here, but sometimes you need like the motivation to just jump in and make it happen.
00:20:05
Speaker
Definitely, dude. Oh my god. A raised bed is a great place to start, too. Yeah. But how does it feel getting into gardening? Are you just like, this is, I don't know, you need more space now? Yeah. After we had the first bed, I mean, we have a little herb corner as well. There's little pockets, but I'm like, OK, next year I want to have a little mini watermelon patch. I want to make sure that we can grow more flowers and put
00:20:34
Speaker
in our front bed. It's just kind of like a mishmash. It's wildflowers, which I like, but I want to do a stone-lined path over there and then do more of a pollinator garden. I want to be outside. I want to be outside. It's like it makes your brain happier for some reason. Wild. Understand. Yeah. Oh, man. Dude, that's so much fun. I love that. Yeah, it's sweet.
00:20:59
Speaker
That's great. Oh, I'm so happy to hear your gardening. That makes me so happy. But you said you said you go foraging and stuff too. Can you tell me about that? Yeah, for sure. I'm actually waiting on some chanterelles to finish growing in my backyard because I got little babies. There's a ton of mushrooms, like this year especially.
00:21:23
Speaker
just because the weather's been so damp and like, it's humid as well. So they're like, here we come. This is all I want. Yeah. That's how you get in foraging. Um, I have a, I have a friend who's an herbalist and like, just always is showing me native plants and
00:21:48
Speaker
uh, mushroom foraging just seemed like a natural extension of that. So I just kind of researched some stuff myself and I've found, uh, Rishi and, uh, chicken of the woods, orange friend. Yeah. And then obviously there's like tons of just edible plants as well. Um, in the area and I just like knowing, I like learning. So like knowing what stuff is, even if I'm not,
00:22:17
Speaker
consuming it. It's sweet to know the story and the purpose of that. Yeah, you go out for a walk in the woods and to be able to identify stuff and be like, that's that. Just feels good, man. That's some good knowledge to have. It definitely is. Yeah. It makes you feel more at home. Oh, the mushrooms. You're scary. I don't know if it's like
00:22:39
Speaker
I think I'm just like new to Florida and still like getting to know things, but I'm like something about Florida and mushrooms seems like it could get dangerous real quick. That's true. I mean, I don't know that I would feel as comfortable if I didn't like, like I've grown up in New England. I've been here my whole life. Like I've been learning the native plants for so long. Like I do feel like my ID skills are at a level where I'm
00:23:07
Speaker
I wouldn't say I'm cocky, but I have enough knowledge to feel okay to know I'm not fully poisoning myself.
00:23:19
Speaker
I don't know. It's it's it's sweet to like collect food. It's the same thing as gardening, but just the woods are the garden. Yeah, that's the second thing ever. We took our there's this wicked sick like park near our house that has like I can't even understand. I like stand there and stare at it trying to figure out like what happened here. But there's like this whole part.
00:23:39
Speaker
That's like all trees, but it's super washed out. So all the tree roots are exposed and it literally like breaks my brain to look at it. Cause you put your trees and roots to be like two separate pieces, but because it's all washed out, the roots are literally just branches. That's why they're the same texture. They look the same. They grow the same. And I just like, my brain is so broken about it.
00:24:03
Speaker
Every time we go, I'm just staring there. I'm like, how did this happen? You're like going on every time, every time my kids just trying to play. I'm like, how the hell did this happen here? I don't know if they like developed it because there's like roads and stuff back there. I don't know if they developed it and just like changed the landscape enough that like it washes out. And obviously it rains like crazy here, but it's definitely fun to just like stare at nature and be like, what the heck is going on here?
00:24:30
Speaker
Yeah. Does your little one get into it in like a similar way? Yeah. She's like, it's wild. So my husband too, like we met like from growing, like we met at, we met at the same place, but we met Tana actually. So like, I don't know. I think if you breed two people that all they do is garden, you end up with like,
00:24:49
Speaker
That's also what she does. Dude, it's pretty wild. It's crazy. She just like, she knows what she's up to. She's like always picking stuff, like always harvesting. I don't have to harvest anything. That's her jam. She's like, yeah, she's a wild child. Loves to be outside. It's a good time. It's pretty cool. Just like a little version of you that you're like, yo, you want to go outside? And she's like, obviously you think I don't want to go outside.
00:25:13
Speaker
She's like, I've been waiting for you to ask. I'm ready. Anytime. Oh my god. All she does, she just walks up to the door and she's like, let's go. I'm like, hell yeah, dude. Put some sunscreen on, homie. Yeah. First things first, and then we're out the door. I just need a little sunscreen on you. You are mostly your Portuguese dad, however. Mom doesn't tan like that. Yeah. But yeah, it's super fun. Still safety important in a hot, hot place like that. Yes.
00:25:41
Speaker
And like, stay, what do we tell her about the bees? Give the bees their space. They're trying to do their work. Also, please do not get stung by a bee. I don't want to experience that. Yeah. But she's so funny. If she's got the like,
00:25:58
Speaker
know how and she's like learning from you guys. I'm sure she's very respectful to the world around her. It's really crazy watching a kid like just grow up like that being part of her life because she just like yeah she sees like a spider and she's just like mom just points to it and I'm like terrified but like
00:26:17
Speaker
It's all good. We get the spider and she's like obsessed with all the lizards around. It's like, it's a circle. It's so cool. Oh my God. It's so fun. Absolutely hysterical. She's the Florida lizards are unmatched. They have just like such a chaotic energy. I love it. I freaking love them. So they like get aggressive, not literally aggressive. They're so small. They can't actually be aggressive. I don't think, but they're like protective of their area. I'm like trying to open the garden gate and they're like frilling. They're like next at me. I'm like, bro, I'm not trying.
00:26:47
Speaker
you're like you are three inches with tail brother like what are you like what's happening here they're so funny dude and they're everywhere they're absolutely everywhere it is insane it's like a New England squirrels they're like I compared the two I don't know if that's quite right but
00:27:08
Speaker
That's perfect. Are there squirrels in Florida? Yeah, they're like wicked skinny and way smaller. It's the strangest thing to see, honestly, because they just I mean, no one's hibernating. They're not going anywhere. They're just chilling. But yeah, it's very there's much fewer of them. Large lizard population.
00:27:25
Speaker
It's a lizard space. It's a lizard dominated space. We had a big ass snake in the yard the other day and I was like I was super freaked out by it at first but then I was like honestly though like that's pretty cool. I'm pretty impressed that my like when we moved in here it was like barren. There's literally nothing planted.
00:27:44
Speaker
which I was like stoked about because I was like, hell yeah, I can play all my stuff here. This is cool. But now seeing it like the birds come through and like, yeah, the snake was a little creepy, but like, it was pretty, pretty sick. I'm pretty happy with my entrance into the nature atmosphere here.
00:28:01
Speaker
Yeah and like knowing that you cultivated a space that wild animals feel like is a home space for them like that's yeah that's really dope. Yeah it's awesome. Do you um you get to garden at your you said you're in an apartment you get to garden there is that like
00:28:19
Speaker
Um, I, my boyfriend bought a house at the start of COVID. So yeah, we, we live in a house together. Yeah. I love that. Are you like chaotically painting your house or is that just a me thing? Uh, he, well, he's a renovation carpenter. That's what he does for work. So I don't really like do many of the projects, not because I can't, but because like.
00:28:46
Speaker
The efficiency, the skill level, it's way higher if he does it. Did I have built a raised bed? Yes. Was it faster to make him do it? Absolutely. This man loves to work. It's something that I really admire about him. He just gets a lot of pride from completing projects and making stuff happen.
00:29:11
Speaker
He loves an opportunity to make something that like we get to use together, you know, so he was psyched with the project. Yeah, that's awesome. We talked a little about Farging. Do you go on like expeditions of sorts or are you just like locally seeing what's good or?
00:29:28
Speaker
I don't I have to say like most of my foraging is I stumble upon things like I don't that's even better. Yeah, yeah, I do know a few spots where like the chicken of the woods normally grows on like the trails near our house. One of the favorite thing my favorite things about our house is it's in a town that's over 50% conservation land. So we have an unreal amount of trails and it's just
00:29:57
Speaker
beautiful New England nature, ponds, woods, rocks, all that kind of stuff. I love it. Were you a nature kid growing up or is this like adulthood getting into that now? Yeah, I mean, I grew up in the woods for sure. My parents are pretty big hippies and we were camping every summer. My grandma's in upstate New York on Lake Champlain, so
00:30:26
Speaker
I grew up like backpacking in the Adirondacks and that kind of stuff. Oh, that's fantastic. I love that. It's definitely a blessing when you get to like grow up. This is like a natural thing. Like I think a lot of people, especially with the pandemic, like a lot of people got into like gardening or like houseplants and stuff like that. And it's like a newer thing for them. But I think it's like such a blessing when you just kind of grew up with it becomes a lot more part of your nature for sure.
00:30:51
Speaker
Yeah, it's kind of like just what's the expected baseline. Like I need to be in the woods every day. That's just, I feel better when I'm like hiking in the woods every day. Um, and there's probably a lot of reasons for that, but it definitely just goes back to like, I'm comfortable there. Like I don't feel scared or like weirded out by that much, you know, I've just spent so much time outside.
00:31:15
Speaker
Definitely. I think that that was a it's still a transition I'm getting used to being in Florida is like not being kind of comfortable in like those spaces just because I like I don't know like all the natives or I don't know like what spooky little bugs or snakes to expect coming up on me and stuff like that but it's a really fun learning experience seeing like what different natives there are and like
00:31:40
Speaker
what being in the woods means in Florida versus like being in the woods in New England is like two very different things, but it's definitely been a cool, a cool experience. Have you ever lived out of state before or are you like New England, New England, New England? You know, I was actually thinking about like leaving the country when I had met my boyfriend at the time. Like I was looking into getting my dual citizenship.
00:32:06
Speaker
and moving to Germany, which is where my grandma is from. And so she has her citizenship there. So I was like, well, maybe I'll leave for a while. But I've always wanted to leave Massachusetts, and I haven't been able to. I don't know. When Derek and I met, he stays local because he helps to take care of family members in the area.
00:32:34
Speaker
when we bought our house, like we travel all the time and we're like exploring the world, but our home base is New England. That's just like how it's ended up. And it is kind of nice. I guess I didn't really think about the benefits of staying in one space. I'm actually, I'm bending out on Newport Jazz this year. No way. Oh my God. That's crazy.
00:33:02
Speaker
the jazz festival that is so sick. When is that? Is that soon? It's got to be right. It's first weekend of August. Yeah, man. Yeah, that's gonna be is this your first time doing that one? It's my first time bending there. When when I was growing up, my family would go to folk fest. Yeah, actually, my actually I got
00:33:25
Speaker
shut down at Folk Fest one year as a child. This is my origin story of making jewelry for real, actually. Here it is. Go for it.
00:33:37
Speaker
My sister and I were like, oh, she's always my sidekick. There she is. We were like, really, really coveting these American girl dresses. Like, you know, I don't know. Yes. Our grandma had bought us American girl dolls and we were like, I need this outfit. I will not be okay if I don't have it. And our parents were like, absolutely not. I'm not paying like $75 for a pin of four. Like, you need to do something else. Like,
00:34:04
Speaker
And so I thought like, oh, we have all these letter beads and so we can make people bracelets. So we brought our little like trapper keepers full of beads and we put up a little sign that was like $2 for a bracelet or like $1 and we would make people bracelets and then like deliver them to them and people would give us money. And the police shut us down. I was like seven years old, seven with my little plastic
00:34:35
Speaker
bead collection and they were like, you need a seller's permit. We can't have people selling stuff here, even like children. Oh my God. My first interaction with the cops and I was like, okay, don't love you guys. Turns out, not great. I'm just trying to, I'm a child. I'm trying to make some people some jewelry. How dare you? Yeah. I'm like, the people need the jewels. Oh my God.
Navigating Instagram for Business Success
00:35:00
Speaker
That is absolutely incredible. That's so good. Nuts.
00:35:03
Speaker
Yeah. Your sister, your sidekick. That's fantastic. Yeah. Oh my God. Just hang out. Yeah. They're like, get out of here. Your parents are like, what the hell are you guys doing? Those American girl guys though. Oh man. Yeah. They really have a chokehold on me. I was obsessed. I had to have the horse. Mine needed to ride a horse. I remember the Christmas I got that horse. It was a blonde horse. It was beautiful.
00:35:31
Speaker
You had a blonde horse. It was like it was a pretty yellow one with a beautiful mane. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. I had her tent. She had a sleeping bag. Yeah, she was like ready to go. Have you seen the SNL sketch that's like the, it's the American Girl Dolls just chatting together and they're like just talking about how they all have
00:35:58
Speaker
horrible backstories. Like they're like, my mom died of cholera. Like it's just all just horrific. How has Instagram like affected? Did you like have Instagram when you started your business or have you like gone into doing that now? Um, yeah, I mean, I had a personal Instagram and then started a business Instagram like while I was still learning and still kind of experimenting.
00:36:28
Speaker
Um, I had actually, Oh, do you have to restart the recording? I didn't even stop at this time because I was like, she'll be back. I didn't know. I was like, Oh, I didn't want to, my brain popped up with that. So, uh, yeah, I, I started sharing on Instagram, but like very sparingly. And that was like, even before reels were really a thing. So it was just like a picture here and there.
00:36:53
Speaker
Um, I'm fully invested in the video format. Love watching videos. Just, I don't know. It's, they got me. They knew what I wanted, I guess. They know what humans like. Um, the algorithm knows what it's doing. Yo, I, yeah, they do. It's almost like it was designed that way. Oh my God. It wasn't, all I know is the advertisements I get. I'm like, hell yeah. I absolutely want those. Thank you. It.
00:37:23
Speaker
To some degree, I'm like, I want to be salty about it, but I need those pants. It's okay. It's okay, I guess. Those are absolutely the crocs I've been looking for. Thank you so much. Yeah, exactly. That's so funny. It's strange when it's like something that I've just kind of thought about and then it pops up. I don't know if that happens for you. Sometimes I'm like, yeah. And then I think
00:37:50
Speaker
Is it too far, but I ignore that impulse almost every time. Like it's fine. It's fine. They knew what I needed. It's okay. Have you, um, Instagram helps your business a lot? I'm assuming like, how is it as a business owner being involved in Instagram? I guess I've had to set some boundaries for myself around like what matters to me and like how I measure my own success. Um,
00:38:20
Speaker
And also just like be aware that there are like certain times when if I'm not like feeling super mentally healthy, it's not the best for me to, to like fall into patterns of using Instagram for like reasons to feel worse. Um, so there's that, but overall, I think I've learned how to build kind of like a unattached relationship with the outcome of Instagram stuff. Like,
00:38:49
Speaker
I know why I'm sharing things. I know what I like to share. And at the end of the day, it's my business. It's what matters to me. And the people who receive that receive that and are excited about it. And the people who don't receive that in an excited way, they'll find somebody else. And somebody else will find me. I just feel like I enjoy it for the most part at this point. But I've had to figure out how to make it
00:39:18
Speaker
fun for me and not something that I get in my head too much about because it's really easy to do that. I think it is like designed to make us find ways to compete with ourselves or compete with somebody else who we see as competition when it's like
00:39:38
Speaker
the connective aspect to me feels more fun and what I want to focus on. Yeah. No, that's like, that's so true. Just, you're so right. Cause they like, I mean, even just comparing it, like you said, comparing yourself, it's like, they literally give you like your statistics. Like you can, like if you have it on a creator account.
00:39:55
Speaker
you go on you can literally watch your statistics and they're like oh your followers are dropping or like this video did this compared to that one you're like oh okay that hurts a little bit i'm definitely still trying to figure out like
00:40:09
Speaker
how that feels, I guess. Cause like, yeah, it feels like super personal. Like when you, you spend a lot of time like on those apps, like making the video and like not only doing the thing, but making the video about it and posting the video. And then like, when it doesn't do well or you like thought it would do better, it definitely like cuts you down a little bit sometimes. So creating that. I feel that. Yeah. It's fun. It's fun, but it can also,
00:40:37
Speaker
Yeah, I guess focusing on the connections is definitely like the more important part. Like when people reach out and they're like, or even just you telling me that you're like, I got into gardening this year. I'm like, that's all that matters. That makes me so happy. That's what's important. I mean, I also have learned that about Instagram from doing markets. Like a lot of times your impact is pretty invisible. It's not always coming up in the metrics. And there's like a person on the other side of the screen that's receiving like what you're putting out there and
00:41:08
Speaker
just like us, like they have a million things going on, they, you know, might respond differently because they had a bad day or like, it's just like, um, taking it back to thinking about like, when I connect with people at markets, a lot of times people come up to me and they're like, I love just seeing the process or seeing you work in your studio. And I'm like, I don't even know. I I've met them one time before, like they're not somebody who's like commenting on what I'm doing or
00:41:37
Speaker
like really outwardly expressing that they care about what I'm putting out there. So I would never know if they didn't tell me, but it is having that impact. And it's kind of, uh, just hidden from view, but that doesn't mean it's not happening because like, just because Instagram's not showing you, you know, they like can't tell you, you know? No, that's a fantastic point. Absolutely. It's also just like the algorithm is confusing and unpredictable. And everybody says that, but like,
00:42:06
Speaker
then you have 5,000 people on reels being like, use this trending audio or how to grow your business. These five steps follow below. I don't know. There's just a lot of projection and presentation that doesn't seem real. So I've had to whittle it down, focus on the people that feel really authentic or genuine and respond in that way.
00:42:37
Speaker
bring my presence to the app in that way, because I think then you get that response back. It could be such a mind fuck, really. No kidding. Yeah, absolutely. But I think it's a cool, like I said, I found you through Tana, but then you can watch your page. I know when Tana is posting a lot about ceramics and stuff, and I'm liking her videos, more ceramic stuff comes up in my feed.
00:43:05
Speaker
when I'm like paying attention to your stuff, like more jewelry stuff. Like, so it is also really fun the way that you can be like, or find new interests and like realize that something is like really, really cool that you like were not necessarily into before. Like I, my explore page is like, so okay.
00:43:22
Speaker
you would have no idea that I'm like a garden account. Like I look at my explore page and it's just like chaos happening. I'm like, I love this so much, but it's fun. I like the, I love the connection between people. I love like, even just for me, like moving down here, like finding Florida garden accounts like made me feel so much more like at home a little bit. Cause I'm like, we're like done growing right now. Like our season is very like quiet during the summer year.
00:43:48
Speaker
Whereas I'm watching everyone that I have that's like from back home is like full send garden season. And I'm like, wait, yeah, I feel so hello. So outside of it. But then I don't know, you find some like Florida garden accounts and you're like, all right, we're all just chilling right now. That's fine. I like that. Yeah, definitely. Well, um, what would you say is like, is there a part of your business that like,
00:44:12
Speaker
Maybe not as hard, but is there something that you wish that you could have been aware of before you started that you knew was going to be difficult or like, I don't know.
Overcoming Business Challenges and Growth
00:44:24
Speaker
I honestly think the biggest thing that was helpful for me that I didn't really start with was
00:44:30
Speaker
having like a mindset of experimenting, um, which is, it's not like my idea. Like I, I, I'm part of a internet business group and the person who runs it is all about like letting the experiment happen and like just learning from it kind of as a outside observer, not taking stuff like too much to heart. Um, and that works for when I'm trying out a new product, when I'm like,
00:44:58
Speaker
trying out a new website design. Like I'm experimenting with stuff all the time and some experiments won't get the results that I predicted, but like they're still helpful results and I can just like adjust and experiment again. Um, it's like, help me build that muscle of resilience in my business because it's, it is hard to build something for yourself and to, I mean, I have a lot of support from friends and obviously people who are,
00:45:27
Speaker
enjoying my work, like that really keeps me going. But at the end of the day, like, if I don't go to my studio and make stuff like that stuff's not going to get made. And like, if I don't try something new, then it's just not going to happen. And so to not get discouraged in that process, like looking at everything as an experiment as like, just a trial and like trusting that
00:45:53
Speaker
I can figure stuff out. Like I figured out a lot of stuff that I didn't know. Um, and there's going to be a thousand things you don't know whenever you're building something new. So it's just like, help me cut myself a break a little bit. Definitely not like putting like the weight of the world on every new thing that you do. Like, I mean, I think we're very like taught to be perfect and to like measure what, where we're at against like a perfect version of ourselves. But like,
00:46:23
Speaker
that person doesn't exist and I exist. So it makes more sense to me to be kind to myself and let myself grow rather than cut myself down for not being that fake ideal. Definitely. I won't ever get close to that or grow into what I could be. You said you're part of an internet business group. Can you tell me what that is? Oh, yeah, for sure. It's called Pretty Decent.
00:46:52
Speaker
And they, when I started, yeah, yeah, no kidding. Uh, they're, they're awesome. So Lexi runs it. And for a while it was like a monthly membership. Um, and she would be teaching different classes on stuff like planning an email sequence, like how to communicate about a product launch, just a lot of different elements of running a business online. Um, kind of in a slow burn teaching.
00:47:22
Speaker
community focused way. And it's with people who run businesses of all types. So, um, like I've met people who are astrologer therapists, like in that community, there's yeah, friends who like work as yoga teachers and work in the cannabis space and, um, yeah, people who do photography, just like everything, like it's, it's wild. Um,
00:47:51
Speaker
And it's, it's really informational and really helpful. And when I was first starting my business, I was nannying full time and then like building my business on the weekends and at night and having that community to turn to and talk to and like problem solve with was so essential. And it really did help me figure out how to be comfortable with my business's online presence and to like know
00:48:20
Speaker
know myself in that space. Yeah, because it can be. Yeah, it's definitely difficult shifting from like working in like a physical space where there's like lots of people and you get feedback all the time like all this stuff and then you switch to like an online business or like working for yourself and being an entrepreneur and like you're kind of relying on your own feedback which like you were saying is like
00:48:43
Speaker
you're kind of bias like in a sense or you're like really putting a lot of heart into it and like every decision is kind of weighted on you and it becomes like yeah it's really difficult to do things without community around you so that's like a what a cool way to have community built in with like you're all running different businesses but you all get to like work with each other in that way.
00:49:06
Speaker
Yeah, it was, it was really nice to have that. And I started working with, um, like joining their, they have like a Tuesday night class. So it's always just a different theme. And, um, like tomorrow I think is, I don't remember what her email said. I think it's like launch strategy planning. So a lot of it's like stuff that I've done before at this point, cause I've been with them for a few years, but it's also stuff that I have to do for my business.
00:49:36
Speaker
And I don't always make the time to like do admin work when I would really rather be like making things. So it's that accountability too, you know? Definitely. Yeah. That's awesome. Yeah. That's a really cool.
00:49:50
Speaker
way to learn the business side of it too. Because that's something that I am still really trying to understand. I don't really have a physical product, obviously, that I'm trying to sell. But there is still that making a podcast work or doing, like you said, the admin stuff. You start a small business, you don't necessarily know how to do the paperwork side of things. And it definitely
Technical Skills and Inspiration in Jewelry Design
00:50:14
Speaker
The learning experience is not only in your craft, but also in like running a business and staying organized and like all of those things. It's just become such a huge.
00:50:26
Speaker
I don't know, it's a really fun way to, I'd say a fun way to be organized, but I love organizing things, so it is kind of fun. No, I do too. Yeah, starting a business and being like, okay, you have to be hyper organized to do this, and you really have to dot all the T's, dot all the I's and cross all the T's all the time. So it's nice to have a community or a place to learn how to do those things. Even dude filing taxes, what the hell? No one tells you how to do these things.
00:50:55
Speaker
Why aren't we being taught? Why didn't anybody teach us this? Definitely could have learned this instead of proofs. That would have been cool. Something, anything. Oh my god. That's awesome. That's fantastic. I have some funny, maybe we can change them to yours. Do you have a favorite, do you work with different metals or you work with them in different processes?
00:51:23
Speaker
Does that question make sense? Um, yeah, no, it does for sure. There's, so you can do different things with different metals. Like I can, when I'm making like my stuff for markets, I'm usually working with sterling silver or 14 karat gold fill, which is a little bit different than a gold plate.
00:51:45
Speaker
Um, it doesn't wear off over time because the, the creating the metal that is a gold fill is, um, a heat bonding process between the gold and the base metal. And so it holds up much more like a solid gold wood rather than like a gold plated piece, which, um, if you think about it, like putting on sunscreen or something, it's like, it's going to wear off at some point. Like that's basically what a gold plating process is.
00:52:14
Speaker
Um, cause it's like layered on top, but not in any sort of bonded way. It's just like a electro formed process to my knowledge. So, um, yeah, I mean, I, that's like kind of what I work with the most is the sterling silver and gold fill. And they're finicky in different ways because they have different like heating points and all of that, but I've like figured out my strategies and methods for that.
00:52:44
Speaker
And then I do a lot of work for customs with solid gold and that's just like, I love it. It's like such a fun metal to work with, whether it's like yellow or white, rose gold. I just love it. It's beautiful and it melts really well. I can like reform it really well. It's just really sweet.
00:53:08
Speaker
Do you have an arch nemesis? Like something that like kicks your ass every time? That's a good question. Right now I'm really trying to get more comfortable and excited about prong settings because I've made them for a few things and I do them more for fine jewelry, engagement projects, that type of stuff. And I like working with prongs, but
00:53:34
Speaker
Um, it's definitely not my comfort zone. So I feel like it takes me a lot longer. It's a lot more of slow focused work. Um, that's probably my biggest foe at the moment, just like focusing on learning how to do that quicker and feel more comfortable with it and all that. Definitely. Do you have, how do you like engage your,
00:53:59
Speaker
like being your own business owner, how do you gauge like a successful day? Like what, does that make sense? Like what kind of, is it about a number that you make or is it just like, depending on what project you're working on at the time? When I'm doing markets, because I've just been doing them for long enough and I kind of have my circuit that I know, I do set like sales goals for myself. Not that I try to like, I don't, I don't have a very like,
00:54:30
Speaker
out there selling style. Like I'm just sitting back in my booth working and people come in and try stuff on or ask me questions. Um, so I wouldn't say I'm like actively selling as much as I am like waiting for people to come hang out. Um, but it's, it's nice. I mean, I feel like, yeah, I like to like set up my space. So it looks like a little home or like a little room. Um, yeah. So
00:54:59
Speaker
my brain got distracted. What was our, Oh, I was just asking like how I was trying as like your own business owner. Like how do you gauge yourself as a successful day? Yeah. Okay. Um, yeah. So I mean, sales matter to me of course, because I need to have like enough money coming in to make my business work. But on my day to day, like a successful day for me is one where I'm able to create and
00:55:28
Speaker
feel like accomplished in what I'm making, like things are working out and going pretty smoothly. I like when I get to connect with people in some way, whether that's like through an app or getting to chat in person, talking to like my other friends who make stuff like I love working by myself, it's just like very soothing for me. But I also, you know, want that community. So
00:55:54
Speaker
Having a little community time is part of a successful day too. What is your aesthetic and one word for your business? Would you give it? Oh, that's hard for one word. This stumps people. I know. Yeah. I would say it's kind of like a balance of
00:56:23
Speaker
elegance and adventure. Like I like that my stuff is really beautiful and detailed, but it's also very sturdy. Um, that's like the sweet spot for my jewelry. And I like that people come to me and they're like, I've been wearing these rings every single day for the past year. And like, they're still beautiful and they're still in wonderful shape and, um,
00:56:48
Speaker
Yeah, I feel like I get to create these really like elegant pieces that people get to just like take with them when they're living life and that's the best part. How long did it take or like when do you think that you found kind of like your groove like did it take you a while to figure out what your style was or do you feel like it emerged pretty quickly? There's definitely pieces that I've been making since the beginning and like certain elements of my style that like
00:57:16
Speaker
I think, you know, I mentioned like most of my design process just happened so organically because I have ideas in my head. And so I think I've always had my style, like the way I like to do things, what makes sense to me and what looks beautiful to me. The table that I'm sitting at has like a bunch of my jewelry from when I first started making jewelry, like
00:57:45
Speaker
It's all like simple, kind of little stuff. There's a little moon in there. Yeah. I feel like my aesthetic has stayed pretty consistent. It's just evolved into different forms. Like I'm using the same techniques and the same kind of designs, but in like an elevated way as I get to be more comfortable or
00:58:09
Speaker
just think of ways to tweak things. Definitely. Do you have anything that inspires you in particular? Going out in the woods is a big inspiration for you or anything like that? Definitely inspired by just all of the beauty of nature. I have a lot of pieces that echo certain elements of the natural world that are part of New England. I just grew up, like I said, exploring
00:58:39
Speaker
so much of the world around me and really loving that. And so it does feel very natural that that just comes through in my design process and comes through and like what I create. So yeah, it's, it's definitely an overlap between what I enjoy and what like soothes me and gives me
00:59:00
Speaker
motivation, like that just shows up in my work. I love that. Dude, how much? Yeah. How much time can you lose just like being in the studio? Like, are you like zoning out for like, yeah. Yeah. No, for real. Like, if I when I was not really organizing my time in any sort of way,
00:59:23
Speaker
It was hard for me to like get tasks done, not because I wasn't efficient, but because I would start like 50 things and there's always something to work on. Like it's in the garden. Yes, exactly. I'm sure you're like, I could do this, this, this, or 15 other things. And yeah, yeah. I actually, um, from the pretty decent community, I started using a Pomodoro timer. I don't know if you have heard of that. It's like.
00:59:53
Speaker
Uh, the idea is you just set a 25 minute timer and you work on like one thing for 25 minutes. Um, it's really helpful if you're like distractable or if you have a lot of things that you have to work on and like you kind of need to chunk it. And so that's been helpful for me where I'll set a timer and I'm like, I'm only going to be doing soldering for this 25 minutes.
01:00:18
Speaker
And then after that I can decide if I want to do like another chunk of that or move on to something else. It's just like, it's something external that helps me like reflect. That's awesome. Cause you definitely get lost out there.
01:00:34
Speaker
I get lost so easily, so quickly. It's so bad, dude. Yeah. Just out there hanging out. It's so fun. Yeah, it's amazing. But it's cool that it's like, it's because it's like something you're passionate about. So it's like getting lost in it is like a, it's really a fun experience. But when you're trying to make it a business, you have to focus sometimes.
Future Aspirations and Expanding Horizons
01:00:55
Speaker
I do. I do sometimes every once in a while. Yeah. Do you five years from now? Where do you see yourself with this business? I would definitely like to have a larger studio space where I can teach classes. I would love to do
01:01:17
Speaker
some type of mobile studio as well for when I'm traveling to shows and stuff. That's cool. Yeah. Have you seen that before? Is that something that you just like have dreamed of? Yeah, I mean, there's a lot of there's a lot of stuff on Instagram of people who are traveling with their with their market tools or their metalsmith tools. But a friend that I met at Levitate last year has a trailer built out for her studio and
01:01:46
Speaker
She has brought it to a couple of shows. She unfortunately got into an accident with it when she was traveling this past spring. And I think it's still under repair. It was so beautiful. And I was heartbroken immediately for that experience. But it's definitely the dream to be able to do more traveling around the US and educate more.
01:02:16
Speaker
cool traditional craft. It's, it's interesting to watch, you know? That is true. I actually didn't even think about how much of like a truly traditional craft is. What is the like history? Like, I mean, it goes back forever, basically, right? Like humans making things. Yeah. Like it, it's a lot of metalsmithing. Obviously tools are way more advanced. We have so many things that do jobs that were not possible when metalsmithing started, but like the concepts.
01:02:45
Speaker
and materials haven't really changed that much, you know, I mean, you had silver, gold, like brass, copper, it's, it's been the same type of stuff, it gets adapted and evolved in different ways and like trends change. But when I was studying abroad in Chile, one of my favorite classes I took was an indigenous art history course. And
01:03:13
Speaker
a lot of it focused on traditional jewelry, how people would create with the materials that they had and the tools that they had. And all throughout South America, Central America, as they're called now, just the different communities that would create and what they would choose for adornment and why and the symbolism behind things. And it's the same. People were making jewelry that looked like the moon.
01:03:42
Speaker
5,000 years ago, you know, like that's what it is. That's so awesome. Would you like to expand to that point that you had like people working for you? Or do you think like that, like with teaching or kind of like being by myself every day? I think I, I, I've thought about having an apprentice, but I, I also just like, like working at my own pace at this point. Um, and kind of like taking on
01:04:11
Speaker
giving direction to someone else is a big is a very different thing. What's uh what's next on the docket for for you for the rest of the summer? Um I have I have a pretty heavy show schedule for the rest of July and start of August and then I'm hoping to do some rock hounding like going to mine some stuff in August and then taking a little bit of time off in September but
01:04:39
Speaker
And yeah, hell yeah, dude. Well, dude, thank you so much for coming on. This is so fun. I got to chat for more than just like sending DMS back and forth. Yeah, for sure. It was so nice to like really connect and at least like virtually be able to get to know each other better. So thank you for absolutely dude. Thank you for being on.