Padfoot Jewelry by Lauren Sampson
Today I am having a feature post about a close friend of mine who makes beautiful jewelry. Her shop name is Padfoot Jewelry and is located on etsy.com. Most of her stuff is inspired by nature and is just absolutely gorgeous. Her and I had a chat not to long ago and here is our interview.
HummingbirdLoves(HL): What spurred you to start up your own etsy shop?
Lauren Sampson (LS): Honestly, it wasn't even an initial thought. My best friend and boyfriend convinced me that what I was making was good enough that others may want them. And it took a lot of convincing, trust you me!
HL: Why did you pick jewelry making as your craft to sell?
LS: Really what I was looking for was a hobby. I felt like I needed some way to channel my rudimentary but enthusiastic artistic flare. I'd dabbled in jewlery making in the past and hadn't been a total failure at it, so decided to pick up from there and see how far I could take it. (I still don't know how far it'll go!)
HL: Where does your inspiration for each piece come from?
LS: My friends and the weather. For example, the weather just took a turn for the chilly this week. I'll be focusing my colors towards the winter palet of blues, clears, whites, etc. Couple months ago, it was browns, greens and oranges for the fall. And when all else fails...I pick a friend to "make" something for. Probably half of my pieces are inspired by someone. Whether it's a best friend who loves teal, or my mom who wears longer necklaces with deeper hues.
HL: Which one is your favorite so far?
LS: In and by far...the Harvest Necklace. One that I refuse to sell. Its mine. All mine. :) That's the fall one that I made...see colors above. Three strands all different colors secured with a toggle clasp (which...love toggle clasps btw). It's really elegant and probably my best piece. I'm proud of it and it's a great reminder for me of my potential.
HL: I noticed each one has a name, How did this come about?
LS: If I answered that alcohol and a couple good friends were involved, would I get judged? Everything I make means something to me. Maybe this will go away after piece 100 but I hope not. Creativity and being artistic comes in many forms. It's a creative thing that I love: to find the hidden meaning in things. Each necklace, tells a story...whether it's a novel or a picture book doesn't matter but they all say something. It felt natural to me that I give them all names.
HL: How long did it take you to get everything setup?
LS: Months. I'm 3 into it, and would say I'm finally starting to get into a routine. The biggest initial hurdle was finding a space to call my own. My craft table. I needed some area that I could set up shop and not have to constantly be a nomad about where I worked.
HL: What was the hardest part about opening an etsy shop?
LS: Pricing. THANK GOD I HAD A FRIEND HELP ME!!! It's really hard to put a price value on something you make. You can't objectively look at it and decide it's worth. And because it's hand made there are a plethora of other things to think about that say, Macy's, wouldn't give two shits. Every bead you pay for, your time, materials, etc. If i truly had my druthers, I wouldn't have opened the shop for that very reason.
HL: How does it feel to have your shop up and running?
LS: Euphoria mixed with a healthy dose of anxiety, scattered with self-doubt and overshadowed by overall accomplishment.
HL: What is your favorite thing about this whole process?
LS: Hearing from people who didn't even know I was into jewelry but looked at my shop and said it was really good. Huge confidence builder I wasn't entirely expecting (but hoped for), as that'll carry me into making more jewelry. It certainly spurred my creativity to realize that my beading genius was one I should share.
HL: As your shop is still in its infancy stage, what advice do you have for others wanting to start their own shops?
Patience. Above all else, patience. It's not just going to happen. The age old "Rome wasn't built in a day" and let's face it, Rome took ALOT of work. Something you have to be willing to put in. You have to have a goal and work for it. It took a long time to make the products, then taking pictures, writing descriptions, calculating costs, saving receipts, determining the target audience, the right place to advertise my goods....everything. And it's daunting. My advice is to get some help. Barter for a friend's assistance with food, drink, or something from your store to get help. Without help from Hannah and Dylan, it 100% would not have happened.
More advice, and something I'm learning just now...Even though I'm not sitting at the craft table actually making my products, doesn't mean I'm not helping the end goal. I haven't made a necklace in two weeks. Yes, it's killing me...but there were other things that had to be done regarding the store and materials, etc. Sometimes, much to my dismay, there are things about my hobby that I don't like doing. Pricing, taking pictures, waiting for them to sell :) but it's important to keep the mentality that ANYTHING you do towards your hobby counts and should be seen as an accomplishment rather than feeling deterred because you can't/didn't do any actual crafting for a bit.
Finally...if you hit a lull....don't panic. Like all things in life, artistic creativity ebbs and wanes. There are days where I sit to make a piece of jewelry, needing that down time, and nothing comes to me. But then, a week later, I sit down and make 3 things. If you feel like you're losing your touch, if you feel like you're frustrated, if you feel just blah about it...step away. Take a little break and do something else that feeds the hobby for a while. Look online for ideas, go to stores, buy books, talk to friends, but don't get dismayed! Chin up and the kinks will work themselves out.
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Thank you Lauren for your time and Good Luck with your shop and future endeavors!!!
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