Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Cass Zoubek. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Cass, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What were some of the most unexpected problems you’ve faced in your career and how did you resolve those issues?

You know it’s so silly, really, but I honestly thought the selling part of creating jewelry would be much easier! I had zero experience with what social media really is and I believed when you posted something, millions of people would be seeing it right away! I assumed certainly one of those million would buy my work.

I had no idea how ridiculous that sounded at the moment but naivety was motivating in the beginning! The experience as a whole taught me so much about marketing my product and building a community within my social media accounts.

Cass, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

When I think back, jewelry design has always been part of me. As a teen, I would make my own fimo clay beads and weave them into hemp necklaces and bracelets then give them away to family and friends. Fast forward to today (many many moons later!) and I’m fabricating sterling silver gemstone settings from my home studio and taking custom orders!

Really I feel like it was a natural progression into silversmithing and it satisfies my desire to create something beautiful with a process that delivers a challenge. I also feel like I have way more creative control and less limitations, allowing me to offer my customers more options. Because who doesn’t love options, right?

Most of my work is one off pieces I sell through my shop website but I do quite a bit of custom jewelry, too! My customers usually have a few ideas in mind on what they want, maybe a ring or pendant and possibly a stone they like, and I’ll incorporate their unique style with mine. One thing my customers can count on is that their jewelry will be unique. No one else will have a piece exactly like it. Original by nature and design!

I’m definitely inspired by geometric designs, boho, whimsy goth and cottage core styles and my jewelry aesthetic probably emulates those vibes but with a uniqueness that’s growing into my own distinct signature. But at the end of the day, I just make what I like, what I would wear myself, and hope other people find it as beautiful as I do!

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

So I came from a 9 to 5 corporate accounting daily grind to a jewelry artist. In my former life, it was all about deadlines and time management to make those deadlines. Everything I did was on a schedule and to move on to the next thing meant finishing what I was currently doing.

That’s just not what designing and hand fabricating sterling silver jewelry is about, though. I had to realize that. I had to learn in my new environment things would be finished when they were meant to be finished.

What that means is creativity isn’t on a harsh deadline and the process itself can’t be rushed. Sometimes the creative force is there in spades and other times it’s out in space! It’s ok to to start a design and if creativity wanes, start another. Start 3! It’s ok to let creativity lead you. All the things will be done when they’re meant to be done. Don’t rush the process! Don’t force creativity!

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Social media is pretty much where all my advertising and marketing happens. Something I didn’t realize when I started was just how long it would take to grow and how time consuming this part of my business would be, but it’s an absolute necessity!

No surprise that social media is…. a social platform! This means being active and interacting with other accounts is, in my experience, necessary in order to grow your own account. The goal is to build a community of followers and people who support each other and grow together. Just posting and not responding to comments, not writing a caption that reflects your personality, not following back, and not “liking” or commenting on anyone else’s posts really isn’t going to help build a community.

There’s a lot of other aspects to posting that will help gain social media traction, too. Using trending audio in reels and creating posts that get viewers to interact with your post by commenting and sharing are usually super helpful. I always post with the intention that it’ll go mini viral or better but never count on it. Instead I focus on posting quality content that will help me build my social community and let people know there is in fact a real person behind the account.

Contact Info:

• Website: HighDesertArt.net
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/highdesertart_cass?igsh=MWNldjFtNjB1aDVtcw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr