We were lucky to catch up with Amber Mitchell recently and have shared our conversation below.

Amber, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Do you manage your own social media?

As of right now, I do manage my own social media platforms. I had hired a company to help me manage my social media’s but the price outweighed the benefit. While I did have increased followers, there was low interaction and it led to very little sales. After trying them for a year, I decided to take it over. I have since researched hashtags and trending words to help keep my social media following, but am struggling to keep growing. I learned a lot of lessons through trial and error and found that really using catchy phrases and posting pics of works in progress have gotten more traction than other previous posts.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Hi there! My name is Amber Mitchell and I first started crocheting in 2018. During this time I had undergone surgery on both my feet and was under strict orders to not put any weight on them. After a week, I was bored of T.V. and reading my books, so I looked on YouTube to find something while stuck in bed. During this endeavor I came across some beautiful crochet blankets, and I thought to myself, “You know what? I bet I could do that!” After lots of trial and error and many crooked blankets later, I discovered how to read patterns. During this time I was teaching Kindergarten and began making winter hats for students at my school who did not have warm clothes during the winter. Eventually, other staff wanted some of my creations. I couldn’t believe that someone wanted to pay for my stuff. After selling to staff I attended my first craft fair. Eventually my business grew into cute little animals. Then Covid hit and craft fairs were no longer a viable selling option. So I branched out on my online shop and learned to do resin sculptures. I spend many hours dedicated to making my creations and each one is created with love. Now that craft fairs are back in session, I love hearing “oh my god, how cute!” when they come to my table. I want to spread joy with my little creations because they bring me joy when I make them.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I graduated from UNM in 2007 with my degree in Education. I taught for 9 years after that, and eventually had to leave teaching due to mental health reasons. Once I left teaching, I struggled to find my identity. So I stepped back and looked at my life and realized my passion was creativity and my family. I then started my own Etsy shop and really focused on finding craft fairs in my area to get my name out there. I now frequent events locally and many people have come to know me through them. It has been a blessing being part of the community in a positive way.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

When I attended my first craft fair, I didn’t make a sale. I was heartbroken. I had spent months preparing for my first show, bought a table, table cloths and lots of inventory, and not one single sale. However, I walked around to other vendors, asked questions, established relationships and viewed their set ups. I learned a lot from that first failed show. The second show, was not much better, but I just kept modifying my set up and inventory and eventually started making money. I am glad, that I did not give up.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/amberscrochet1studio
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amberscrochet1
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ambscrochet
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/amberscrochet1

Image Credits

I take my own photos