We recently connected with Annie Kines and have shared our conversation below.

Annie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?

Being able to earn a full-time living from my work has been such a pinch-me situation. However, it has not happened over night, and still leaves plenty of room for growth. I started this business when I was much younger as a hobby; something that was fun to do when I needed a break from school or work. I gradually got more focused on jewelry design as a business about five years ago when I was struggling with some health issues and not able to work full-time in my previous career field. The fortunate part was that I was able to devote as much time and energy to as I could to jewelry in a flexible manner depending on how I felt. As I worked through those health issues, I continued to work part-time elsewhere in order to supplement my growing business. Along the journey, I have made sure to let it grow organically. I haven’t forced its growth, or taken any massive financial risks, knowing that it would grow over time. And sure enough, I was gradually able to work less and less elsewhere and eventually I was able to make the leap to 100% full-time. Oddly enough, it was when the pandemic began that things shifted the most in my business. Customers turned to online shopping, began sending gifts to friends around the country, and focused much more on shopping with small & local businesses. At that point, I knew I could really make it happen. I have continued to focus on design planning, slowly increasing wholesale accounts, and relying on a steady stream of orders from my online shop. Because of some of the situations I faced over the past several years, I can’t imagine growing my business any other way than in this organic fashion and I’m really proud of the process and the direction it’s heading.

Annie, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to describe your work to others?

I create quality, handmade jewelry using 14kt gold-filled metals, freshwater pearls & gemstones. My style of jewelry falls somewhere between beachy-bohemian, trendy, and classic. I love the idea of customers wearing my jewelry for years, not just a season. I like to think my jewelry falls in the category of “slow-fashion” which is meant to last, as opposed to fast-fashion which is made for the moment. I enjoy catering my designs to women of all ages, and think that is something that sets my brand apart. Jewelry is meant to be fun, and particularly these days, it seems important to have an outlet for something light and cheerful. I love creating collections that can be layered together and mixed and matched and I’m a big fan of getting a lot of wear out of pieces, meaning I like to create pieces that be worn everyday or dressed up for special occasions.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

This is a good one. So much unlearning has happened for me along this journey. It was (and still is to some extent) all the “shoulds” that I had to unlearn about what it means to have a a job or career. I went the traditional route of college and then graduate school and worked in my career field for less than two years before I realized it was not for me. It was the strict 9-5 hours and sitting in an office that made me really unhappy and unmotivated. So when I decided to give my business a real shot, I worked part-time in retail and worked on jewelry the rest of the time. What I thought I needed to do was work a structured 40 hours a week without fail. I thought I always needed to be working or it wasn’t a “real job” and that a full-time job was measured in hours. But the truth is, working for yourself looks a lot more like working several hours each day of the week, some more than others and with that priceless flexibility of being able to take a break when you need it. I also thought my job needed to be proven to people. When you work for yourself, it can be so hard to explain what it is that you actually do day-in and day-out. I started to unlearn that need to prove the worth of my business to others. And I think the last thing, which is an ongoing unlearning process, is not to compare my business to others as everyone is working with a unique set of skills, backgrounds & situations.

Is there a mission driving your creative journey?

The goal of this creative journey is to find that work-life balance that sort of blends together. I feel like the brand is really a part of me and I enjoy it so much that it often doesn’t feel like work. That’s the goal and I feel fortunate that I’ve been able to make it happen. I realized at past jobs that flexibility, creativity & autonomy are extremely important to me and I get all those things here. I want to continue to grow the business in a way that allows all aspects of my life to be nourished.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.tidaljewelrybyannie.com
• Instagram: @tidal_jewelry
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/tidaljewelrybyannie

Image Credits
@nmicklephotography