We recently connected with Jocelyn Doffner and have shared our conversation below.

Jocelyn, appreciate you joining us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

Aunty Monstera started off as a hobby during the winter of 2020! I was searching for things to make my mom and my sisters for the holiday and I came across polymer clay jewelry. When I started making clay earrings I realized that I had found a new creative outlet after being stuck in a creative rut during the pandemic. I literally had so many earrings that I didn’t even know what to do with them and started selling them on the side.

What started as a fun weekend side hustle slowly became one of the best things that could have ever happened to me. Seeing people glow with confidence after wearing my earrings was all worth it for me. I realized that my mental health was so much better after doing craft shows and after making unique pieces than it was at my old job and I decided to take the plunge and go full-time! I’ve been full-time for over a year and a half now and wouldn’t change it for the world.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Jocelyn Doffner (she/her) and I am a 27-year-old woman from Mukilteo, Washington. I come from a family of artisans and am the first person in my family to pursue art full-time! I am the owner and artist behind Aunty Monstera, a funky, unique, and hand-crafted jewelry business. Each piece that I make is made with intention and care and the main goal is to make sure that everyone feels confident in every piece that I make!

Have you ever had to pivot?

One of the biggest pivots in my career was choosing to pursue this as my full-time job. Before this, I was working as a student engagement champion. Our job was to aid students from low-income families during the pandemic whether it was helping with homework, talking to them, or getting them the resources necessary to fulfill their housing or food needs. While it was a fulfilling job it was one of the hardest things I think I have ever done emotionally. Choosing between pursuing this full-time and leaving my old job behind was a tough decision that took a lot of back and forth. I’m grateful for my family and friends for pushing me to be a full-time artist and I’m also grateful for my job helping children in need during such a hard time in our world.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Social media is hard! I have a background in graphic design so when it came to starting my social media page I already knew what needed to be done to make it succeed but even still it was tricky. I personally built my following by going out to markets and giving my business card whenever I can. I also post frequently and try to keep my page in the algorithm by staying active and replacing comments, DMs, and everything in between.

My biggest nugget of advice for building your social media preference is to figure out your brand’s aesthetic and color scheme first. If people see a cohesive feed on your profile they are more likely to follow you!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.auntymonstera.com
• Instagram: Instagram.com/auntymonstera
• Facebook: Facebook.com/auntymonstera

Image Credits
The portrait photo was done by Danyele Peters! @danyelevaughnphotography on instagram