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

Lauryn, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?

I absolutely love having a job as a creative/artist. In Alaska, it is so empowering with the amount of female entrepreneurs there are. We all have our different niches, support, and uplift one another. Community over competition, ALWAYS. I do sometimes miss the community in having a “regular job.” Seeing coworkers every day, company parties, etc. But with the number of other female business owners in my area, I definitely do not feel alone by any means. I love this boss babe community that I am apart of.

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.

Hello, my name is Lauryn Ickes and I own AK Daisy Chain—an Alaskan Women-owned wooden jewelry business. Before I ran my own jewelry business, I started doing art from a very young age. Growing up my mom always painted and encouraged me to embrace my creativity. For example, throughout grade school, I was the kid who doodled on the sides of my papers in all my classes. I’ve always loved drawing and painting.

My love for jewelry, and earrings, in particular, came one Christmas when my grandma gave me my first set of wooden earrings. I was about 12 or 13 at the time. They were wooden leaves and I had them for many years. Since then I’ve always loved looking for cool earrings wherever I’d go.

In 2021, I was a new mom and sort of lost my identity a bit in that. Still in the thick of the pandemic, I couldn’t help but feel isolated and honestly a bit depressed. Looking back at it now, I had so many different hobbies but dropped them all due to postpartum depression. So there I was, with a new baby, no job, stuck in my house for what felt like all the time. I needed something to do for me, that could also generate income. I went back to the drawing board, quite literally. What was something I enjoyed doing that could actually pay decent? Art.

My husband actually encouraged me to purchase my first laser printer/engraver and use my creativity and love for jewelry to start my own wooden jewelry business. Fast forward 2 years, I now am able to stay home with my two sons (1 and 3 years old) and make earrings from home. I absolutely love my job. It has its own struggles, mostly juggling two kids while doing it haha, but I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I would say the most rewarding aspect of being a creative/artist is the community that comes from it. Taking a risk and putting myself out there has paid off so much. I can’t even explain the amount of joy that comes from someone supporting my business, seeing someone wear my jewelry, or someone recognizing me in public and telling me they love my work. When you support a small business, you warm the heart of the person who has built that business. Because of the community that has come from my business, I am able to stay home with my kids. Something I never thought I would be able to do at 24 years old.

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

Building a presence on social media is DEFINITELY not easy in this day and age. But I would say the key is actually putting yourself out there. Giving a face to your brand, and basically saying “This is me, take it or leave it.” Some people won’t like you, and that is okay. That was a hard lesson I had to face early on, and it totally messes with you. But staying true to who YOU are and what YOU are doing is all that matters. Building a community is a lot of hard work, but it is well worth it. Because once you find your audience, they will stay with you.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://akdaisychain.square.site/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/akdaisychain
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/akdaisychain
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@laurynthemom
• Other: https://akdaisychain.etsy.com/