Today we’d like to introduce you to Stacey Shevlin
Hi Stacey, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ll start by sharing that I’m still a newbie. I started my handcrafted wooden jewelry business last year, and I am very much still learning the ropes. I have a very varied background ranging from marketing to advertising to project management to acting, to commercial production and now jewelry making (I’m sure there’s a few paths I forgot to mention in there as well). I like to stay busy and learn new things :) I started out working with a friend in her established business then ventured off on my own. I always knew I wanted to work with wood in my designs and that was furthered due to my 2 home renovation projects, let me explain. My partner and I are renovating two homes top to bottom – full reno’s – it’s a serious undertaking and harder than I was prepared for — but we’re moving ahead and the end is in sight. From these renovations I have been left with a lot of scrap wood that I use to repurpose into jewelry. I really wanted to make stand out pieces that draw attention and put the wearer in the limelight. I want the person wearing the jewelry to feel bold, in their power, grounded and connected to nature.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I wouldn’t call it a smooth road, no. But then what journey is totally smooth? I thought that my background in various forms of business would be a good building block for owning my own small product business, but it wasn’t. I am in class on a regular basis trying to learn the many many skills needed to run a business on your own. Building my site, marketing, social media, advertising, SEO, analytics and reporting… oh man… I wasn’t ready for all of this. But here I am, tackling things day by day, giving this tiny business my all.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I love to work with wood – that’s what my brand is known for. I love the grounding nature and feeling that wood brings to my life in a multitude of ways. I live in the city ( which I need and love) but getting out to the countryside has always been a lovely part of my life. I love being surrounded by nature, the forest, the sounds and smells are so soothing to me. I feel very centered and grounded when I am there. I wanted to incorporate that feeling into a line of jewelry for those that live in the city like I do. Those that love the creative, fast paced, diversity of living in a city but yearn for the connection to nature. I hope that wearing a piece of wooden jewelry can bring a moment of peace and calm to our hectic lives. I am most proud of the fact that I am still at it, still trying to run a small business, despite how difficult it is.
Any big plans?
My future is quite up in the air at the moment, if I’m sharing completely honestly. Currently I live 1/2 the year in Croatia and 1/2 the year in Philadelphia. I am in the throws of applying for my Italian citizenship through my grandmother’s family. It’s all quite uncertain. I am waiting with crossed fingers and baited breath to hear the news that my mom and I have gotten our citizenship. If ( I mean when) we do that may change my living situation up quite a bit. But for now I’ll keep on keeping on.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.maderadesignstudio.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maderadesignstudio
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maderadesignstudio
Image Credits
@georgerosephotography @maderadesignstudio