We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Amber Keller. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Amber below.

Amber , appreciate you joining us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I had always been interested in handmade soap, but was a little scared to try it.

Soap making is half science half art — and the science side was a little daunting. I knew someone who made soap and he let me watch him make soap one day. That is all it took for me to have the courage to try it on my own.

I spent a few months slowly collecting the needed supplies and watching and reading everything I could about cold process soap making. Soap takes as lot of trial and error, and I was prepared to make some batches and have them fail. Half of the fun was not knowing if it was going to work or not, and then trying to figure out what went wrong and how to make it better. I have always been drawn to a “difficult” hobby, so I was hooked!

Amber , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am Amber of Am Happy Soap. I am the founder/maker/owner of an e-commerce soap company. I have a monthly subscription box, teach Skillshare and online classes, and enjoy sharing my work on social media.

I specialize in soap that is “happy.” I love color (namely pastels) and making simple, yet pleasing bars of soap to look at and smell and use.

I am really proud of having something that is all mine! I have a strong opinion of what I like and don’t like, and am a firm believer in “you do you.” I don’t love to follow trends, but love to make what makes ME happy.

At the core, I am truly a small business. I have never hired help (Although my dad has been known to wrap some soap for me during the holidays). I do all my own website updates, customer service, shipping, and creative direction. Not to mention making every bar of soap that gets shipped out my door!

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

I feel lucky every day to make soap. It is the perfect mix of science and art. It’s not something anyone can do — or decide to do on a whim. It takes a lot of knowledge and practice to get it right. I love that even after making soap for years, I can learn something new all the time.

I feel a lot of joy in making things. I have always loved to work with my hands and create — it’s just in my soul!

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

I feel like the more society learns to support artists and small business, the better for everyone! There is joy in having a handmade object that was made in a small batch instead of mass made.

Sharing on social media, talking with your friends about favorite small business, and buying small instead of from Amazon are all great starts!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.amhappysoap.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/am_happy_soap/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amber-keller-2ba810242/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/amhappysoap