We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Annie White a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Annie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you tell us about a time where you or your team really helped a customer get an amazing result?

As a mosaic artist, I find joy in creating something beautiful for myself. That joy is enhanced when I create something lovely and unique for another person. This joy is accompanied by the challenge and pressure I feel to satisfy my client. My most memorable client experience is with a woman who commissioned a stained glass mosaic window. The window was to hang in the apartment she shared with her boyfriend of nine years. I was very proud of the completed piece and was anxious to get her reaction. When I did not receive any feedback, I was concerned that she was dissatisfied. To my great relief, I eventually heard from her and she explained the reason for the delay in her response. She had received the piece the day before she left for a three week holiday. She decided she would wait and open the mosaic upon her return. She returned to find her life in shambles. Her partner of so many years had met someone new and she had to leave the apartment, she lost her job and her mother was diagnosed with cancer. It was difficult for her to move on. When she opened the mosaic, she said she felt we had been on a journey together as the mosaic brought happiness and a semblance of peace into her life. She said the piece remains a symbol of rebirth and hope for her. Happily her life has improved. Her mother’s condition has improved, she has a new job and is in a new relationship. To create a beautiful object that in some way helped ease a client’s pain means more to me than any monetary benefit or recognition. To quote Keats: “A thing of beauty is a joy forever: its loveliness increases”. I like to think that this quote still applies to the piece I created for my most memorable customer.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Annie White. I am a mosaic artist and the owner of “mybrokenplate”. I grew up in Upstate New York. After college, I moved to New York City where I lived for ten years. I was looking for a creative outlet as a diversion from my project management tech job. I found a mosaic studio owned by some well-known artists. Here I acquired the skills needed for this special artistic genre. Very soon I had the “bug” to break things and then to create something from those broken pieces. In fact, I recently sold one of those early pieces. Initially I created works mainly for family and friends but after I was commissioned to make a mirror, I started getting more work.

After my husband and I started our family, we left New York City and moved back to my hometown. As my twins became more independent, I was able to devote more time and energy to my mosaic work. I realized what satisfaction I gained from the work and the discipline it required. I loved the fact that this endeavor was solely mine. Soon I started receiving orders. At first these commissions were through word of mouth referrals. During the pandemic, my business grew significantly. I have worked consistently from that time forward. I love the creative process of creating something beautiful. I hand cut each piece and I so enjoy seeing the pieces slowly come together to form something that delights the eye. Large stained glass windows and panels account for most of my commissions, however, I also make table tops and smaller pieces using porcelain, china plates and ceramics. I believe one of my strengths is my ability to customize pieces and also the detail I put into each item. My mosaics are not traditional, nothing is uniform or measured. I know my clients appreciate my detail oriented approach and I believe this sets me apart from other artists.

I am still surprised and delighted by each new project I receive. I learn something new and improve my skills with each new piece I create. This art form is truly labor intensive but it fills me with joy, pride and a sense of accomplishment.
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What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

The simplest answer is happy clients. I have learned to really listen to what they are asking for and what they imagine the final piece will look and feel like whilst still creating something that is unique to me and my design. You want to meet their expectations to the best of your abilities. Staying in close contact and being transparent with the client during the entire process from the first inquiry to the final phases of design to the finished project is key to my success. And is evident in the feedback I receive from my customers.

How’d you think through whether to sell directly on your own site or through a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc.

I have a shop on Etsy where I sell my mosaics. However, this is not how I started. I began by having mostly friends and friends of friends contact me directly to place an order. As my business grew, I realized that word of mouth would no longer be sufficient and I needed a platform to sell my work and streamline the ordering process. For the most part, I have been happy with Etsy as they have helped me to increase my audience and business. The downside is that I cannot edit or change any features on my shop myself. I am in the process of building my own website which I think will alleviate this issue and will also provide a more professional looking space to showcase my work.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/mybrokenplate
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mybrokenplate/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mybrokenplateetsy

Image Credits
all images credit to Annie White / mybrokenplate