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

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

My business, Leigh-An Jewelry, was started after I finished university in 2017. Though I had achieved a degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management and was looking for a job in that field, it was more out of the obligation we all face to find employment rather than a passion for that career path. As I began looking for a job, is started jewelry making as a hobby. I was making wire wrapped necklaces for fun and experimenting with different designs when my sister took one of my necklaces. She fell in love, and never gave it back, sharing the sentiment “Thank God you have something you can make money from.” I made an Instagram page that same day to begin promoting and selling my jewelry. In crafting by hand, I discovered an avenue that allowed me to express my creativity. With little desire to pursue a traditional career, I was motivated by the desire to be self-sufficient to turn my hobby into a business that allowed for the freedom to work from home and on my own schedule.
I chose my middle name, Leigh-An (which means “beautiful woman”) as my business name. My jewelry is now all handcrafted gemstone and copper wire jewelry made in my home workspace.

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.

I’m Brianna Leigh-An Johnson, the owner and jewelry designer of Leigh-An Jewelry, stationed in Kingston, Jamaica. Jewelry making became my passion through my desire to create by hand – the question could I capture a design and recreate it with wire and stone. I chose the individual gemstones that I use by seeing if I can picture a design on them. Many of my pieces come from experimenting, improvising, and being surprised by the end result, often with ideas given to me by my customers seeking custom order pieces. Input from my customers for what they want in a Leigh-An Jewelry product is always welcome.

One thing that creates a connection between Leigh-An Jewelry and our customers is the personal element when customers come to me and ask if gemstones or mementos from their own personal experiences can be made into jewelry for them – such as family keepsakes that were made into necklaces. And I have also expanded into offering Jewelry Making Classes to teach some of my basic wire wrapping techniques, which has been a fun experience for myself and students over the years.

Leigh-An Jewelry can be worn as casual every-day jewelry that adds a spark to your look, or as an elegant piece for a night out.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

2020 saw a big downturn in my business. We went into lockdown and jewelry understandably wasn’t a priority for shoppers during that time. So my creativity turned in another direction – fiction writing. I have always been an avid reader and decided at age 12 that I wanted to be an author. I had done some writing for myself just for fun over the years, but the downturn in business that came in 2020 was when my conviction to become an author was reinvigorated. I hosted a weekly flash fiction writing challenge online, so that myself and other writers could practice and post our writing to our social media pages (IG @leighanwrites) to gain feedback. Near the end of 2020, I decided to self-publish my stories from this challenge on Amazon. The collection is called The Other Side Of The Sky by Leigh-An Johnson. One of the short stories from that collection inspired the novel that I am now working on which will be the first in a fairytale retelling adventure fantasy series.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Something I had to unlearn was…being too comfortable. As recent years have shown, events far outside of our control can have drastic effects on your business and your life. Being too comfortable, relying too much on a safety net, being unable to adjust quickly to new or changing circumstances was a bad habit that I had to unlearn. I think that is a challenge that many self-employed entrepreneurs face, staying on top of things with the multiple aspects of running your own business. Remembering not to rely on only one avenue for your success because things can change unexpectedly. And then learning to manage multiple avenues for your business, such as various outlets that will help you sell your products. So that is what I am unlearning – don’t be too comfortable. The new and unfamiliar may be strange and scary, with feelings of impostor syndrome, doubts, and procrastination. But staying in just one spot will not serve you in the long run. Branch out and try new things, build new relationships, to help your business expand.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.leighanjewelry.com
• Instagram: @leighanjewelry
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/LeighanJewelry
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/@leigh-anjewelry
• Other: Email Address: leighanjewelry@gmail.com Contact Number: (876) 456-9877