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

Hi Cameron, thanks for joining us today. Do you wish you had started sooner?

This one is a I wish I would have started sooner, but at the same time I wouldn’t change anything.

I wish that I would have known sooner that this could be an option. I have always made jewelry – I can remember making earrings with puff paint on posterboard that I cut into different shapes, wire bracelets made from telephone wire (my dad worked for a telephone company, and he had them in his work van), beaded necklaces, wire wrapping sharks teeth, etc.

Art is never given as an option as something to go to college for. I have a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. Very generic, looking back on it. I went on to work in retail for 10 years. This was around the time that the economy was not doing well. The company I was working for restructured, and I was laid off. Fast forward three years, and I was laid off from another company.

I am not good at sitting still. I was working two part-time jobs while I was figuring out what I wanted to do. I knew I did not want to go back into retail.

I was online one night, and found these cultured sea glass beads that I fell in love with. I ordered about $100 in supplies, and started an Etsy shop. After a few months, I was earning a small income. A friend suggested I apply for an upcoming festival. I got in, and it went well. I liked setting up a small shop in a tent, and talking with the people attending the festival. I enjoyed beading, but I wanted to learn how to work with metals, so I took a couple of metals classes at Cape Fear Community College. After about two years, I was able to go full time with my business.

That leads to where I am today. I am a full-time silversmith and enamelist. I do mostly local markets and festivals.

While I wish that I would have known I could do this sooner, I wouldn’t change my past experiences. In waiting tables and working retail, you learn how to talk to people. I feel like being able to sell my pieces isn’t just putting them on a table and expecting them to sell themselves. Creating a relationship, if only for a few minutes, is a big part of being successful as well.

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 am a silversmith and enamelist. I create jewelry using bezel set sea glass and semi-precious stones, kiln fired enamel, and hand stamped sterling silver. I love color, and it plays a large part in the materials I choose to work with. I have been seriously creating jewelry for the last 10 years (although I have made jewelry for most of my life).

I got into making jewelry because I had gotten laid off for the second time in three years. I knew I did not want to go back into retail, but I did not exactly know what I wanted to do. That is when I found the cultured sea glass beads, and started my journey from there.

I am mostly inspired by the coastal environment I have lived in my whole life. I feel like this comes through mostly in the colors I use – I love sea glass, and how muted, yet vibrant it can be. The natural stones I use tend to be mostly blues and green. I love upcycled materials – like surfite, which is made from the leftovers of the surfboard making industry. Lately, I have been making pieces that feature plants & flowers.

I am the most proud of the fact that I made this business for myself, starting with a few strands of beads, at my dining room table. I love what I do, and I love finding new materials to work with and incorporate in my work. I enjoy setting up at markets and festivals, and forming relationships with the people who are there.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Being able to create something beautiful out of the most basic materials. Taking an idea that I “built” in my head, and being able to make it a wearable piece of jewelry – and then to have people love something enough to want to purchase it, makes it really rewarding.

I am able to work mostly from my home, on my own time and terms. I love being my own boss. It is a lot of work, but I wouldn’t change it for anything.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I think you have to be resilient to be an artist – every day! Income is not guaranteed. If you are a working artist, you have to be able to roll with the punches sometimes. I learned this at the beginning of the pandemic. All of my in person events were cancelled. This meant I had to find other ways to pull in income for a while. Then, people’s spending habits were a little different. I had to pay attention to everything going on around me, and adapt. I feel fortunate to have made it through the last couple of years, with only minor setbacks.

Contact Info:

• Website: cjsseashop.com
• Instagram: @cjsseashop
• Facebook: facebook.com/cjsseashop
• Other: TikTok – @cjsseashop