We were lucky to catch up with Erin Begley recently and have shared our conversation below.
Erin, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea
Welcome to the enchanting world of Spellwoven, a renowned fiber arts business that has been weaving magic into textiles for the past three years. As you embark on a journey into the realm of exquisite craftsmanship and artistic expression, allow me to introduce myself, the owner and CEO, a master artisan, Erin Begley. My passion, creativity and expertise have shaped Spellwoven into a destination for extraordinary fiber arts. Starting my own business was a thought in college but I never felt as though I was capable of running my own business. I struggled with finding a sense of belonging throughout my life but I always found peace in creating art. Spellwoven was truly born through the Pandemic. I have always been a “crafty” person and the time and freedom of the pandemic allowed me to explore that side of myself. I explored the idea of creating Macrame wall hangings by watching YouTube and social media videos. I am 100% self taught. But this idea did not happen over night. It has been almost 4 years of developing and refining my skills to get to the point of where I am at today. It’s felt like a snails pace to get to launch fully. Where I stand today as a full time self employed business owner, is somewhere I never thought I would be. Because of finding the confidence to believe in myself to merely finish projects and continue to create, I was able enough in my skills to add an another project to my roster. I am also part owner of a production company here On the Gulf Coast called 404 Productions. 404 Productions is dedicated to brining unique Electronic Dance Music talent to the Gulf Coast area to create seamless collaborations and deliver unforgettable experiences and production.
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?
I am 29 years old. I received an education in Communications and Political Science from the University of South Alabama in Mobile Alabama. I currently reside in Pensacola Florida where I have a work history of political campaigns and media sales and marketing. I believe all of this is relevant to my switch to art full time. I am an extremely organized and passionate. When it came time to successfully transferring my day to day to art, it came pretty easy to me. I believe half the battle is representing yourself, networking, and good marketing. I believe a decent social media presence is what draws attention to your brand and what has helped me receive such warm results. I am 100% self taught in my craft, but a lot of my credit goes to my education and professional skills I have developed over the years. I started with macrame wall hangings but my inventory has evolved into clothes and wearable art, as well as in person experiences at music events and markets. I enjoy communicating with my clients to make custom outfits, tailored to specific themes and dreams. I believe a clear line of communication is a service sometimes lost in some small businesses and I am proud to dig deep to be able to provide the best product possible for my clients,
What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?
Yes! I must admit, I count my lucky stars every day. If it wasn’t for a few very supportive loved ones, I would not be able to make my ‘side hustle’ my main hustle. I recently made the switch and it was the best decision of my life. This pivotal moment and milestone came around July of this year (2023). I always struggled with sticking up for myself in the work place. My last ‘official’ gig was tough on my mental health and made it so I had to put art on the back burner for a while. Everyone is different, but for me, this was a deal breaker. I firmly believe in being the change I wish to see in the world. I am in this game to inspire everyone I interact with to be the most creative they can be and the most authentic they can be while spreading love and kindness. I was unable to accomplish this from behind my desk all day every day. But with trust, love and support from my partner, Wes, I was able to refocus my ambitions of art and inspiration and make art and music my full time dream. I do not look at my business as work, it is my life mission to provide a safe space for myself and everyone else to accomplish their dream style. To me, scaling my business up, was dedicating the time and energy I know it deserved. This was a huge risk, but so far, it has been a delight. The fear of failing kept me from making the switch sooner. I have taught myself to be unafraid of the unknown and embrace failure. The switch hasn’t been easy, but it’s definitely been easier than most adventures I’ve taken in life. There is just something about being self employed that pushes me to be better.
We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.
Wes is my partner in business and in life. Surprisingly enough, we met at Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival through mutual friends in 2015. For almost a decade, the both of us have shared this passion of inspiring others through art and music. There is power in numbers and in order to complete the most rad of art projects, you will always need help. We are very proud of our teaching mindset, we aspire to teach others and help others realize the capability to do whatever your dreams take you. Every single person is capable. Life is one giant group project and I would be nothing and nowhere if it weren’t for the support I have received over the years and we both would like the world to know anything is possible as long as give yourself time, keep practicing and just never stop creating. He has taught me so much wisdom over the years and I am so grateful.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.404productions.live , https://ebegley850.wixsite.com/mysite
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_spellwoven_/ , https://www.instagram.com/404productionsmusic/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/spellwoven1
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erin-begley-27327292/
Image Credits
Echo Roo McNeil