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

Gabrielle, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Parents can play a significant role in affecting how our lives and careers turn out – and so we think it’s important to look back and have conversations about what our parents did that affected us positive (or negatively) so that we can learn from the billions of experiences in each generation. What’s something you feel your parents did right that impacted you positively.

Growing up as an only child, I spent a-lot of my free time finding unique ways to keep myself entertained. I’m not sure what influenced my passion for creating, but I always knew what I wanted to do with my future. My parents divorced by the time I was born, so I had different experiences from both parts of my household. I remember my father used to gift me art kits and art supplies every year for Christmas. My mother gave me my first sewing machine at the age of 8, and my father paid for my first sewing lessons at the age of 15.

Both of my parents were professional chefs in my adolescent life, so I spent a lot of time assisting them with catering events and learning the importance of good customer service skills.

Gabrielle, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Hi, I am Gabrielle Hall. I’m a DMV-based fashion designer and multifaceted creative. I am the creator of Arcane, a brand dedicated to showcasing unique artisan creations handcrafted by me. Arcane was created at the age of 15, where I started out selling hand-painted clothing and accessories. Now, at the age of 21, I specialize in creating metaphysical jewelry and raising awareness for mental health through fundraisers, testimonials, and art.

My greatest achievement has been curating networking events for other creatives and business-owners located in the DMV area. I’ve had the opportunity of meeting other business owners that have traveled from out-of-state to participate in my pop-up shops, fundraisers, and other networking events.

Have you ever had to pivot?

When Covid first went rampant in 2019, I knew I had to create a new strategy for generating sales. I started my business by selling at in-person events, such as popup shops, and selling personally to friends and associates. Covid caused a nationwide shutdown that led to businesses restricting in-person contact. From there, I created my online website, which generated the most amount of sales I’ve had in one period in time. During this time, Instagram and other social media platforms rebranded to accommodate the new market of e-commerce. Since I was used to selling at popup shops, I had to learn how to post and take pictures for promotional purposes. At the time, I didn’t know it was preparing me for the future of business. I was afraid that the shutdown would cause a decline in sales and change the culture of art shows in the DMV. Little did I know, going digital would be one of the greatest business decisions I made, and art show culture would become saturated. Art shows starting out being an underground scene, but after Covid, small business owners began hosting their own as another way of generating income.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to learn that progress isn’t linear. For me, I felt like the rate of progression for Arcane was too slow, which resulted in the idea of giving up on being a business owner. I was wrong. I was too focused on website sales and activity from social media, that I didn’t take the time to recognize my personal growth. Connections I made from those art shows followed me throughout my business career, and led to the expansion of selling art to hosting networking events for other creatives like me.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.arcanebrand.bigcartel.com
• Instagram: @arcanethebrand
• Facebook: @arcanethebrand
• Twitter: @arcanethebrand
• Other: Tik Tok: @gabsthecreative

Image Credits
Photographer: Tre Lamoren Instagram @tre_.digital Accessories: Arcane The Brand Instagram @arcanethebrand Creative direction: Tre Lamoren, Gabrielle Hall Instagram: @tre_.digital, @gabsthecreative & Cameron Coppage @savage_romance