We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jaime Foley. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jaime below.

Jaime, appreciate you joining us today. Being a business owner can be really hard sometimes. It’s rewarding, but most business owners we’ve spoken sometimes think about what it would have been like to have had a regular job instead. Have you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you can talk to us about a time when you felt this way?

I’m definitely happier as a business owner although depending on what job I look back at I have more stress. I have my moments where I wonder what life would look and feel like having a ‘normal’ job. It’s been a long and strange few years, I know for all of us. Right before the pandemic I felt like my business was really starting to pick up and I was making dependable income and then boom. We were all thrown off kilter. Everything started looking different and I just rode the wave not knowing where it would take me. It ended up taking me a great many places and through that journey I became a mother, really took a look at my work, and had numerous long hard thinks about what I really wanted to be creating and what it would mean for my business. I’ve spent some time grappling with all of these things and lately I’ve been coming out the other side and feeling that the time is now to make decisions and move onto the next phases. This has been incredibly intimidating. It’s like starting fresh after 6 years. Wiping clear everything I thought I knew and could depend on to try something I want and am excited about but feels unattainable and scary. So recently I was feeling very overwhelmed and insecure in my abilities and the incredible amount of effort taking on new paths requires. I sat there and I cried. I sat there wondering if its all worth it. Can I continue to wear all the hats a small business owner needs to wear? Can I keep pushing myself? Will I give it my all and never get to where I want to go? Will I find my audience? Do I choose passion or ease? Am I making the right decisions? What if I just find a regular job? Can I even imagine what that would be like anymore? So I cried. I let myself ask these questions. To be honest about my fears. I don’t think I even really got to most of the answers but I did let my body release these concerns out into the world and I felt lighter and more capable after. What I did know was that I’m doing something I love that challenges me and keeps me growing as a person and so that’s what I’m going to continue to do.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m just a little kid who loved nature, playing with rocks, finding treasure, antiques (yes antiques) and making things who grew up into an adult who loves all the aforementioned things and also needs to make money. I’ve tried many paths. I’ve bartended, worked in finance, cooked and baked, made costumes and hula hoops, and in my most recent iteration I’m a Jeweler.

I moved to Austin from New York in 2017. At the time I was wearing my costume and hula hoop maker hat. I had always been interested in metalsmithing and decided when I got to Austin I would take some sewing classes to improve my skills and a smithing class to just check it out. Well, I took the silversmithing class first and I never looked back. I absolutely adored it. It was fun, exciting, challenging and the breadth of the industry can keep a jeweler busy for eternity. On top of that it was the perfect collision of my love of making and collecting. You can use any material in jewelry if you prepare it correctly so, all of the sudden, I had places for all my stones, shells, coins, and bones.

My work meets at the intersection of oddities and curiosities, nature, and fine jewelry. I work to capture the beauty of the cycle of rebirth, creating life from death, using materials many might discard, overlook, or even be disgusted by in a way that their potential is actualized. There is something exponential about using materials that have already lived their own lives, creating something completely new with them and knowing the pieces will be passed down and live their own lives and perhaps be one day changed into something new down the line. I believe in honoring the gifts nature provides us. This perspective opens up my creative process and allows for infinite possibility and appreciation for all that’s come before us.

It’s always exciting to hear from someone who wants to create something special with their child or their pets teeth, or even their own. I’m always honored to be trusted with that type of work but I like to say ‘I don’t always make weird stuff, I make normal stuff too!’. Engagement rings, birthday presents, whatever the event or self care purchase might be, I think people come to me knowing that I can and will work with them to create or provide them with a Reverie Fabrications piece that is unique and fitting at the same time. We can go weird or we can go classic! My clients know I’ll meet them where they’re at.

Taking fire to metal and bringing something to life that transports someone each time they look at it, brings them a glimmer of somewhere they’ve been or love to go, even someone they want to be, that’s the real joy and pride in my art. I feel confident whether someone is looking for something custom or shopping my ready made pieces they can have this experience.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Markets are always an incredible way to gain new clients. You can do all the branding you want but there’s truly nothing like being out there and being face to face with potential clients. For me I find it hard to find my real ‘voice’ on the internet. Connecting with people through a screen seems futile. When I’m there with someone, when i can explain my process and we can both see each other in the moment of this person appreciating my work, I think it facilitates the appreciation and understanding of the energy I put into my jewelry. It’s validating for me. We all need that. When an artist feels that appreciation I think the customer can see how much their work means to them and it fosters this deeper connection and desire to purchase what is clearly more than just a product. It brings people back for more. Not to mention they are so much more likely to talk about their experience with others!

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

About a year and a half ago I was starting to really get back to my business, rebranding, a new line, total overhaul. I was ready to get back to it after having my first child. I was feeling good and confident I could make it all work. Unfortunately I ran into a number of childcare roadblocks and and had to make some tough decisions. Anyone who knows me knows how passionate I am about creating. It’s something that pours from my soul in so many ways but my son is my number one priority and I was in a position that I needed to choose him. My plans for my business got put on the back burner for some time. I went through a lot of emotions. I tried to live more in the moment and enjoy the time with my son but it was definitely a hard time for me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://reveriefabrications.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reveriefabrications/
• Other: tiktok.com/@reveriefabrications