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

Jessie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Owning a business isn’t always glamorous and so most business owners we’ve connected with have shared that on tough days they sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have just had a regular job instead of all the responsibility of running a business. Have you ever felt that way?

I would consider myself happier as a business owner, yes. Don’t get me wrong, it’s by no means an easy feat, but it is more satisfying to know that everything you’ve done is going to better yourself and your business.
It’s a lot of hard work, and at the end of the day it’s entirely on my shoulders, but there is freedom in that that I could never achieve unless I were self employed. It’s 100% my call, my decisions, and my actions that keep things going, and I find that to be very fulfilling.

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

I am the owner and creator of Moon Baby Gongs. I design and create hand-held Walking Gongs. I Am currently the only female independent gong maker in North America.
I work with various types of metals to create each unique gong, mainly nickel silver, bronze, and brass. They are 11.5″ in diameter, and are hand shaped to be a rimless wind style gong.
My gongs are used mainly in sound therapy, for either individual sessions or with a small group. The intent is to be able to move the gong around your space while you play it, and not be constricted by a stand or hanger. They can be used by themselves, or as a companion to a larger gong.

Can you talk to us about manufacturing? How’d you figure it all out? We’d love to hear the story.

I was introduced to the world of gong making through Ryan Shelledy, of Shelledy Sounds. He taught me how to physically make the gongs, where to source material, as well as introducing me to the Folks at Gongs Unlimited. They have become my only retailer.
(GongsUnlimited.com is an online gong store that features most of the independent gong makers here in the US as well as Europe. They have a physical warehouse in Nebraska.)
I hand craft each gong, making them truly unique. I start by selecting the metal, and then I form the gong from the blank. The process is the same, but the metal really determines the sound and frequency of each gong. Because of the process of forming the gongs, I don’t create the finished design until the last step. I let the gong tell me what it wants to look like, so to speak.

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

I feel like life is exactly that, constant points of pivots. No one should stay exactly where they are forever. Every few years I find myself looking back at my life, and each point before a huge change for the better (that I would be desperately needing), I realized the pivot moment always happened when things looked bleak. But then the pivot would happen, and things would always manage to fall into place.
Change can be scary, and uncertainty can be daunting. If your only options are to stay in your comfort zone and stay stuck, or push past the anxiety and create positive change for yourself, then I hope you have the confidence in yourself to make your own life better.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moon_baby_gongs/profilecard/?igsh=MTM1aDB6c2F2ank4ZQ==
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/XmrJTshd6MRvGW5x/
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@moonbabygongs?si=4T1D2FAarfWOaXaf

Image Credits

Self