We recently connected with Kelly DiGeronimo and have shared our conversation below.

Kelly, appreciate you joining us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

As a creator I feel like my mind never stops. Everything I do for my business is either self-taught or with the help of YouTube. I love creating unique items that people can relate to. I also love creating things with humor. Nothing fills my cup more than knowing I got a good laugh out of someone from one of my silly little desktop signs, or one of my quirky baseball caps. The skills I have used most in my business are a computer, glue gun, ruler and having an open artistic mind. That’s not to say that I haven’t suffered from an artistic block every now and again. When that happens, I head to a local maker’s market. I am usually inspired by other’s creativity and that helps me get back on track. I think the only thing that stands in the way of learning more is time. If there were more hours in the day, the sky would be my limit!

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 background and context?

I am a creative maker of all things in my shop. I was brought up by a mom who was artsy and always dabbling into something to sell at her craft shows. Her specialty was ceramics. The more intricate a design, the more she thrived. She loved detailed work. I, on the other hand, have a real hard time with intricate designs. Needless to say, ceramics were never my thing. I found my niche using materials and textiles. I am most proud of where I’ve come in 12 years since I started when my youngest was born. I wanted to make “pretties” for her hair. That blossomed into needing something to store all the “pretties” on. My best-seller on Etsy was my tutu hairbow holder. Little girls all across the US had something fun to hang all of their “pretties” on. As my daughter got older, my work evolved into making sports themed, inspirational, and sometimes silly hats for people to wear. My hats can be found in about 8 area boutiques where I live. I also love making seasonal home decor wood pieces.

I think what sets me apart from other makers is that I don’t take myself too seriously. I love what I do, and I have fun with it. If I can make something that inspires a chuckle from someone, then my day is complete. The amount of support from others in the handmade community is what keeps me going. I love what I do, I get to work from home, and share my love of creating with others. For me it’s a win-win situation.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being a maker is seeing a piece out in the wild. I love going to a hometown sporting event and spotting fellow moms wearing a hat that I’ve made. It gives me a sense of pride that I am able to share a piece of what makes me happy and fills my soul.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

I think the question that always comes up from people who don’t share my love of creating is “how did you come up with that?” or “how in the world did you make that?” I’m laughing as I type this, but I never understand how people can’t come up with the ideas that I do. It’s that left side, right-side brain thing, I guess. I think we all have a creative side. Some people go through life without tapping into it which is actually quite sad. Creating for me is an outlet. It’s helps get feelings out that might be otherwise stuck inside. I call it my natural anti-depressant.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.shopsomethingchic.com
• Instagram: something_chic_boutique
• Facebook: Something Chic Handmade