We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kirsten Hellmer a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Kirsten, appreciate you joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

The biggest risk I’ve taken would be taking my business full time. About 4 years ago, I was working as a corporate data analyst and was completely miserable. I had gotten my bachelors in Marketing and masters in Market Research/Data Analytics from Michigan State University, so being a data analyst was the next obvious step. I had been working as a data analyst for about 5 years when I discovered the laser cutters at my local makerspace, i3Detroit.

Over the next 4 years, I started building my business that I didn’t know was going to be a business. It started with making stuff for family and friends, and slowly turned into selling to the general population. If you asked me back then when I was going to “go full time” with my business, I would have told you never. I liked the comfort of a steady paycheck and didn’t like the uncertainty of not knowing how much I’d make.

In 2019, I was very unhappy with my job and the corporate world in general. I had jumped from company to company and wasn’t happy anywhere. I was starting to feel stuck. Then, in May 2019, a blessing in disguise happened, I was let go from my data analyst job. By this point, business had started taking off with the addition of my bathymetric maps. I considered looking for another data analyst job, but they all sounded like I’d just end up right where I’d just left, unhappy. I spoke to my husband (thank god he’s supportive), and told him I think I’m just going to give this a go full time for a few months, and if it doesn’t work out, I’d find a new job. It was a huge risk for someone who tends to be pretty calculated and analytical, especially about major life decisions. Luckily, I had gotten let go right before I had five art shows lined up, one every weekend. It gave me the boost of confidence I needed and I never looked back. Sometimes you’ve got to bet on yourself.

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

I was bored in my life and wanted a new hobby. I looked up makerspaces near me on google. I had previously heard about them online and wanted to see what they had to offer. I was in luck! There was a makerspace only a mile from my home, i3Detroit.

I initially visited i3Detroit with the intention to learn the CNC Haas machine, but found learning the language to be too time consuming and frustrating (or maybe I was just impatient). Either way, I spoke to another member and they told me it sounds like I could do what I wanted to do on the laser cutters. I had never even heard of one of these machines back in 2016. I got trained on them and slowly started making coasters, clocks, wall art, and whatever you could think up. This evolved into my business today.

Today, I focus on laser cut home decor. I make everything from bathymetric maps to Christmas ornaments. Being originally from Michigan, and the large amount of lakes we have, my focus is on bathymetric maps. Recently, I’ve gotten into layered art, which has opened up a whole new world of creativity for me.

As a business owner, I want all of my customers to love my work and be proud to hang it in their homes. Satisfaction and quality are my top priorities, which goes hand in hand with turning out a great product. The support people have given me means the world. When you support me, you’re not padding the pockets of a corporate CEO, you’re helping me continue to live my dream (that I didn’t even know I had!). Support comes in many forms, from social media likes and shares to purchasing my items, and I truly appreciate all support that I’ve received. I couldn’t be more thankful for this life I get to live.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

A major resource that started my creative journey that everyone should know about is makerspaces. I got my start at i3Detroit and I owe so much to that place.

Makerspaces are like large warehouses, with any tool you can imagine, typically for a monthly fee. They hold classes for you to get trained on the tools and are open 24/7 (mine was anyways). You can find nearly anything in makerspaces. Mine had a ceramic/kiln zone, four 3d printers, two industrial laser cutters, 2 more small laser cutters, a metal shop, a wood shop with table saw, lathe, router, etc., an electronics lab, and so much more. One unseen thing these makerspaces offer is a community. I’ve met some of my best friends at the makerspace. It’s a place where people go to gather, give you tips and ideas, and share knowledge.

Makerspaces are something that everyone should check out at one point in their life. You might just discover and unknown passion and start a business of your own!

Have you ever had to pivot?

One of my core values for my business is that “you can’t be married to your ideas”. Many business owners get stuck on one idea, that they may truly love, but customers aren’t connecting with. If it’s not working, you have to let it go.

I started my adventure into entrepreneurism with a hand knit/crochet business. I went to a few art shows to try to sell my stuff but it wasn’t working. I had a lot of heart and good items, but potential customers just weren’t buying. I’m not sure if it was price (which I always keep really reasonable, as I don’t believe in gouging people), color schemes, or something else, but I needed to pivot.

I didn’t really consciously pivot, so much as the business just kind of fell off when I discovered the laser cutters. I still loved knitting, but the lasers piqued my interest more and ended up being my true passion. I’ll always have a love of knitting, and my first business (cutely named Created by Kir), as my aunt and fellow entrepreneur taught me knitting, but moving on to the lasers and not being married to the knitting business, allowed me to excel in my current focus of passion.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.fromtreetohome.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/fromtreetohome
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/fromtreetohome