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

Hi Madison, thanks for joining us today. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

Being an artist and running your own business is certainly a challenge from the start. I am able to earn a full-time living from my creative work but this has not always been the case. When I started out, this was very much a part time job to fulfill a creative outlet for me. I made jewelry in my spare time and sold it locally at markets and pop-up events, all while working a full time job… well actually several jobs as I was in graduate school at the time, working for the university I attended and also waiting tables so I had a very full plate. A few years in I started to take myself, and my jewelry business a little bit more seriously. I cut my hours back at my full time job, scheduled more local events and started to sell my jewelry online. As my business grew, I found it harder to balance my time between my “real” job and my jewelry making business. While I really wanted to work for myself full time, I feared losing the safety net of a stable job. Before I officially made the leap to working full time creatively, I ran some numbers and set myself some sales goals – this helped me know what I needed to keep the lights on and the business running. When I started meeting those sales goals, I quit my job and officially became my own boss! Each year since then has presented its own challenges and I’ve found that diversifying my revenue and being able to pivot directions when necessary have been absolutely essential to staying in business. I’m always thinking of different ways to bring in income wether it is teaching classes, applying for grants or working on affiliate partnerships. These differing streams of revenue can help provide stability in any future challenges.

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

My name is Madison, and I am the one-woman metalsmith behind Mad Made Metals. I’ve been a jeweler for 8 years now and my work (and company) have evolved so much in that time. I started out in 2013 making beaded jewelry, but quickly fell in love with metalsmithing and the design opportunities it opened me up to. I signed up for classes and workshops and tried to learn as much as I could as quickly as possible, I wanted to do it all! One of the things I enjoy about my craft is that there are so many techniques and skills and they all provide a different means to an end. There is no magic formula or recipe for creating a piece of jewelry, you have to figure out what works best for you and the piece you want to make. My work can be mystical and often has celestial elements to it. I pull from several different areas of inspiration to design one-of-a-kind pieces of jewelry all while using metalsmithing techniques that have been around for centuries. I’m creating modern heirlooms that will (hopefully) give their wearer lots of joy and continue to do so beyond their lifetime. That’s the thing about silver and stone, when taken care of, it can last a lot longer than us.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

There are so many ways to support the creative ecosystem – Buy art from them, support their work, tell your friends about them/their work, hire them for that creative job. Social media has made supporting artists and creatives much easier and more accessible. While purchasing a piece of work or hiring a creative for a job are great ways to support them, you don’t always have to spend money. Sharing work you enjoy on social media might help someone else find a new artist they like. Word of mouth can go a long way in getting new business to small makers and artists. Supporting artists can be as simple as talking about them to other people!

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I think the biggest resource might be the community of creatives around me, both locally and online. I wish I had reached out to some of them sooner. Early in my career I was intimidated by more successful creatives in my area, and even those who I followed on social media. Breaking down those walls and reaching out to others to network has made such a difference for me! Whether it is troubleshooting a specific website problem or looking for a new source for packing supplies – the small business owners around me have provided a wealth of knowledge across the board. Tapping into this network of creatives earlier would have been really helpful when I was first starting up my business.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.madmademetals.com
• Instagram: @madmademetals
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/madmademetals
• Other: Tik Tok: @MadMadeMetals

Image Credits
Becca Jones Melissa Toms Madison Kingery