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

Hi Mary, thanks for joining us today. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?

In order to be successful you have to have discipline, perseverance, and be able to prioritize. I found myself constantly wanting to give up. The sales weren’t coming in the way I had hoped. After years of creating and being in business I still had to work my 9-5. It was ok for many years. But after a while, I began to hate my job. I felt like I was wasting the time I could be creating and working for myself.

Another reason I wanted to quit was because I didn’t have enough funding for my ideas. I felt as if my creativity was trapped in a box. I couldn’t grow my business. Despite all of that God gave me the strength and encouragement to keep going. So I kept going. Because I kept going I can see growth in my business. My creativity is at a high point. I’m in a good healthy marriage which put me in a good space mentally and emotionally. Being in that type of environment and having that support from my husband caused my creativity to flow freely.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I started out in photography. I was really fascinated with vintage fashion. I started creating jewelry to compliment my retro looks and women loved it. They started asking to buy my necklaces. At first I refused to sell my jewelry. I was only focused on photography. But after so many people were interested I decided to start selling my jewelry. I permanently walked away from photography.

From there I started providing jewelry for local designers at fashion shows. The sales still weren’t coming in the way I had hoped. I decided to take a break from trying to win over the consumers. I focused on getting published and working with stylists. I knew I had to create something big and eye-catching in order to be noticed. That is when I created my crown and body jewelry line. After a while I decided I wanted to be a stand alone brand in fashion shows. I put my crowns and body jewelry on the runway locally and the line was a hit. I started getting published and celebrities started wearing my designs. The rest is history.

Some people want exclusivity. They don’t want to follow trends all the time or wear what everyone else is wearing. They want to express their individuality and personality. That is the problem I solve. I provide a creative outlet for people to express who they are or how they feel. I create jewelry, crowns. art, and now clothing.

I want those who love my work or come across my brand to know I am aware you are an individual not just a dollar sign. I want my work to speak to the individual. I want them to have positive feelings when they see or wear my designs. I want my pieces to be their pick me up. I want them to smile when they look at my work or what they own from my brand. I want my work to make people feel happy. These are rough times mentally and emotionally. If my work can make them forget for one split second what’s going on around them then my job is done.

In the future I plan on creating ways for my clients to customize the pieces they purchase. I want them to be able to put a little more of who they are into what they wear. While I’m happy they love my perspective of art and fashion I want to provide them an option to see OUR perspective together. I want to connect with those who love my brand on a deeper level. Because ultimately they are people, not just a purchase.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

My reputation is built on dependability and quality. Dependability when it comes to the fashion industry and Hollywood. Quality when it comes to my clients. When anyone from the industry would reach out I came through every single time. Most of the requests were last minute deadlines. Some things were needed the very next day but I came through on my end. I may not have been the best in the industry but people in the industry know they can count on me to respond, create, and ship the item on time. I meet every deadline.

Quality is very important to me when it comes to my clients. So much so I have a warranty on my jewelry designs. I will fix an item at no cost but the client does have to cover the shipping costs to and from.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

My entire journey is resilience. I had some highs and I definitely had some lows. But resilience birthed in one year my art line, my home decor line, my NFT collection. my own metaverse, and my own clothing line. If I had given up none of these would have been created. Stay focused, go back to the drawing board as many times as you need to, and don’t give up!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.vaujejewelry.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vauje
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vauje
• Other: https://linktr.ee/Vauje

Image Credits
Vauje