Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Michelle Mackey. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Michelle, thanks for joining us today. Looking back, do you think you started your business at the right time? Do you wish you had started sooner or later

If there is one thing I could do all over it would be following my artistic pursuits earlier in life. Growing up I was always drawing and would get in trouble for drawing horses on my school work. I loved to sew and do embroidery as well. I remember being a little kid and hearing about starving artists, and that didn’t sound very fun to me. I graduated as valedictorian of my high school class in 1996. Back then if you were good in school it was a given that you would go on to college. I graduated from Montana State University with a degree in psychology. After graduation I had the opportunity to become a stay at home mom to my two children, a privilege I am forever grateful for, however my art got put on the back burner. When my daughter got in school I did use my degree for a little while. However, I discovered being an empath with that career was very mentally draining. As my kids got older I got into different crafts like knitting, spinning wool and soap making. I was always drawn to beads and would buy them even though I didn’t use them. Then one Christmas my son gave me a pair of hand beaded earrings and because I was born with the “how hard could it be” gene I became obsessed with learning to make them myself. A few YouTube videos and hours of practice here I am! It took me a while to find the art form that fulfills me, but I’m so happy to be here finally doing what brings me so much joy. To anyone that has a calling in their souls to be an artist I would say follow it,even if you’re not sure you can make a living.

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 back background and context?

I learned to bead from a YouTube video and immediately became obsessed. My aesthetic is a mix of cowgirl and boho. I’m inspired by so many things, but especially the beauty of the prairie. I love to do more traditional designs with unexpected colors. In the last year I’ve started going to vendor shows and I love to connect with people and I love talking about the art form with them. My favorite thing is to have someone buy a pair of earrings and put them on right away and I can see them beaming with confidence. Having people tell me how many compliments they get when they wear my earrings makes my day.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

Word of mouth has been my best source of new clients. My customers are the best unpaid spokeswomen you could ask for, and they love to tell people where they purchased their earrings.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I went though a divorce a few years ago and for a while my beading had to go on the back burner while I figured out finances. I’m so blessed to have a new partner who encourages me in every way to grow my business. His support has been the reason I made this into a full time job instead of a hobby.