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

Paige, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with 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?

In 2016 after being at the newspaper in the advertising department for most of 20 years and being in the advertising industry for 40 years I had a revelation that I had had enough and wasn’t going to do that anymore. I had no plan. I had no money to speak of but I knew I wasn’t going to do that anymore. I had been creating art all of my life and made a living as an illustrator in my youth before computers came about, potter, painter, stained glass artist, in general design work for agencies and corporations. Freelance surface artist for Pier 1. There is a long history of art. Long story short. I announced to my boss that august 1, 2016 would be my last day at the newspaper and he had six weeks to replace me so I could train the new person and there would be a very smooth transition with all of my customers. they did not hire anyone so August 1 we had the going away/retirement party and I left. Still wanted to know what I was going to do but I knew I would figure it out.

After a few months of dabbling with stained glass and what little bit I knew about silversmithing I signed up for a show to sell stained glass sun catchers. It was Funky Finds. They accepted me with photos of some of my old work. The problem was I had no inventory so I promptly threw together a make shift art area in what is now my studio and got busy. I went to Funky finds with 65 pieces and came home with about 15. I apologized for not having a good booth display. They were most gracious and said they were looking forward to seeing how it would develop and grow. It was exactly what I needed to get in gear and get a direction. I signed up for some other shows and did well but knew Stained Glass was not the ultimate goal. so I cancelled the next show and found a school in Tennessee that offered a one week INTENSIVE course in making jewelry. I went and never looked back. Am I getting rich? no. Am I making a living ? YES!

Am I happy? Yes beyond words. I get to do something I have always dreamed of doing. Take the risk.

Paige, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

As a commercial artist I created pieces for the client within the clients needs and budget. Having done that all of my life it is refreshing that I can now create whatever I want without having someone dictate to me the design, coloration, materials, medium and their personal preference. At this time I get to create my designs using silver, gold, precious and semiprecious gemstones and watch peoples faces light up when they look at my designs. When someone buys a piece of my art, the joy they exhibit is exhilarating. I am most grateful and fortunate that people like my work enough to spend their hard earned money on it. That means so much to me.

16 years ago I saw a ring in a store in Galveston Texas that was very organic, very unique, very contemporary and I fell in love with it. I did not have the money to buy it, put it on a credit card and justified buying it with…I’m going to learn how to make this. The designer was Lilly Barrack and the store owner’s name was Norma. I go to Galveston every year and have visited Norma for the last 16 years. She is elderly now and not in good health but I told Charles who had worked there forever, to please tell her Thank you. Her store and her encouragement helped to lead me to where I am today. I will be forever grateful for that. I still have that ring. Along the road I have found jewelers and artists so willing to share their knowledge with me. It has been the most amazing journey.
I am very proud of being able to create pieces that fulfill people’s dreams and create heirlooms that will be passed down through the families. It is such a joy to be able to do that.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

The newspaper industry was up and down…always. Some years were good, some were bad. You learn from both. I hadn’t been selling my jewelry very long when the lockdown from Covid hit. 2020 was supposed to be my over the hump year, my I have arrived. My, wow I can really do this and make money this year. NO. it wasn’t. it was my OMG now what year. It was my Yikes how I made this work year.

I’m famous for saying…I don’t know but I’ll figure it out and I did. I started using my knowledge of online advertising and utilizing facebook and instagram to sell my items. I got through with online sales until the shows started again. Now I utilize both the online presence and the shows.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Hashtags. good photography and knowing who your customer is. All of my posts are to the public, Hashtags can make a HUGE difference in your visibility and yes invest in buying some packages to promote your posts however I did not spend much, but it will increase your visibility. consistency is key. I would post three days a week first on Instagram then copy it to my Facebook business page then share it on my personal Facebook page. Marketing your work is essential. you have to create time for it if you don’t, nothing is going to happen. I consider shows to be part of my marketing. I hear artists saying, “oh it’s a bad show I didn’t make any money. Well let me ask you this, How many new people saw your work? How many potential clients did you see at that show? What did you do to encourage them to follow you or remember you? It’s all marketing. For my age group of clientele Facebook and Instagram are the best for me. Tik Tok and others are not going to work for me unless I change and start a line to directly appeal to a younger clientele. Know your clientele, know your market, know what will appeal to them and go after them with an online presence. Pinterest is fabulous for all age groups. to Quote Nike…Just do it. What have you got to lose?

Contact Info:

• Facebook: http://facebook.com/paigepauleydesign
• Instagram: Instagram.com/paigepauleyjewelrystudio

Image credits:

Paige Pauley