We recently connected with Pamela Maynard and have shared our conversation below.

Pamela, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

My memorial pieces are all meaningful projects to me. I preserve everything from funeral flowers to cremains in resin, and each project brings me a sense of accomplishment and joy. My most meaningful, though, was a resin cross preserving funeral flowers for a 3 year old boy who died. His family is local and the story was in the news, so it’s a high-profile case. Being able to bring that family a little bit of comfort during their loss is so rewarding.

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’m a mom, fulltime State employee and a LEO wife, so my life is very busy, but I’ve always loved crafting. About 3 years ago resin hit the craft world. I spent hours and hours making earrings, pendants, and rings for friends and family. I was eventually convinced by my family to try and open and Etsy shop and sell my pieces. It took almost a year for business to take off. Last year I decided to expand my repertoire to resin memorial pieces containing funeral or wedding flowers, ashes, and pet hair & opened a second Etsy store. My first Etsy shop is named PamelaMCreations and my newest memorial Etsy shop is called MakingMemoriesbyPam. Making my memorial pieces is a labor of love. I enjoy bringing smiles to faces of those who just lost someone they love. It’s very rewarding. I want my clients to know how much of an honor I consider it to be to make memorial pieces for them. I treat everything I receive from my clients with the utmost respect and reverence while making their pieces.

Both shops have now become successful, thriving businesses, but I still work full-time for the State. I hope one day to be able to craft full-time. I’m not far away from that goal now!

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

In my view, society can best support artists and creatives by buying small or buying locally. You never know how much talent is in your proverbial backyard until you look. Support your small businesses online and in person.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Every aspect of being an artist is rewarding for me. I get to make people smile with my projects, whether it be with a piece of custom jewelry or with a resin heart with their dog’s fur in it. I want people to be happy when receiving my products.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pamelamcreations/
• Other: www.etsy.com/shop/MakingMemoriesByPam www.etsy.com/shop/PamelaMCreations