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

Alright, Peggy thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.

My parents were immigrants to the US, one an engineer and the other a chemist – their goals for me were to become a doctor, lawyer or engineer. I did none of those things, although I did try in college. Instead, I pursued creative work once I graduated. And while I felt pressure to pursue a more traditional career from my parents, I also realized how their view of work and opportunity in this country is what allowed me to pursue any career I wanted. They allowed me to dream big, even though they could not (because that was not the world they grew up in). Through their hard work and sacrifice, I could be anything I wanted, as long as I was also willing to work hard and learn.

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.

Peggy Li Creations was born when I was living in Los Angeles pursuing my dream of becoming a screenwriter. I was making jewelry for myself and people would stop me on the street and ask where I got the pieces. I had dabbled with selling my jewelry crafts in the past, but it was when I was living in Los Angeles that it struck me that I should try and get my pieces on my favorite TV shows. This was before being a brand on TV was cool and just at the beginning of the Internet, where people could pursue information, like what their favorite TV character was wearing, at their fingertips.

So I did get my jewelry on TV, on a show called “Buffy, the Vampire Slayer”. The costume designer for the show, Cynthia Bergstrom, gave my name to USA Today and the rest is history. I knew nothing about nothing, but at that time, I knew I had to make a website and boom, a business was born. I think my business today really reflects the origin story – I had my business as a side gig for many many years. And while it might seem crazy to have had great success (jewelry in TeenVogue, USA Today, on several TV shows, etc) and not go full time, having the day job allowed me great freedom in my business. I got to grow slowly and be totally free in what I wanted to make, when I wanted to make it. My business continues to be small and personal and while sometimes I think “what if” and “why not?” I also love that I continue to work closely with costume designers in film and TV and I get to connect with fans all over the world through our shared love of film and TV.

Have you ever had to pivot?

There was a time in my business when I had to choose whether to pursue it full time or not. Like many small business owners, my business had started as a “side hustle”. In fact, it was a side hustle for several years until the time came when I went part-time with my full-time job! I thought this was the best of both worlds; security plus autonomy. In many ways, it very much shaped how my business is today. But soon I was burning the candle at both ends again and something had to give. After much deliberation and much support from family, I made the leap to running my business full-time. It felt like a huge pivot, but one I had been preparing myself for, for many years. Perhaps my biggest fear about going full-time with my jewelry business is that I wouldn’t enjoy it as much if it became my “day job”. But there was no way to grow either in my job or my business without making that important pivot and I had worked hard to be prepared to do so, which made the transition easier.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

Often when I talk to people about my jewelry business, they exclaim, “Oh, I could never do something like that,” and I disagree! Early on in life, we often put children into categories, like sporty, smart, or creative. Humans are all three. However, different aspects of a personality needs nurturing. I never expected I would have a creative career – my school interests were science and biology! But, I am also a curious person and learning how things work and exploring different aspects of life interests me. One day I pulled on a thread – “I wonder if I could make that?” – and the rest followed. So I always tell people, “You can pursue anything that interests you – just dig a little deeper.” You never know what new worlds you will open for yourself.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.peggyli.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/plcpeggy
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/peggylicreations
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peggyli/

Image Credits
Emily Kim