We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Peter Mielech. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Peter below.

Alright, Peter thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

I’ve worked in the creative industry my entire career, beginning as a print graphic designer in a variety of areas. The pandemic turned a woodworking hobby and curiosity in resin into my current full-time business. I think the transition was made a little easier because my marketing and design experience, to aid in my self-promotion and presentation. It all just started very small and kept growing both out of momentum and necessity. I’ve been very lucky and worked very hard. It’s of course easier to tackle change when you have no choice and that’s how I felt during the pandemic. It’s hard to think back that I should have done something differently in the beginning because everything was and continues to change. How I conduct business even 6 months ago is different and 6 months from now I’ll have evolved into something else again. I just try to do as much planning as the day allows.

Peter, 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?

I went to school for studio art in a variety of mediums, but I ended up focusing in graphic design to try to use my creative skills in a marketable industry. My family has had experience and interest in wood working for generations, so I’ve always had a basic knowledge and a legacy of tools that made turning my hobby into a working business very quickly. I had an interest in the combination of wood and resin and I chose to focus on jewelry to carve out a niche. Most of the trend seems to be focusing on river tables and cutting boards. I’ve never done either and I’ve only been able to find 2 or 3 others in the country to make wood and resin jewelry by hand. I’m proud of what I’ve been able to grow in a relatively short period of time and I’d like to think my hard work and obsessive planning helps me with that. It takes me about an hour to finish each piece so I hope people realize the time that is put into all of this when they approach my booth at art show and see hundreds of pieces.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me seeing people react positively to my work is very rewarding. I’m very introverted so being at shows and interacting with so many people takes a lot out of me, but getting those great reactions seems to energize me.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I’ve done so many different things in my life for work. There was a time ealy in my career when I thought I would be a graphic designer for life. When the recession of 2008 hit I found myself shifting into healthcare and labor organizing. 6 years later I returned to graphic design but then several years later the pandemic forced me to shift again into jewelry design and wood working. Since the economy tends to crash every decade or so I’m sure I’ll be in for a few more career shifts in my lifetime.

Contact Info:

• Website: pmdesign-stp.com
• Instagram: @pmdesignstp
• Facebook: @pmdesignstp