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

Alright, Sade thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

I believe my parents made the best decisions to put me in a place to succeed. I was born as my parents were 31 and 32, this has given me an unspoken advantage. I was able to come into a family that was semi-established, in a way free of the struggles of the uncertainty that comes with early adulthood. My parents allowed me to try a vast amount of creative things to get my brain racing! I was always encouraged and nurtured in any field I wanted to try. Rather that be piano that lasted 8 years, or ballet that lasted 3. I was able to freely explore options which I truly believed helped me to be the person I am today. My father and mother were very dedicated and hardworking, they constantly gave us (my sister and I) insight on how to balance work and play and how to make the most of it. I knew at a very young age I wanted to be my own boss and although never entrepreneurs themselves they put me in the spaces to help grow that want into a need. Today, I am very thankful to have my family support me in any creative devour I venture into.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am Sade Simmons! I was born and raised in Lorain, Ohio dubbed The International City. I include that, because living in Lorain I was exposed to a vast amount of culture and different people. I fell in love with art at an early age, intrigued by the idea of being able to create, mold, and make nothing into something. I spent most of my time with coloring pencils, sketchbooks and nature. My mother as well as my grandmother and aunt are seamstresses so I didn’t have to look too far for an example of how to create. For me, it was more so finding what do I want to create. Leaving high-school I was determined to master that “what”, I enrolled at KSU (Kent State University) and took on Fashion Design, after 2 years of learning the ins and outs of garment construction, I met metal. It was introduced to me in the form of accessories and sent my eyes, brain and hands to the wonderful world of art, Instantly I had fell in love and changed my major to Studio Art with a focus in jewelry/metals and drawing. This gave me an opportunity to explore the mediums art had to offer, merge wearability with function, and allowed me to get my hands dirty, I always say I am a student of life because not only was I learning how to create I was learning how to be! I started to create pieces that spoke to my whole history, college has a marvelous way of helping you find yourself. The access to knowledge is limitless, you can truly dive into a pool of information and come out covered in a new way of life. I did just that!
Graduating I set out to be a business owner, I had worked many jobs and the one thing I took away from those spaces was how I wanted to operate as a boss. I officially started my business in 2016, but it had been on my heart throughout my junior and senior year, racking up pop-up shops and on campus sales gave me a taste of entrepreneurship. I was blessed to land a job in my field 4 months after graduation, and this also fed my entrepreneurial spirit because it was with a small scale, woman owned business. I learned a lot of behind the scenes information on how to grow, run and manage a business all awhile fine tuning my metal-smithing skills. I took a leap of faith in 2019 and went to working for myself full-time. In this time, I created an e-commerce site for my brand, established a network of mentors and artists I could seek out, and found boutiques that fit my aesthetic allowing me to sell my items in their stores. I invested in myself and opened a studio space outside of my home, found an intern and started what I would now claim to be on target to be my dream job.

My brand is sugarforbrains described as Handmade essentials for everyday effortless style and those extra quirky moments. Small batch wearables inspired by the urban element of pop culture, meshed with timeless drip. We create the pieces that make your outfit the backdrop. “I just have sweet thoughts,… ya know, sugar for brains.” These sweet thoughts are now forged into metal, cut from acrylics, molded in wax, undergoing multiple processes to create collections that I hope people will cherish for decades to come. I focus mostly on being an ethical brand, and resourcing materials from spaces I would be proud of being apart of. What sets me apart from my competition is the weird factor, I’ve figured out a way to balance the goofy with chic, elegant but playful. For instance, one of my best selling pieces are golden pizza slices! These hoop earrings are handmade just like your local za’ shop and pepperonis are soldered carefully to each slice, Bon apetit’!

I am mostly proud of the opportunity! When I look back at history, to be a black woman in business for herself it’s quite astonishing to see what my ancestors made happen for me. I tend to use materials that are known to hold properties for change and I want my customers to be able to feel that in these collections. That even something as simple as Ethiopian Opals set in a lightbulb styled earring would encourage my customers to check the origins, read the prompts included and see how big changes can happen with small movements. I strive to be the best me, not just on good days but every day. I want to create things worth existing! I want to look back on a piece and instantly feel the moment, or be reminded of what it took to create a finish piece. I am in love with process, for that is where I learn to grow. As I am still in my process of achieving that entrepreneurial dream, I continue to grow as an artist, a person, a boss and a human. I thank art for being here because Earth without art is honestly just “Eh” that quote had stuck with me for a long time and I promised myself I would be anything but eh.😉

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Being myself! My elementary teacher dubbed me a social butterfly in third grade. This presented me with two realizations, one; I talk too much and two; conversation was a strong point for me. Growing up being a social butterfly has helped me in a tremendous way. I now, have the confidence to speak out-loud and in front of crowds, I am not afraid to voice my opinion, I speak up for those that may not have that voice, and I ask questions. Thousands of them if need be, I was once told theres no such thing as a bad question and I took that to heart. In the art community, speaking and being an extrovert is kinda a cheat code. A lot of artists are behind the scenes, and although I love that role as well, being outgoing has allowed me to build a reputation. I am going to answer all your questions, I am going to make sure you have a clear understanding of what you are purchasing and what we are designing. I am very friendly, and genuine I have never been in the business of sugar coating a situation that deserves mud, but delivery is everything and I definitely can address concerns and not make people feel less than or shortened. Staying true to who I am has been the best way to build a reputation. But! That comes second to having QUALITY products.

Do you have multiple revenue streams – if so, can you talk to us about those streams and how your developed them?

Yes! I strive to have as many incomes as possible without burnout. Sugarforbrains is a jewelry/art brand, under this umbrella business, I offer my services as an artist. This includes, museum tours where we break down the origins of the art and speak freely about how we feel on the pieces. I offer classes to beginners and seasoned artists/jewelers which helps to tune skills or learn new ones. I host community events, and private ones with an art focus. Another revenue stream would be that I host private critiques, I call my network of artists/professionals in and we critique working artists work, offer them guidance and solutions to continue in their practice. I also offer custom jewelry pieces, this grants me access to a different line of customers as I get to work with platinum, diamonds, precious stones, etc.. I am all for maximizing the talents you have and I look to add more streams of revenue in my field.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sugarforbrains.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/sugarforbrains
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/sugarforbrains

Image Credits
Sade Simmons