We were lucky to catch up with Samantha Lose recently and have shared our conversation below.
Samantha, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?
I have always been interested in a variety of arts and crafts, from sketching to knitting to painting. I remember when I was younger I would wake up early in the morning and go to the basement in my family’s house and color pictures of the dreams that I had. I was in knitting club in high school, but could never finish a project so I dropped the hobby. In college I began painting, and experimenting with jewelry making. I had a mushroom hemp necklace and I loved how macrame and hemp jewelry looked. Eventually, after collecting a ton of pendants and searching for a hemp artists, my husband told me I should learn the art of macrame. I went to Michael’s and got a bunch of hemp string and beads and picked out my favorite pendants. I made my first piece of jewelry in my moms candy apple trailer at the Grange Fair here in PA, and I fell in love! Eventually my jewelry box became so full with my hemp jewelry creations, my husband had another great idea that I should start a jewelry business. So SunnyDaze was born, starting with an Etsy and Depop shop. Starting my own small business made me feel so proud, and occupied my time so beneficially! My love for hemp jewelry continued into exploration with Resin jewelry and artwork, but both crafts bored me quickly. I was looking for a craft that would keep my interest and allow endless creativity. I went to my moms house one day and found my old knitting needles and yarn, I knew I hated how complicated knitting seemed with two needles, so I decided to learn to crochet and I haven’t looked back since! SunnyDazeWithSam’s crochet artwork is all over the world, and has brought me the most happiness and humbleness! I love constantly getting to explore my own creativity and turn those creative thoughts into magical, wearable, pieces of art! What started with a collection of hemp jewelry turned into this magical journey filled with so much yarn and love!
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.
SunnyDazeWithSam began with a small hemp jewelry hobby, and expanded into this beautiful, colorful world of crochet! Originated in PA, I work full time as an activities director in dementia care, and part time as a small business owner. I am the designer and creator of SunnyDazeeeWithSam, and a one woman business! Every item is handmade inch by inch by me out of my home here in the beautiful State College! I take pride in my bold, colorful, unique creations. All of my creations are inspired by the rave and festival culture. Electric Forest located in Michigan changed my life with its bright and mesmerizing artwork and people, it really jump started my interest in being a small business owner, I loved the connections I made with the rave and festival community. My favorite part of my business is seeing my creations at shows and festivals, it is so rewarding seeing people literally GLOWING in your creations! I love being recognized for my eye catching, one of a kind creations. My favorite items are my Aikido Collections and Shaggy Fringe Collection. I want my customers to feel sexy, beautiful, unique, and comfortable in their skin! Outside of my full time job and my business, I live with my husband Alec, our two dogs and our cat, avid animal lovers! We spend much of my time traveling, exploring a variety of music and arts festivals, hiking and bike riding! I am so blessed with the gift of my mind and my body, and love seeing how SunnyDazeee has evolved after all of these years, I can’t wait to see what the future holds!
How did you build your audience on social media?
Between Instagram Facebook and Tik Tok I have over 100,000 followers, and it took hard work and tons of dedication! I had no experience in social media marketing, or running a business, so my entire journey has been me learning and experimenting. I had friends that were small business owners, and my younger brother was majoring in marketing and business, so with their advice and constant experimentation online, I finally started to build an effective following on the above websites, primarily focusing my social media marketing on Instagram. For those starting a social media presence I have a few tips for you that have helped me during my journey so far, though I am no professional and am constantly learning! First I’ve learned it is so important to consistently post. When looking at Instagram I always post one post and one reel a day. Reusing content is okay! It draws more attention to your audience to specific posts, and it helps reach people that haven’t previously seen your past posts. It’s so important to stay up to day with current trends, whether that be trending sounds, filters, or hashtags. Keep your audience engaged. Ask them what material they enjoy seeing from you on social media, keep them engaged by replying to comments, communicating openly through messages, directly sending them your posts. Social media has been the greatest experience for me as far as marketing my business goes, and has introduced me to SO many incredible artists and people, in and out of the rave community!
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
Being a small business owner and creative artist has been rewarding in so many ways. Most importantly I get to express myself openly and comfortably. There have been so many times I have been uncomfortable in my own skin, especially during my time as a small business owner. Sometimes it is hard to be so cool, calm and collected as a small business owner and creative artist. Social media pressure and other uncontrollable outside forces can effect your sales and views, impacting how you feel about your creations. Do NOT let that affect you long term because your artwork IS amazing! It IS unique! It IS loved! And that kind of confidence is exactly what motivates me to continue to create. It is so empowering to be as confident and carefree as I have been since I have found my love for crochet. I love creating these weird, fabulous, and colorful pieces and having my customers find that same comfort and confidence that I do when I wear my creations. The feeling I get seeing people flaunt my artwork is overwhelming, and forever humbling. I have finally found peace within myself, and created a life for myself that is so beautiful and bright, and I’m happy to design such funky, carefree creations for the world!
Contact Info:
- Website: sunnydazeeewithsam.com
- Instagram: @sunnydazeeecreations
- Facebook: SunnyDazeee With Sam Handmade Hemp Jewelry
- TikTok: @sunnydazewithsam