Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Samantha Pendleton. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Samantha, looking forward to hearing all of your stories 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 am officially earning a full time income as a creative as of last December. It’ s scary and wonderful all at the same time. I was able to do this by learning patience, accepting rejection and realizing the transition wouldn’t occur over night. I thought if I started an Etsy and a website people would just flock to it and it doesn’t happen that way. I now know that my people skills are just as important as my creative skills. You can have the most beautiful products and if no one knows about them they aren’t going to sell. You have to talk about your business for people to know about your business exists. I wish I had that knowledge and confidence in the beginning. I was so nervous to put my self out there and tell people that I had officially started my business because I was so scared of rejection. You have to remember that your style isn’t everyone’s style and that’s ok.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I was raised by two amazing parents who always allowed me to be creative and supported me in every decision I have made. I was always painting and always obsessed with fashion. I was raised in the mountains of Colorado where fashion and arts wasn’t necessarily prioritized. So, when I was younger I wanted to fit in as most young kids do and decided to prioritized sports. When I entered high school I began to enter more art classes and realized I remembered that it was what I love, From there on out I took as many creative classes as I could. Anywhere from jewelry making to wood shop. After messing around with different creative paths I caught myself slowly making more and more jewelry out of repurposed items and from there it was settled, I do still love to paint on the side and love painting wearable products.

I think the best part of what I do is I get to give back to causes near and dear to my heart. For every jewelry purchase I donate a portion of proceeds to mental health resources, equal rights and to one of my favorite local charities, Heidi’s Hero’s.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

I think as a society we need to get rid of the stigmas that reside around being a creative and an artist. On a daily bases I hear:
How’s your ‘little’ business?
Are you going to get a ‘real’ job?
Can I have a discount?
These are things you would never ask any other business. It’s frustrating that most don’t see what it actually takes. The fact that society looks at creative careers as a hobby needs to change. Most people in these careers are smart, educated entrepreneurs with a skill set most others don’t have. On top of that they are running successful businesses. They are the marketing department, the book keepers, the creative directors, the customer service department and most importantly they make the product you are buying with their bare hands.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I think the biggest thing I have unlearned is the myths of social media and that you don’t have to have a huge following to have a successful business. I do think it is an important part of you marketing strategy but, it is not a marketing strategy. I wish in the beginning I would have focused more on marketing towards wholesale and markets. Yes, social media is important but follows aren’t guaranteed sales and you need sales to have a business. I also needed to learn that I didn’t need to appeal to the masses and that my products aren’t for everyone. I needed to really narrow in on what I wanted my brand to be.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.pndltnandco.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pndltn.co/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=pndltn%20and%20co