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

Sarah, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I’d call myself a self taught maker. There is no ‘right’ way to design and create, especially something as unique as jewelry. I went through a lot of trial and error at first – finding the materials I liked best, figuring out what type of designs resonated with me and getting a handle on the pliers took me some time. I really love ring and bracelet bending. I take antique and vintage silverware that I’ve sourced from local thrift stores and create one of a kind pieces. I’ve learned how to make rings, cuff bracelets, earrings and pendants. When i’m not making silverware pieces I enjoy working with different brass designs – usually involving geometry and nature. I’ve never taken a jewelry making class or had any professional training, but I do enjoy learning from others through resources like YouTube. Beyond that, I think it’s really fun to build your own process and find out what works for you as an artist. I’m still learning everyday how to bring my work to its fullest potential, but the most essential skill for me so far has been learning to trust myself. When it comes to our work, our art – we need to believe in ourselves one hundred percent to truly flourish.

Sarah, 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’ve been making jewelry for as long as I can remember – not well by any means, but creating it none the less. I was obsessed with those little embroidery floss friendship bracelets as a kid, and I always loved that after all the effort of making it was over, I could proudly wear it on display for the whole world to see. The beginning of my Etsy shop, Hollowear – began during a flare up. I have an autoimmune disease that can kick my butt and keep me on the couch for a few weeks, or months at a time. A few years ago during one of these flareups, I found myself bored, depressed and struggling with my mental health. I needed some kind of activity to keep me in a good headspace. I pulled out some beads and crystals I had from previous projects and made a light catcher to hang in the window near my setup on the couch. I had so much fun creating patterns and wire wrapping crystals that I decided to spend most of my sick days making light catchers. Teaching myself how to build these pieces really shined a light on me during a very dark time of my life. I realized how much I loved making these silly little light catchers and things expanded from there.

I still make light catchers and wall hangings, but I also make earrings, bracelets, necklaces and one of a kind antique silverware pieces. The name Hollowear actually comes from an old word (holloware) meaning special silver serving accessories. My Etsy shop is a revolving door filled with whatever type of items I’ve been inspired to make recently. I absolutely love going all out when it comes to packaging and delivery. Each order gets its own box – I drop in a few stickers, dried flowers, sometimes sea shells when I’ve picked up some extra from the local beaches, or If I’ve made extra prints lately I’ll add one of those in also. I wrap everything up in twine, address a little note, finish it off with a stamp, and add a few more dried flowers before sealing it up and sending it on its way. Delivering a package with so many little parts is my special way of saying thank you. I have so many wonderful customers that provide really touching feedback and support.

I do all of my making, marketing and order fulfillment on my days off from my day job as a massage therapist. I run a small massage business called Mind&Matter St. Petersburg, where I provide clients with in-home luxury massage sessions. As I continue working and Hollowear continues to grow, one of my future goals includes donating a percentage of every sale to non-profits that are dedicated to helping women.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I was really blind sided in May of 2020 when I got fired from my job as a manager/barista at a local coffee shop. I was not expecting to be laid off. On top of that, my boyfriend worked for the same business and was also laid off at the same time. It was an ugly process and it left us in a very stressful situation. Amid a global pandemic we were now having to accept the fact that the company we had worked at for years was laying off employees – leaving us with absolutely no income. I suffered from a lot of anxiety during this time which triggered my autoimmune disease and I ultimately landed myself smack in the center of a flare up. Spending most of my days sad and bored is when I first started making jewelry. After launching my Etsy shop, I began regaining my health and recovering from the lay off. I started thinking about how I wanted my work life to be, and that I never wanted to rely on someone else to earn my living.

My autoimmune disease really gave me perspective on what life is all about. It taught me to manage stress and how when stress is not kept in check it can wreak havoc on the body. Since my diagnosis 5 years ago, i’ve become obsessed with the mind – body connection. How thoughts effect our health and how our brain and body interact. My time in school while getting my degree in psychology taught me a lot about how the brain works – but now I was interested in how the body fit into the puzzle. I kept finding myself drawn to massage therapy. It checked all the boxes: career in the wellness field, able to be self employed, centered around the mind body connection, I decided to enroll in a massage therapy program in May of 2021 and as of now I’m a practicing LMT. My boyfriend now manages a local art/frame/mirror business and just started working as a real estate agent.

In retrospect, this lay off was a great chance for us to get out of the rut we’d found ourselves in – not only in our past, dead end jobs but in our lives. We took this as a chance to reevaluate what we wanted from life and how we were going to get it.

: Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My goal is to create enough financial freedom within my businesses to fully support myself. I’m a strong believer in rest and I will always advocate for working less and living more. I’m working hard now in order to create the future I dream of.

Beyond financial independence, I’d like to build a Hollowear donation fund that would collect a percentage of profit from each sale on my Etsy shop. I want to use that percentage to support organizations that are dedicated to helping women and girls. Feminism is a cause I’ve always fought for and I can’t wait for the day when Hollowear can generate enough profit to begin making donations to organizations that advocate for women.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/hollowear
• Instagram: sunsistersarah
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Hollowearshop/
• Other: https://www.facebook.com/MINDMATTERSTPETE/ [email protected]