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

Tamaira, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

My mission has evolved since the beginning of Be Kind Ramae. I went from just making designs that I like to wear myself to creating pieces that other people enjoy wearing, Now I design jewelry that encourages you to show up to the office, store opening, in front of a magazine, or even a day out shopping as yourself. I make sure that here at Be Kind Ramae you will get bold, bright, and colorful pieces that you can’t find anywhere else.

Tamaira, 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?

Hi, I am Tamaira, a wife and a mother of five that always had a dream to be a fashion designer. When I was 8, I would hand-sew all my doll baby clothes. By the time I was in high school, I was making prom dresses for my friends. After starting a family I changed careers and finally started an at-home daycare. It was a great opportunity to help others with child care and raise my own. I followed a Preschool teacher in California because she had amazing ideas for including sensory and nature in her curriculum. One random day she decided to make polymer clay earth earrings. I remember buying my oldest an easy-bake craft oven with some clay. I whipped it out and created some earrings of my own. A few days later Be Kind Ramae was born. I fell in love with the process. It was so relaxing to condition clay and then mold it into a sketch you make. I was in the last weeks of my 5th pregnancy so I was in full nesting mode so I created a lot.

I would show the process of creating each piece and the final results. This was in 2019 so shortly after we were in a pandemic. I closed the daycare and started making masks to help with the shortage. What a pivot! So earrings and matching masks. In all businesses I have worked for I have learned that you have to be fluid in what you do. Be Kind Ramae grew in the past few years with a large number of repeat collectors. As we grow I have met so many beautiful polymer clay artists. All though we are all using the same medium our designs are so unique. It always feels great to share their work as well because there is always room for more designers.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I started sharing this on the previous page. During covid, I had to close my home daycare because of the uncertainty of the virus and because several parents were working from home as well. There was a mask shortage so I started hand sewing and selling masks with my earrings. After a few months, the supply of masks increased and I moved back to making earrings.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

There is a statement about looking down the bread aisle and seeing all the different kinds and brands of bread. People use this analogy to say that there is always room in a field that might seem oversaturated. I have learned that people in your field are your competition. It is like an endless battle of beating out the next business. I also learned that this is stressful and not how I want to run Be Kind Ramae. This business was a strong pivot even though it was planned because the pandemic happened so unexpectedly. I had to throw my business out to be my sole income to support my family before I knew it was 100 percent ready. If making earrings out of a block of polymer clay could change my life how can I not help it change other people’s lives? I am always in my Dm’s answering questions on the tools I use, the baking temps, or social media. I share new designers that I meet in my stories with all of my collectors. You never know what sharing someone’s craft can do. In unlearning the need to always compete I have found some great friends in this business.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.bekindramae.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bekind.ramae/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bekindramae
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@BeKindRamae
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@bekindramae?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc