We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Tamara Shibata. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Tamara below.
Tamara, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?
In September of 2022, I was let go from my 9-5 job (that I kind of hated but was paying the bills) and decided to go full-time with my small business. Up to that point, I had spent a couple years building Woven Handmade, my clay earring and macrame accessory business. I was doing makers markets every weekend and basically spending every free moment creating. Looking back, my fear of the unknown was really what held me back from going full-time. I was overwhelmed with the legalities of owning a small business, dealing with taxes and permits, licenses, and having my livelihood really dependent on my personal creativity. Let’s just say, it’s a different pressure to do your business as a side hustle vs. depending on it to pay rent, buy groceries, etc. But by the time I lost my job in 2022 I had already established a good foundation for my business, had built a small but loyal clientele, and I was ready to take the leap.
While I think I could have gone full-time sooner, I don’t have any regrets about the timing. I know that every experience I had leading up to me starting my creative journey was a learning experience. I spent years as a social media manager for multiple organizations, which gave me experience in marketing and advertising. I worked in administrative and retail jobs that helped me grow in organization and business practices. I worked in youth ministry which gave me important people-skills that fueled my community based business. And so many other experiences have shaped me into the business owner I am today. I am grateful for the time I’ve had to grow before starting Woven Handmade.
Tamara, 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?
My name is Tamara and I am the owner and creator behind Woven Handmade. I primarily make clay earrings now, but my business has evolved over the years. I started out with a macrame business making wall hangings and home goods. I always had an array of products in my shop including jewelry, keychains, plant hangers, knit beanies etc. I’ve been a crafter and creator all my life – whether it was knitting my cat a scarf as a 9 year old or studying music and vocal performance in college. The arts have always been a passion of mine and a way to express myself creatively.
It wasn’t until 2021 that I decided to make a business out of my creativity. Up to that point, I’d done a couple Christmas markets, but that was it. Makers markets were just starting to take shape after the Pandemic and the local community seemed eager for these types of events. I quickly fell in love with the market scene, which allowed me to get to know my customers in person and to really connect with them. I wanted to spread joy and making art as a business allowed me to make more art and share it in my community. Little by little I was able to grow my business – each year doing more market events, eventually creating my website, doing consignment and wholesale in an array of shops along the Central Coast of California.
The main craft of my business is making polymer clay earrings. It is a craft that took years to hone and I am still constantly learning and trying to become more skilled at my craft. I originally picked up clay to make myself earrings and quickly fell in love with it. Polymer clay is an amazing medium to work with because the possibilities are endless. Since I mix my own colors and design each piece by hand, I’m able to make unique designs that match my style. In my business I only make things that I personally love, so in time I’ve attracted customers that have the same taste and style as me, which is so fun! But of course, I hope there is something for everyone!
One of the things I’m most proud of in my business is the community that I’ve been able to build with my amazing customers and other local makers. I never wanted it to just be about earrings. I wanted my products to bring people joy and remind them that they are seen and loved, that they are unique and were made with a purpose (just like my handcrafted pieces). The people that surround my business are what make Woven what it is – without them there’s no way I’d still be doing this. Connecting with other local creators has been an encouragement and support to my business. And getting to know my customers has been a true joy and I consider many of them friends now. When it comes to my business and this community, all are welcome and I’m so excited to see how we grow in the future!
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
Something I had to unlearn in my business journey was the idea that there was only one way to succeed. With social media these days, it is so easy to compare ourselves to others. It’s easy to see one small business getting thousands of online orders and think that is the sign of success. It’s easy to see all the wins around me and feel completely inadequate and like I could never achieve those standards of success. But what I’ve learned in my personal journey is that success looks different for each person. Through a few years of business and a lot of trial and error, I’ve found a way of doing business that has supported me financially, has built a supportive and caring community around me, and built something that I’m proud of and still enjoy doing. Thinking about success in that way has filled me with endless gratitude.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
Building a social media following has been a very long process. For me, it’s never been about going viral and having millions of followers. It’s been about slowly building a clientele that know and trust me, and love my products. I want to build a community that keeps coming back, that want to share with their friends and family, that want to be along for the ride. My top priority is building a community that is connected over just a high number of followers. Followers does not always equal sales.
Social media is constantly changing and shifting so there is no ‘one size fits all’. The thing I would encourage the most is consistency. Posting regularly, sharing behind the scenes, showing your process, inspiring people. I love to film process videos where I show clips of me making the earrings. This shows my customers that I hand-make all of my pieces, shows the attention to detail and skill it takes, puts value on the time it takes, and helps my customers feel more invested in my pieces. They feel like they’re a part of the process in a way.
Take note of what is popular at the time – when reels were introduced and Instagram was pushing them the most, I posted a reel every day for the first few months. Be posting a variety of content: reels, posts, carousels, and stories. Instagram stories get way more behind the scenes content for my followers and I post polls and ask questions to get people’s input. This helps me to know what my customers want to see more of and what they will be purchasing.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://wovenhandmade.com
- Instagram: @wovenhandmadecrafts
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wovenhandmadecrafts/
- Other: TikTok: @wovenhandmadecrafts
