A few months ago I stumbled upon Delcie’s product at a holiday Bazaar. With stunning delicate pieces and thoughtful shapes, I knew her work was soon going to be on rotation in my accessories wardrobe. Here’s what I love about Delcie’s story. She’s self-taught, working from her dining room table in a two-bedroom apartment. Like many makers she’s choosing to start somewhere, investing and growing her business bit by bit. As I met her and uncovered her story, I quickly realized I was uncovering many of your stories as well. You’re pursuing dreams on the side and perfecting a craft over a kitchen table. There’s no fancy studios or financial bakers. It’s simply doing what you love and having the courage to put your work out there. If you’re a maker that’s just starting out or one that’s been around for a while, I can’t recommend this 5 minute read enough. (Make sure to check out the exclusive discount code for you, our dear readers, at the bottom of this post.)
Keep reading for the full interview after the jump!
1. How did it all begin? What started your love for creating?
It all started when I was a little girl. I found cool little beads at Michael’s and decided I was going to make earrings as a Christmas gift for my Mom. Cute, right? I bought the worst wire, and the earrings were pretty hideous (I thought). Still, this sparked a passion in me for creating jewelry. After this, I just kept playing with beads over the years. As time went on, my Dad suggested that I could be creative with Scrabble pieces and make earrings using people’s initials, so I did. I also made earrings using bottle caps. They ended up being these random jewelry pieces, but people loved them! I sold them a few different ways, like yard sales and Facebook. And that’s how the jewelry making began!
I grew up loving to make “things,” no matter what they were. My dad taught me to cook and I love it to this day. My parents are both graphic designers, so there were all kinds of artistic materials lying around. We were always drawing and painting, and building things out of clay and wood. My love for making things really did start at home.
2. What inspires your creative process? How do you cultivate inspiration?
Mostly Pinterest, honestly. I’ll look at Pinterest or Instagram, get ideas from outfits that I like, take the elements I love, and incorporate a little of my personality to make it unique. I saw similar earrings on Pinterest, loved them, and figured I could make them for myself. I taught myself techniques, sourced certain materials, and figured out what I needed to create what I wanted. I looked at what other people had made on Etsy or Pinterest and took elements I liked, making them my own. Sometimes I’ll draw a piece out initially, but most of the time my process looks like trial and error. I love to see if something will work and have quite a few bungled pieces of gold, but it’s worth it!
3. What are some ways you want to grow your business and your craft this year?
Honestly, I’m expecting the business to grow and become an additional stream of income. While I’m a full-time student and enjoy the other 2 jobs I have, I’m committed to seeing the business grow. I plan to build partnerships with stores who would like to carry my product, as well as influencers on Instagram. It would be incredible to see my work in some of my favorite stores. Eventually, I’d like my online store to have not only a national, but an international reach.
4. How does your space inspire you?
More than the items in my space, I focus on how the space feels. I light a few candles, make sure it’s clean, and put on some of my favorite music (One of my other passions is making playlists on Spotify!). I work best when my space is quiet and peaceful. Seeing an idea go from my brain to a finished product, brings a lot of life to the process and keeps me motivated!
5. How do you approach life as a creative in Redding? What is your personal role in bringing transformation to the culture?
There are a lot of creatives in Redding, which is amazing. I am just starting out, but already I have felt a lot of support and camaraderie from my peers. They’ve been so supportive and encouraging, which is really unique, and not something I think you’d find in many other cities. This is where transformation comes from – building a culture of support and encouragement. While I know Redding is too small a market for my jewelry, I’m excited to be here for now.
As far as transforming the culture here, the one thing will really make a difference is showcasing excellence. From the beginning of process, through to the choice of material and finished product, excellence is everything. This is something that is really important for me. I’ve made a conscious decision to value quality over cost. It’s the core of what I want to bring to this community with the products I offer.
We hope you’ve enjoyed our interview with Delcie! As a special thank you to our readers, she is offering 15% discount off her product. Use GLISTEN18 upon checkout on your order.
Tomorrow we’ll be featuring some of our favorite products from her store. We’ll see you then!