How did you get into metalsmithing? "I developed an obsession with turquoise in 2018. It literally developed overnight. Until then, I used to think it was an "old lady stone", guess I'm an old lady now ;). Anyhow, I bought a few pieces of old Navajo jewelry and the workmanship was amazing, so I wanted to know how it was all put together. I looked up silversmithing classes and came up on Harold studio and the rest is history (not that long of a history I guess).   What inspires you? I find inspiration in different places...antiques, old metal structures and even stones themselves (sometimes I "sit" on them until it "comes" to me what they should be). My love for vintage and rustic shows in textures and designs of my jewelry. What is your design process? Design process...as much as I overplan in all other aspects of my life, jewelry design just comes to me. I start working on something and it develops into...

You’re feeling pretty awesome lately. An art-based event company approached you about exhibiting and selling your jewelry to a large audience. It’s different from your local farmers market and sounds more sophisticated than your opportunity to sell at a local school fair. However, don’t get distracted by sleek, marketing tactics – the chic website and venue location. Here’s some tip-offs that an event may not be worth your time: The event organizers don’t ask to see images of your work. A legitimate art /artisan-focused event company would have a juried selection process from which to decide which artists participate in a given event.  They require you to sell tickets to the event. This in turn, takes time away from you that you could be applying to your craft, or making new pieces. Not to mention, it can cause friends/family to feel awkward or obliged to support you vs. you simply inviting them to the event – no strings attached.   They insist you...

One of the unexpected, but very much appreciated perks of Harold Studio, is all of the relationships I have gained. I have found and made so many friends, formed so many positive relationships through the studio, I am extremely blessed. I have come to care about so many special people that have come into my life over the years. Some are snowbirds(people who enjoy the beautiful weather Arizona offers in the winter months, then leave for the hot summer months). They spend a fair amount of time at the studio and we get to know each other, then they are gone for months and I really feel like a friend is gone. But they keep in touch through email, interested in my life and keeping me up to date with theirs. I have met many husbands who tell me they are grateful to me because their wives are so happy to have the studio to go to and get so much out of it. I have been over to their homes for dinner, been through the ups and downs of relationships, of life with them. Given and received comfort....

I left my full time job last August, not quite 2 years after I opened Harold Studio. The decision was incredibly terrifying for me, a young woman with a mortgage and other things in life to worry about keeping up with financially, to do. It is, still, somewhat of a terrifying idea to me. Being under 30, owning my own home and responsible for my own paycheck(or being self-employed). I have acquaintances who think I've got it all together. That I have a good head on my shoulders, and that I know what I'm doing. I think the only people who really know how terrified I am are my parents and the one or two other people who are closest to me. I seriously have very little clue what I'm doing most of the time. Most of the time, I am asking the advice of many different people. Some, whose opinions I value, others who I know will have a different perspective than one I've considered before. Most of the time I am doing things by trial and error and hopefully learning from where...

Hi everyone! I've been asked recently how I went about starting my business. I thought you should know I definitely had a lot of help. One of the places I went to first is SBDC . The Small Business Development Center can help you from concept to business plan to marketing. They definitely helped me out a lot. http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/print-edition/2011/07/22/social-media-help-being-offered-to.html I already knew what I wanted to achieve with Harold Studio, SBDC just helped guide me along the path. Here is an article about how they helped me with marketing in the Phoenix Business Journal . If you're thinking about starting a business and need some help with marketing, or anything for that matter, SBDC is a great place to start! I was also asked to speak at SNAG about starting Harold Studio and will soon write a post that is a little more in depth about the process. Hope you're all having a wonderful week! -Johanna...