about: MARY ELIZABETH ANDREWS

I’m a southern girl living in the big city.  I earned my Bachelor of Fine Arts in my home town of Richmond, VA at Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of the Arts, moved to New York shortly thereafter, and have been designing and making jewelry professionally for just over 4 years.

As a result of selling my designs online, I also procured a position working for the company, Etsy.com, where I help organize the site’s merchandising efforts.

Where are you located?
I travel back and forth often between Brooklyn, NY and Richmond, VA.  My roots are in the south but I started chasing dreams in the North.

My Brooklyn apartment is located in Williamsburg, a neighborhood flourishing with creative artists, musicians, and innovative places to dine and shop.  One can draw inspiration simply walking down the street among so many expressive individuals.

What do you do when you are not designing jewelry?
Aside from designing jewelry, I help organize the merchandising efforts for Etsy.com, an online marketplace for all things handmade and vintage.  It’s inspiring and motivating to be immersed in a world where so many emerging artists and designers are constantly exhibiting new work.

In my free time, I look forward to indulging in flea markets, farmer’s markets, and antiquing.  I also love to try out new recipes, learn new craft skills, read design blogs, and am an admitted reality TV addict.

What drove you to become an artist/ designer?
As most artists and designers might tell you, creative expression is something I live and breathe; I simply wouldn’t be who I am without it.  I believe an artistic point of view is something people are born with, similar to your unique fingerprint.

What drove me into following a career path in the professional arts field was the support and encouragement of family and friends.  I’d also have to admit being an optimist at heart helped me take the leap of faith that following a dream is the only true way to go.

Tell us about your unique artistic style and the creative process behind it?
I’d describe my artistic style as a combination of the evocative, romantic, and nostalgic.  With a background in metals and textiles, my creative process typically integrates an assemblage of metal and found vintage objects.

I’m continually fascinated with the idea of re-purposing everyday objects into a piece of jewelry which is clever and inspiring to both those wearing it and those that catch a glimpse of it on others in passing.  I’m forever collecting new finds to incorporate into my jewelry aesthetic.

My most popular lines are those that are made up of bracelets from reworked antique silver forks and reclaimed pocket knives fashioned into necklaces.  I find motivation in making pieces that tell a story beyond their face value.

If you were not an artist/ designer, what would be the alternative career path you choose?
I’d most likely have taken a stab at singer/songwriter, settled into being a boutique owner, or fashion buyer for a larger corporation.

How do you promote yourself?
I’m always looking for new and unique ways of marketing my designs and am open to trying out a new technique before discounting it’s benefit to my business.  Currently, I use the following methods of marketing:

• I use Etsy as a destination for my website which has a powerful amount of traffic already looking for handmade unique designs.

• I take advantage of social media like Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, email newsletters, and write frequently in my own blog.

• I integrated Google Analytics into my website and use it to track and analyze everything from which design is the most popular, where people are coming from when finding my designs, and what words they are searching for in search engines to find my pieces.  I use all of this information to make informed marketing and business decisions.

• I’m a believer in unique business cards, wearing my own designs, giving free pieces to local musicians and other people in the industry who may wear my jewelry to an event and, ahem, mention my business name when they receive a compliment.

• I include cards with a coupon code to encourage repeat business and make sure to use creative memorable packaging to keep my business in the mind of the recipient the next time they think about buying jewelry either for themselves or as a gift for someone else.

• I work with boutiques and retailers on a wholesale basis, offer free shipping to all of my customers, and have a painless return/refund policy to ensure customers are pleased with their overall experience.

What’s your way(s) to balancing work and life?
Work is my life, I’m lucky enough to be able to intertwine the two into something I love.  When you pursue exactly what it is you love to do, it doesn’t feel like work.

That being said,  I try not to let my work define who I am and am lucky in that I have incredible friends and family to pull me away from the computer and even me out.

I love a good weekend get-away and sharing a good meal with those I care most about.  It all comes down to the people you love in the end.

Could you share any insight for people just entering the profession?

• I think it’s important to take your business seriously and be your own best advocate, something I wish I would have had more confidence in when starting out myself.  It’s important to be professional while remaining humble at the same time.

• Instead of looking at what’s currently out there in the market and trying to do something similar due to it’s popularity, try looking for what isn’t there and how you could fill that niche in an interesting and clever way.

• If your plan includes an online presence, quality photography is key.  Take the time to learn what style of photos work best for your business and invest in the tools to help you achieve this look.  Etsy provides a bevy of free and excellent photography advice for someone just getting started whether Etsy is in your business plan or not.

• Customer service is a large component to the success of any business, your best spokesmen and marketers are your customers, so take good care of them and make sure they are happy with their experience.

• Finally, don’t be afraid to try new things or reinvent yourself.  If something you’ve put time and energy into isn’t working, don’t beat yourself up about it or continue to do something that doesn’t work; figure out why it didn’t work and change it.  Embrace the mistakes you make along the way and use them as a learning tool to grow your business moving forward.

Who is the person that you look up to in the professional world? Why so?
I admire the way Emily Martin of The Black Apple has cultivated her unique aesthetic into a successful and growing cottage industry and global micro-brand.

She’s taken the uncommon components of her life and pieced them together in a way that gives the public a compelling look into her world.  She’s remained true to herself and ideas in way that has allowed her take control of the direction her future holds.  In my opinion, she has captured what it means to live the American Dream.

What music are you listening lately?
Lately I’ve been into Adele, Lily Allen, Duffy, Emily Easterly, and Mieka Pauley.

Name 3 your favorite books.
Real Simple’s Meals Made Easy, Martha Stewart’s Cooking School, and my Google Reader (these count, right?  right.).  Being creative at heart, I’ve always been more interested in learning new skills and I find inspiration in reading the musings of the creative minds behind the design and artist blogs I follow regularly.

What do you like the smell of?
I love the smell of a crackling fire in the cold air.  It’s an unmistakable reminder of the change in season, time moving forward, and good times to come.

If you have online portfolio (website/awards/credits/client’s showcase), what is the URL?
Find my jewelry at contrary.etsy.com
Keep up with me on my blog: Contrary Garden
See my photos on Flickr: Contrary
Follow me on Twitter: marymarytweets

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