Carrie Saxl is the owner of Carrie Saxl Jewelry, a local business offering unique, handcrafted jewelry designed for all ages.
Carrie always had a desire to be self-employed, although she was not exactly sure how that would take shape. She studied fashion and costume design in college but eventually fell in love with jewelry making after taking a few metal-smith courses. While uncertain as to whether she would be able to make a career out of designing and creating her own jewelry, Carrie courageously followed her intuition and started a part-time jewelry designing business in 2001 during her senior year in college. Eventually, she was able to transition her business to full-time.
But the going has not always been smooth. Initially Carrie did well creating seasonal collections as a wholesaler, however when her first child was born in the midst of the recession’s slowdown she was forced to reassess everything. How she could be both a fully-present mom while continuing to run a thriving business in challenging economic times? She describes the dual responsibility of both career and family as creating a kind of ‘earthquake’ for her. Having children forced her to make adjustments, and this was a huge reason behind her decision to switch her wholesale business to retail. Travelling and managing sales representatives all over the country was great for her expanding business, she found, but she wanted to spend more time with her children too. She decided to pull her business back to part-time, and then began creating pieces she simply enjoyed to wear herself – which also she found to be much more fun!
Part of the challenge Carrie has faced in being both a mom and entrepreneur is endemic to her trade – creative artists thrive on inspiration, and this usually requires free time and a not-so-rigid schedule. Yet children don’t usually allow this freedom. And while she is helped by a personality that takes things in stride and ‘goes with the flow,’ she found there is only so much time that she has for her work, like when the children are sleeping or in school. As such, productivity and efficiency became more of a priority.
To be more organized and successful, Carrie, like all the mompreneurs I have had the opportunity to interview, reminded me that they couldn’t do it without the proper support. Whether it is a partner, family, or friends, there would be no space for recovery or sanity without the help of others. She also reminded me that her work-life balance depends on the stages of everyone’s life in her household, so it is ever evolving. Moreover, her work is not always proportioned equally since her business often follows seasonal trends, and some months she must devote more time and energy to her business than others.
When she is not working, Carrie enjoys sharing creative moments with her children. Sometimes they get to make pieces in her studio, but she sees ‘all things crafty’ as great bonding time. She loves the outdoors as well, so trips to the zoo, museums, and exploring the outdoors are some of their favorite experiences together as a family.
Finally, I asked Carrie to share some “Words of Wisdom” in her experience of being a mompreneur. She talked about how essential it is to keep the right kind of support in place and the need for all mompreneurs to cut themselves some slack because most of us want to ‘do it all’ and often find we can’t. She has therefore learned to outsource some work if possible so she can use her own time and skills more effectively. And, of course, she has to take care of herself too!
There is actually a no better time to feature Carrie as our mompreneur than the week before Mother’s Day! Her Mother-Daughter collection, like many of her pieces, is sweet, simple, classic, and durable. Carrie loves creating custom pieces as well, and her best clients are moms who want to look pretty without a whole lot of fuss. While she has a website, her store activity operates predominately through Etsy. Etsy has been great for Carrie’s business because it is user-friendly, efficient, and it naturally reaches a wide audience of potential clients due to its browsing capacity. In fact, if you are looking for a special Mother’s Day gift uniquely designed and handcrafted with love, check out the fabulous creations at Carrie Saxl Studio on Facebook and Instagram.
Contact Carrie Saxl
info@carriesaxl.com
Follow Carrie
https://www.facebook.com/carriesaxl/
https://www.instagram.com/carriesaxlstudio/
https://www.etsy.com/shop/carriesaxl
From Etsy:
With a penchant for combining unexpected materials and pushing the envelope of traditional techniques, Carrie Saxl jewelry puts reinvention at a premium. Add to that an aesthetic dictated predominately by organic modernism and it is little wonder that her work leaves a lasting impression.
Growing up in rural Kansas, Carrie was no stranger to challenging small town convention. She carries that sensibility in her jewelry design, challenging herself to create unique and novel pieces. From designs that combine sewing with metalsmithing, to pieces that juxtapose ink against silver and gold vermeil, Carrie’s concept of design is about taking ideas rooted in fantasy and translating them into tactile pieces of wearable art.
Congrats! To both Carrie for being Numerous Uno featured and to Sakhon for getting her baby launched off the ground! Success to you both in the future. thanks for allowing me in to be a part of your world.