Q&A with Hairy Yeti
A little bit about you..
Hi All! My name is Harriet from Hairy Yeti and I'm in my 20's working my full time job as a graphic designer in a garden machinery company, while also trying to stay creative making handmade polymer clay earrings. I'm originally from Wolverhampton in the Black Country but now live in Nottingham when I met and followed my boyfriend Chris (not in a creepy way) about 5 years ago!
From marketing in my day job to marketing my own work of an evening - it can be tough! However making and seeing my small indie business grow makes it all worthwhile. As well as growing my own shop, I love to support other creative's and making new friends. From organising group loop giveaways to collaborations with other makers!
What you do...
At Hairy Yeti I hand make all my earrings from Fimo polymer clay. The great thing about polymer clay is it's extremely lightweight and comfortable to wear, even our larger pieces are super light! We also cater for sensitive ears (like mine!) with hypoallergenic plastic backing posts. So no irritation or discomfort to your lobes.
Where do you sell your items?
I currently sell most of my jewellery on my own store website hairyyetishop.co.uk which is hosted by Big Cartel. I love having my own URL and page because it does truly feel my own, however I have recently opened an Etsy page to run alongside my website for those who like using Etsy.
Out in the wild I also sell in 'The Shop' @ Sneinton Market in Nottingham, which is a gorgeous little handmade shop in the creative quarter of Nottingham City Centre. Where I have a large range of my earrings out on display next to other talented Nottingham based makers.
Why you started...
After getting my degree in Graphic Design & Illustration, moving to Nottingham and getting my first full time job I somehow let the creative part of my life slide a little. One of the only ways I can describe it is I felt 'grey'. I'd stopped making, drawing, creating, all of it. And I knew I needed to start something back up that filled me with lust and passion again for everything 'rainbow' in my life!
I always knew I wanted to start a small indie business, and once I'd found what I wanted to try I needed a name. What to pick? Something that would be memorable and quirky for sure. One day Nick who I work with in my full time job started calling me Harriettie elaborating on from Harriet. And this name kind of sounded like Harri-Yeti, then slowly morphed into Hairy Yeti. Which he still uses to address his emails to me now!
Are there any advantages or disadvantages of running your own business?
I thought it might be easier to see a pros and cons list for running your own Indie Business:
Pros:
- Meeting new like minded people
- Having some creative self care 'YOU' time
- A great feeling to have something you have built from the ground up
- The day you finally see a profit from your makes
- When someone says they are proud of how far you've come and what you've achieved
Cons:
- Staying organised with your content, makes and orders
- Feeling overwhelmed with 'am I doing this right?'
(By the way - there is no wrong and right. It's YOUR business so your decisions are the right ones)
- Feeling you have no time to finish everything
- Comparing yourself to others
- Feeling like you're being unproductive
All of this mixed together is what it feels like to run an Indie Business. Love, stress, love and stress again! But oh it's so worth it!
Shop links:
Instagram:
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