Today we’d like to introduce you to Danielle Kaminski.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I am like a lot of artists and creatives, my business started out as a crafty hobby in 2010. I began making jewelry for myself, family & friends and it grew into selling my pieces out of a Tupperware container in the breakroom at my 9-5!
In 2014, I found a local collective and fell in love. They actually didn’t want any more jewelry vendors, but they were looking for a candlemaker. I had made a few candles for my DIY wedding the year before and thought, why not!
Once I began selling my products there I started trying out all kinds of things and went back to some of the crafty skills I’d used as a teenager even.
I lost my first son in 2016 to a fatal birth defect and decided I wanted to pursue work that was more meaningful and personal to me. So I’ve been a full-time artist and maker since 2017. In 2018 I became a partner at that collective that I fell so in love with and today it’s all mine. I get to work with other creatives every day and help them build platforms for their own creative businesses.
Most of my art these days is focused around fiber. I love to weave and incorporate that into my canvas art & jewelry designs.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has definitely not always been an easy road to travel. Any business owner would agree that there are highs and lows. Add to that, no artist or entrepreneur exists in a bubble so the wide-scale economic and social events of the past few years have really affected how we create and how we do business.
On a personal level, I’ve had a lot of losses in the past six years, and running a creative business and holding space for grief at the same time can be a challenge. That being said, as a creative I have a wonderful outlet for processing emotions in my art.
All of that being said, I wouldn’t change my decisions. I love what I do, and business presents new challenges constantly, so I’m never bored! I love finding new ways to serve my community and the ability to work with other creatives is a huge blessing.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
As an artist, I have definitely gone through several shifts over the years, but jewelry has always been a constant for me. It started with a desire for some unique red jewelry and not being able to find what I wanted at a price I personally could afford. I found myself at a craft store in awe of all the stones and beads that were available! It was a natural progression from there and a constant stream of “what if I did this” running through my mind.
The jewelry I made in 2010 is nothing like what I focus on today. I still make some more traditional designs that tell a story or focus on the meaning of the natural stones, but mostly I like to create unique pieces of wearable art. I source all kinds of baubles from different places and I like to incorporate fibers and fabrics into a lot of my designs as well.
I went through a period of painting in volume and I enjoyed it, but what I enjoy the most is painting abstract canvases and then attaching weaving and fibers in a way that add to the dimension and meaning of the piece. I’m an avid reader and I love stories, so creating a series that has a theme or tells a story is one of my favorite things to do.
What’s next?
I’m hoping to lean farther into my love for books in my next series and bring old book pages into the fiber work that I’m doing.
As far as big changes, I’ve been doing this for a while now and a couple of years ago I started creating courses and offering to coach other handmade business owners. That has really picked up over the past year since I started my podcast, Makers Chat, and I will be spending more time there this next as well.
We are currently planning our first annual Makers & Shakers Small Business Conference that will be here in Spartanburg, SC this September. (makersandshakersconference.com)
Contact Info:
- Website: danielleskaminski.com
- Instagram: @danielleskaminski
- Facebook: @danielleskaminski
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDPop2ScnCYT4zjD3NTM_5A
- Other: reinvintagewarehouse.com
