Hello everyone!! Welcome back. I’m so sorry I wasn’t able to blog last week. We had a major storm and our power was out long enough to disrupt my entire week, hence the lack of a new blog post. I try to blog at least once, or possibly twice a week, and I dropped the ball. I didn’t want to throw this post together quickly though because I am super excited about it. This will be my first local highlight of 2017 AND it’s also going to be my first “client case” for my blog. If you’re new to the blog, or you’ve been reading for a while but didn’t know, I am a personal stylist and photographer. When local jeweler, Margaret hired me to help her develop an image for her new company which infuses her jewelry as well as her yoga. It was a ton of fun so I thought I could combine everything we did in this little post as well as talk about her cool new business.

 

 

The Process

Moodboard

Before heading over to Margaret’s, I sent her a questionnaire and tried to get an idea of what she needed in her wardrobe. After reading her answers, I created a mood board to help guide us in building her wardrobe.

Closet Cleanse

I have a couple of different packages that I offer and Margaret decided to piece a couple of things together to suit her needs. First, we did a massive closet clean out. Margaret is like many of us in that she had tons and tons of clothes, but felt like she didn’t have anything to wear. There is such a thing as too many clothes, believe it or not!! I went to her house one morning, sat on the floor, and we went through each piece of clothing she had, following some simple rules. It took us a couple of hours, and even when we were done, we were not really done. I gave Margaret an assignment to go through some more of her stuff, follow our rules, and get rid of anything that didn’t apply. I’m going to assume that she followed through, but you may have to ask her (hehe). Even though this seems like something you can do by yourself, I think it’s really important to have someone like me come in and push your to purge. It’s hard to get rid of things, especially if we’ve had them a long time, but I kept reminding her that out goes the old and makes room for the new. With a little encouragement, she was able to get rid of a lot of excess to help streamline her decision making when putting together an outfit.

Putting Together What You Have

After we got rid of everything, I helped put together a couple of outfits for Margaret, just to give her some different ideas using what she already had. Margaret has a really cool style, and it’s very unique. I loved so many of the pieces she already had, she just needed some help trimming down and putting things together.

 

Building a List

The last step was to build a shopping guide. Margaret wanted to do the shopping herself, versus me going out and shopping for her, so I created a detailed list of items to finish her new look. When we met again to take her headshots, she showed me all of the items she purchased. She did such a good job, and it made me happy to know that I helped her achieve her goal. I love shopping for others, but it also makes me happy to help empower my clients to learn how to shop for themselves. She did an excellent job!

The Interview

 

Now for the good part. I asked Margaret a couple of questions to get to know her and her business.

1) Why you started making jewelry?

I started making jewelry in 2006 as a hobby for fun. Even though I have an BA in Art, I actually had no experience making jewelry so I learned the techniques from the back of a beading magazine. The more I made, the more I loved my own style of jewelry. I’m not lying – I never wore jewelry until I started making my own. Instead of shiny, shimmery gold and silver or fake plastic stuff, I was attracted to earthy, everyday wear, practical and genuine stones. The more I made, the more I realized I was doing something unique and that there were other people who also appreciated my aesthetic AND the practical use of lever back ear wires all the while still making beautiful and quality product.

 

 

2) Why did you decide to pursue being a yoga teacher?

My yoga journey has been a long one – it started in college as a course I took twice a week for a semester. I recall my teacher at the time asked me if I’d ever thought about pursuing a career as a yoga teacher and I just shook it off because, who the heck can make a living as a yoga teacher? And as a senior I was feeling some anxiety about how I was going to make money and just what I was going to do after college. I was an art major!! (I ended up a waitress and a caregiver for a number of years before going back to school for a masters in teaching.). In 2009 I became aware that I was really out of shape (having a hard time getting down attic stairs) and feeling lost as to my purpose. I made a pact to myself to get back into yoga. In subsequent years my practice was on and off, usually off due to injury for pushing myself too hard to fast. Then in 2012 I decided that I could really make a difference, with my teaching background, as a yoga teacher, teaching beginner yoga and gentle yoga. The yoga trend at the time was hot yoga, which serves only some people. I really wanted to be a yoga teacher who could serve people who were uncomfortable going to a hot vinyasa class because those classes can be scary! My college experience with yoga was completely opposite of a hot vinyasa class, with emphasis on meditation and energy flow and I really wanted to bring more of that into the yoga community. I now teach beginner classes at the start of each year, a slow-flow class at Yoga East and a gentle yoga class in Hot Springs, NC.

3) What did you do before both?

After I got that Art degree I didn’t know what to do. I’d chosen to be an art major because it was the only thing I thought I was good at. Before teaching yoga and making jewelry, I just got whatever job paid the bills. For years, I was a waitress, then a caregiver for a girl with disabilities. I pursued a masters in teaching because it seemed like the next logical thing to do. The work I did as a caregiver and a teacher was meaningful and helpful, but it still did not fulfill me. I didn’t ever get the feeling like I was where I was meant to be.

4) What made you take the leap from your full time job to your time as a creative?

I had to make a change. I couldn’t wait any longer. I had to try, TO REALLY TRY and that meant I needed more time. All the pieces were in place to get the emotional and financial support I needed so I just took the leap!

5) What does your jewelry mean to you especially talking about the benefits and significance of your new jewelry?

This is the most important question. I was never a fashionista or even interested in fashion things. It was important to me that my jewelry be something that I and my friends would wear, could afford, and wouldn’t fall apart easily like a lot of cheap jewelry. I want my jewelry fans to feel like they have bought something that they could wear to work, out dancing, going hiking, or just chasing the toddler around, with a sense of security that the jewelry won’t snag and fall apart or they won’t realize they lost an earring in their van of kid toys and paperwork, never to be found again. I have friends with toddlers who tell me their necklaces survive a good tug! It was important to me that my customers feel beautiful, feel free to get gritty, and feel secure in the quality of the jewelry too. I have only recently been studying the properties of stones and using crystals and gemstones in my own yoga and meditation practices.

Margaret has a lot more to say on this topic BUT since she is still developing it and has not revealed it on her own social media, I’ll allow you to follow her and find out more for yourself!

6) Your plans for your business and how the yoga/jewelry relate

I have some big plans in the works. I have recently designed a piece of jewelry that brings together everything I have been asking for, wanting, needing, praying for … you name it. With all the reaching out I’ve done and the time I’ve committed to my Inner Self, I am now connecting my yoga teaching with my jewelry making in a way to positively impact my life and other people’s. This endeavor is still in the beginning stages so I’m not sharing it all just yet but I can say that none of it would be possible without the help of the people I’ve reached out to, who are here for me on a daily, weekly and monthly basis to encourage me and remind me that I’m a Girl Boss and I have great things to offer this community and this world.

How to reach Margaret

email – gritgoods@gmail.com

facebook – Gritgoods Jewelry by Margaret Goodson

Instagram  – Margaret Goodson