Meet Gisy Rivera-joh

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Gisy Rivera-joh. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Gisy, so excited to have you with us today, particularly to get your insight on a topic that comes up constantly in the community – overcoming creativity blocks. Any thoughts you can share with us?

Overcoming creativity block is so important to any kind of work/art. I often have all these ideas in my head of what I want to do next and there’s also times that I sit in my craft room and no ideas would pop into my head. Sometimes I like to beat this by changing the environment, like going for walks or visiting a museum for inspiration – a simple shift of scenery is all it takes. Another way is by collaborating with other crafters. As humans we feed off of each others and can learn from one another by participating in different events – being around others who are passionate of their work can help with your own creativity. I personally love attending crafts events and pop-ups.

I recently tried something new to help with Creative Block – painting on tumblers. Just simple flowers, for now (lol), as I have never considered myself a painter. Trying something new and out of the box, something that you’re not used to or even afraid to try and allowing thoughts to flow, can also be great to beat the Creative Blocks…and don’t worry about perfection! 🙂

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

My small business, Hello Sunshine Creations, is like many other small businesses in that it came out of the pandemic. The difference is that I started crafting in 2021 instead of 2020. I remember seeing a video, on Youtube I think, of someone customizing tumblers using glitter and epoxy. I asked my husband if he would build me a tumbler turner, and from there, the rest is history. I opened an Instagram page and began attending craft shows to network with other entrepreneurs.

Four years later, Hello Sunshine Creations has expanded to making not only tumblers, but also shirts, car coasters, pet bowls, and many other personalized items. At first, I thought this would be no more than a hobby, but now, Hello Sunshine has allowed me to embrace a creative side I didn’t even know I had! This is my passion—creating custom, unique items that are not only beautiful to look at but also practical as the tumblers are. It’s still rewarding seeing people’s faces light up when they get one of our items, and I want to continue to bring that sunshine with our customs.

One of my goals is to continue networking to bring the Hello Sunshine Creations brand to the next level. I also want to collaborate with other artists to come up with new ideas and have courses where people can learn to make their own tumblers and other types of resin art.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

One important quality for me is persistence – not giving up. It’s true that it has been difficult in this small business world for many of us, but if it weren’t because I kept on trying, I would’ve given up a while ago. As far as an area of knowledge, it’s good to learn something new so that one is not stuck doing the same thing over and over. Learning from other entrepreneurs can broaden one’s horizons. The third skill, and one that I would say to anyone starting with their small business, is to be true to yourself and go at your own pace. Don’t worry if you are going slower than the others out there. Don’t compare yourself to anyone, and don’t be afraid of failure.

How can folks who want to work with you connect?

Collaborating and networking with others is so important for us at Hello Sunshine Creations. Our goals include collaboration with artists, event coordinators and even teachers, such as art teachers, If anyone is interested, Hello Sunshine Creations can be found on Instagram under hellosunshinecreations_ . Let’s brainstorm something together. 🙂

Contact Info:

• Instagram: hellosunshinecreations_
• Other: Email – [email protected]

  Etsy – hellosunshinebygisy.etsy.com