We recently connected with Ruth Hillman and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Ruth, so happy to have you on the platform and I think our readers are in for a treat because you’ve got such an interesting story and so much insight and wisdom. So, let’s start with a topic that is relevant to everyone, regardless of industry etc. What do you do for self-care and how has it impacted you?
Self care has many appearances, from a spa day to getting enough exercise, my self care is my business. In a world where going out is becoming more and more expensive, I am left on my couch after teaching high school art. I would go crazy if I had nothing to do. Sometimes I can over work myself and the self care quickly changes to stress, but that is just another example of having too much of a good thing. One of the best parts about working with polymer clay is that I can choose how much of a challenge I want. If I want to take it easy on myself I make a marshmallow, but if I am looking for that extra push I will make a piano or a unicorn. Creating my tiny sculptures is a great way that I self-care. Oh and water, I freaking love water.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
In 2022 I decided that I wanted strange and unique earrings. When I began my search I mostly found jewelry on unethical sites that I was not interested in supporting, so I decided to make my own. Other people saw me wearing my little polymer clay creations, and after a sale or two I decided to start a business. My goal is to give back more to the customer and to the planet than I am taking. I try to be as eco friendly as I can, as well as produce high quality long lasting pieces that will earn compliments for many years. As of recent, every piece of jewelry purchased equals one dollar donated to a charity. Right now that money is going to a local soup kitchen. I am excited to see where my business will go, but more than that, I am excited to see where it will take me.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Learning how to be resourceful and DIYing instead of outsourcing has been one of my best skills so far. Pair that with me consistently thinking about how to improve and just plain loving it what I do. To those who are just starting out, I would suggest that you find something that you love. There are so many ideas out there of what to make a small business for, but if you have to google “things to sell to make money”, you are doing it all wrong. Find what you are the most passionate about. Let that passion come first and with hard work and effort, the money will follow.
How would you describe your ideal client?
My ideal customer is the weird ones. It takes a strange human to want to wear tiny pianos and pickles on their ears. My most recurring client is one who likes just a design or two, but my favorite person is the one who would wear every single piece. Unfortunately for my small business I am a bit a stranger than the average human. On the other hand, it is very fortunate for me as a person, I get to do lots of weird things and nobody thinks too much about it anymore.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://thatweirdartgirl.etsy.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/thatweirdartgirl1
- Facebook: facebook.com/thatweirdartgirl1
