Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Becky Pollard. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Becky, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
Resilience is something you can only learn by failing. My resilience comes from many failed attempts, rejections, and losses. It’s easy to write rejection off as a sign that you are doing the wrong thing and should quit, but I remind myself that rejection is redirection. The more times I get rejected, the more practice I gain in resilience. Just like any sport or tough situation, practice makes perfect.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am a multidisciplinary artist and maker, so a bit of jack of all trades, but I primarily focus on woven fiber art and fine art paintings. It is unique that I focus on both 3-D and 2-D mediums while most artists specialize in just one. I find both bring me joy in different ways, so it’s hard for me to choose just one.
This year I’m expanding my product line, gallery representation, and workshop offerings. I’ve taught a lot of students how to weave over the years and I absolutely love sharing this incredible craft with other people.
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?
The three most important qualities I have honed to become a successful business owner are resilience, patience, and believing in myself before there is any proof. Each of these can be really difficult at times, but whenever I face a hurdle, it always comes down to one or all three of these qualities.
I’ve learned that to succeed, you must be humble, accept you do not know everything, and be willing to put in the time to learn. Success does not happen overnight or necessarily on your timeline! It can be difficult to be patient when you feel you are ready and the success hasn’t come yet. But once you’ve gotten a few years under your belt, you gain perspective that is invaluable. Believe in yourself when no one else does, and maybe when you don’t believe it yourself, and that determination will see you through.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
I LOVE collaborating with other creatives. People close to me know that once I get around another creative the energy just flows and I can’t turn it off. I love coming up with ideas for their business, how we can work together, and problem solving for others.
Currently I’m looking to expand my line with licensing for products, such as rugs, wall covering, soft goods, etc. If any buyers, licensing reps, or other creatives want to work together I’d love to get in touch! Feel free to send me an email at hello(at)sevensixteen.com to discuss.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://shopsevensixteen.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_seven_sixteen/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shopsevensixteen
- Other: Learn to weave through my e-course: https://shopsevensixteen.com/products/weaving-kit https://www.skillshare.com/en/classes/intro-to-weaving-creating-a-woven-wallhanging/1802927323/projects
Image Credits
Brit Tucker-Kline
