For many, attending college and getting a degree is the first step towards starting a rewarding career. However, we sometimes drift into a different direction than what we originally wanted to do. Our next guest shares her story of how she made a career of something she loved…
Please introduce yourself to our readers…
Hello, my name is Jill, and I live in a small, coastal town in the Western Cape of South Africa. Originally from Nova Scotia, I relocated here almost four years ago after working overseas for a number of years to be with my husband. My formal educational background includes undergraduate and graduate degrees in French, Education, Applied Information Technology, Adult Education, and Human Resource Studies.
Once settled into this town, I discovered that it was going to be near impossible for me to find a job that both made use of my professional skills and that paid well.
Fortunately, I have a creative side; a side that’s been waiting for the right opportunity to make its mark on my life. So, with my dwindling savings, my shopping addiction to African textiles definitely not in check, and my sewing skills, I started making handbags. It took a couple of years of study, trial and error, and a few tears to create something that I was satisfied with. Chameleon Girl Bags was born on July 28, 2014 when I opened up my shop on Etsy.
Can you tell us what company you work for?
I work for Chameleon Girl (http://www.chameleongirl.com), a small leather handbag company.
What is your title there?
I am the owner of the company, and also the maker and designer.
What are the exact responsibilities of your job?
As the sole proprietor and employee, I wear all of the hats in the company. I design and make all of the bags by hand, I do all of the marketing, I am the bookkeeper, and I am the photographer.
What is it about your job that makes you love it?
Probably the primary reason I love my job is that I’m making things with my owns hands that originated from ideas I came up with myself. When someone compliments me on my work, it resonates deeper within me than a job well done in my previous industry. I love almost every aspect of working for myself; from being responsible for my own schedule, for design, marketing, bookkeeping (my least favorite aspect of the job), sewing, and even to packaging up items to ship to customers. Every morning I am incredibly excited to get to my home workshop where I can start the creative workday – it’s an unbelievable feeling and something I never knew until now. I used to count the days until the weekend; now Saturday and Sunday are just another two days in my life.
What particular skills or talents are most essential to completing your tasks?
Beyond the obvious skill of sewing, the three most essential skills/talents for me are: persistence, courage, focus.
Persistence because overnight success happens to only a few. I feel confident that I have a good product, but one million people aren’t going to find that out overnight. Persistence is required to keep making every day, to continue to find the right marketing channels, to create a cohesive collection of bags, and to follow up on sale opportunities.
Being your own boss in a creative business also forces you to be brave. It took courage for me to open up my shop that day in July (what if no one liked my bags?), and now after an okay number of sales, it’s time to take things to the next level. I’ve recently worked up the courage to contact a couple of fashion bloggers to ask them to consider featuring one of my bags on their site. Next, I’ll also make contact with a some brick and mortar shops to investigate wholesale opportunities.
When you’re involved in a creative business, it’s easy to become ‘too’ creative, and take your ideas all over the place. I often have to harness my creativity so that I can complete the tasks I’ve set for myself before moving on to the next idea.
What level of education would you say is required to perform your role?
These days there are many talented ‘makers’ out there who don’t have formal training in their current fields of work, and who are quite successful. That said, I did pull from my background in higher education to create a two-year ‘learning plan’ for myself, that would help to guide me in my new endeavor and also to build my technical skills. I continue to educate myself daily by reading blogs, taking online courses, and putting into practice the advice I find there.
Do you find that you bring your work home with you? (And is that a good or bad thing?)
My workshop is in my home, so I bring work home with me every day. I do spend a lot of time outside of my working hours thinking and planning, which is both a good and a bad thing. Good because many new ideas happen when you’re least expecting them to. Bad because you really need to take time for your health, your family, and just to rest. I make sure to exercise at least three time per week, and don’t look at my phone or computer anymore outside of my working hours. This gives me time to focus on my young daughter, and to keep myself fit and healthy.
How does this job compare to other jobs you’ve held in the past?
It’s more difficult and more challenging than any other job I’ve ever had. It’s also the most rewarding job I’ve ever had. When you really love what you do, and when you’re doing it for yourself, it’s so much easier to do a good job; it becomes personal. When someone compliments me on one of my bags, I also feel so much more appreciative than I would have in my former line of work.
What is your favorite food?
1. Tom Kha Gai
Thanks for sharing Jill! Be sure to follow Chameleon Bag on Facebook.