Today we’d like to introduce you to MacKenzie McClain.
Thanks for sharing your story with us MacKenzie. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I sort of stumbled into the metalsmithing world, but it really is a sweet story. About halfway through my college career as an Advertising Communications major, I needed to fill up an art credit. I wanted to take ceramics, however that class was full and one of the only classes left was bench jewelry. I didn’t know what that really meant, but I signed up hoping it would be more than beading.
The class was definitely more than beading—I was making jewelry from scratch using precious metals and gems. I immediately fell in love with forging metal into jewelry and it really made me appreciate my roots. My family is from Albuquerque, New Mexico and I grew up around Southwest design, Native American jewelry and lots of turquoise.
Whenever I would make something in class (most likely something with sterling silver and turquoise), I would post it on my Instagram, where friends and family would immediately ask if they could buy what I made. Although I was always flattered, I didn’t feel good enough to be selling what I was making. In 2017, after two years of classes and lots of support, I decided to start an Etsy shop—Grit & Golden. I was lucky enough to be running it all out of my parent’s garage and slowly started to build my skill set and a pretty good studio setup. G&G started to flourish and almost a year later, I stepped up to my own web shop.
I now rent out a little studio space in Los Angeles, where I make all of my pieces. I still primarily use sterling silver and natural stones mined in the US. However, I’m slowly starting to venture off into new materials and gems and have a goal in 2020 to start using gold. I absolutely love making jewelry, but I’m finding out I love running a business even more.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s been quite a rocky, bumpy road! Not only am I designing and physically making my product, I’m running the business side by myself. It can feel like a heavy load and I constantly feel like I’m on a rollercoaster of emotions. If I’m not struggling with the jewelry side, I’m probably struggling with the business side. There’s always something and a lot of details no one sees.
I think my biggest struggle is figuring out who I am as a designer. It’s really hard to not compare your style to other designers you see on social media, and I think I’m constantly reminding myself to stay true to who I am and what I would want to wear.
I also struggle with the mentality of being self-employed. It can be daunting, but also so amazing to be able to have that freedom. Some of my favorite advice is from my entrepreneur Dad who always reminds me “being self-employed isn’t any better than a 9-5, it’s just different.” I always have to remind myself of this when I think about throwing in the towel and applying to an office job.
To any woman thinking about starting a new business journey, I would say jump now! Don’t wait. Don’t wait until everything feels perfect because it never will be. It’s all about the rocky road, making mistakes, and growing. I look back and cringe at some of the first pieces I sold, but if I wouldn’t have started, then I wouldn’t be here now.
Please tell us about Grit & Golden.
I am a metalsmith that specializes in sterling silver and turquoise. All of my pieces are 100% handcrafted and one-of-a-kind. I like to tell people it’s basically like mini welding. There’s two forms of metalsmithing I use to make my pieces—either casting or forging. Casting requires me to sculpt my piece out of wax, make a mold, and cast the piece into metal. Forging requires me to start with a sheet of silver and forge the piece into what I want using mostly an acetylene gas torch, sawing, and hammering.
In the beginning of the year, I was casting most of my pieces. But by the end of the year, I found myself back at forging from scratch. I enjoy both processes and it honestly just depends on my mood and the design I want to make.
I am definitely most proud of my craftsmanship. I feel confident with the quality of my work and know that my customers can pass their jewelry on for generations to come. Although I love Southwestern design, I am constantly trying to modernize turquoise and put a spin on classic turquoise jewelry.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts or other resources that you’ve benefited from using?
I love listening to business podcasts while I work or drive and my current favorite is SOS with Sonja Rasula. Sonja is the founder of Unique Markets, which is a modern pop-up retail experience. I was lucky enough to participate in last year’s Santa Monica pier market and loved it. She’s an entrepreneur badass and each of her episodes is filled with so much great advice that you can immediately put into action. Actual businesses call into the podcast with their questions and I find it really helpful for any small business or entrepreneur.
For my business, I use Shopify for my website platform and Omnisend for email marketing. I highly recommend both if you’re in the e-commerce world.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.gritandgolden.com
- Email: mackenzie@gritandgolden.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gritandgolden/?hl=en
Image Credit:
Nyki Bell
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