Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephany Ferreira.
Stephany, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Being a first-generation Brasilian immigrant and having spent much of my life in suburban New Jersey, I could have never imagined I would be where I am today.
My path of adventurous endeavors has led me here to sunny San Diego, where my hobbies and creativity have blossomed into a small lifestyle business.
This path began back in New Jersey where I was a young freelance photographer and restaurant worker, unsure of the road ahead.
I decided to take my chances and head west where I worked seasonal hospitality jobs, freelance photo gigs, festival gigs, and traveled the country in my Jeep in between.
I first landed in Ocean Beach on September 18, 2017, where I met a man who has since then changed my life. That morning, I parked my car on Newport Ave, bought an iced coffee from O.B. Smoothie, and decided to check out the pier. I sensed there was something different and peculiar about this beach town, and I loved it.
I remember thinking the homeless people in San Diego are much nicer than the ones in New Jersey.
As I made my way down the pier, I saw a man who was making and selling jewelry and proceeded to talk to him about his art. He had an array of beautiful items including some wire wrapped rings, leather cuff bracelets, and these beautiful feathers carved earrings. His name was HornFeather, named after the feather earrings that he carved out of animal horns and turned into earrings.
I told him I had dabbled in wire wrapping jewelry but I wasn’t very good at it yet. He kindly smiled and told me to sit down for my free lesson. He taught me how to make a wire wrapped ring in under 60 seconds, and a stone wrapped leather bracelet in just over a minute. I was amazed. He said, “Keep practicing, and one day, you’ll be making the big bucks selling your jewelry.” I didn’t believe him, but I walked off the pier with some new accessories and a big smile on my face. I was excited to start my new life here on the beach.
It’s been two years since that fateful day.
Since then, I met one of my best friends Emily, who was also just starting out with her jewelry making. We began crafting together and inspired each other to create our own Etsy shops.
We eventually started our collaboration, BeYouki, who’s name came from a combination of our individual brands. Mine is The Art of Yuki which translates to The Art of Happiness in certain Japanese kanji. This name highlights my Japanese roots, while also expressing the message of using art to obtain happiness, but also using your happiness to fuel your art.
Emily’s brand is BeYoutique Crafts, which is intended to emphasize the importance of being yourself and, similar to mine, using your sense of self and your own happiness to fuel your art.
Together, BeYouki encompasses all of these ideas and came together flawlessly.
We set up a booth every Wednesday near the drum circle in Ocean Beach during the farmer’s market. This has become our favorite day of the week. We have culminated an amazing group of friends who come down and craft with us every week and I’ve been teaching a few of them how to wire wrap just like HornFeather taught me. We actually once sold a pair of wire wrapped sunglasses to a friend who gave them as a gift to the famous singer/songwriter Erykah Badu! I’d have to say that was the highlight of our career so far.
My Etsy shop has been open for 1 year now, and I have sold hundreds of pieces. My photography has also grown a lot during this time, as I have been doing more marketing shoots than ever before, for both our brands. I partnered with a few fashion bloggers in the area and have done many shoots in exchange for them wearing our jewelry and accessories. This has pushed me deeper into the marketing world, as I have taken on the role of Marketing Director at my current restaurant job.
I have been so happy to be able to bring together the things that I love and create a lifestyle out of them.
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?
Through my experience, I have learned that the lifestyle of an artist never provides a smooth road, but that is what makes it so magnificent. Success means many different things to many different people.
After trying to adhere to society’s expectations of success, I have realized that I define success in a different way.
I have been through college, I had a big girl job working for an accountant in NYC and juggled a lot of different options before realizing what felt right.
I grew tired of routine and suppressing my freedom of creativity in order to make a living. One day, while walking into work in my blazer and heels, I realized that I did, in fact, have other options, which I immediately began exploring. I wasn’t sure what I was missing, but I felt that I was missing something. That winter, I accepted a seasonal job in Colorado as a restaurant manager. Being across the country from everything I had grown to know brought me far out of my comfort zone, and even further into what I would soon learn was the journey towards finding myself.
My advice to others who have shared these feelings and have followed the same path is to always prioritize positive experiences and life lessons over money and to surround yourself with like-minded people. If I hadn’t met Emily and my other friends who motivated me further down my creative road, I would not be where I am today, I’ve had many people from back home say that they wish they could live a life similar to the one I have created, but I am an advocate for saying that anyone can. It all starts with thinking outside of society’s norms and inside your soul.
What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of? What sets you apart from others?
The first aspect of my creativity that surfaced in my life is photography. I have always had an appreciation for the beauty in life, despite whatever else was going on, and I feel that photography is a perfect way to capture that beauty. I have found joy in photographing a wide variety of things, from mountainous landscapes to something as small as a single earring. This is what has driven me further down my path of creative expression. Although photography was my first step, the other aspects of my creativity that have followed are just as influential towards who I am as an artist. These things have come to include jewelry making, painting, fashion design, and even graphic design. I am known for thinking outside of the box and putting a creative spin on almost everything that I do.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.TheArtofYuki.com
- Phone: 7325403104
- Email: Stephany@TheArtofYuki.com
- Instagram: @TheArtofYuki and @Stephanyy_f
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