Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Honeycutt.
Jennifer, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
When I first entered college, I declared a major in fine arts with a concentration in sculpture. At the time, I was also taking classes in psychology, with the idea that I might go on to work as an Art Therapist. As part of my financial aid package, I was able to hold a work-study job, and I ended up joining a behavioral neuroscience lab researching how early life experiences can lead to brain changes later in life. I ended up falling in love with research and switched my major to psychology with a concentration in neuroscience in my Junior year. Following graduation, I entered a graduate program and earned my Ph.D. in Behavioral Neuroscience at the University of Connecticut. During my graduate education, I found that there was something missing in my life -namely, a creative outlet for my art. I had always loved gemstones, and so I began making jewelry for fun, and when I had increasing requests for pieces by family and friends, I decided to move my work to Etsy in 2013. This gave me the opportunity to expand my creativity and the means to invest in better equipment and supplies. My sales on Etsy and at local markets helped me to make ends meet during graduate school, and was able to pay for my wedding in 2014. In 2015, my partner and I moved up to Boston when I was offered a postdoctoral research fellowship at Northeastern University. I have recently received independent research funding to study the neural impacts of early life adversity. While my two passions – research and art – seem to be quite different, I have also recently begun to incorporate my research into some of my jewelry designs in the form of hand forged sterling silver neurons.
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?
I have encountered many challenges along the road with my small business. As I am a full-time neuroscience researcher, most of the time I am able to spend on my business is at night or on weekends. This also makes the business side of thing (i.e. paperwork, bills, taxes, etc.) difficult to keep up with – though I am thankful that my partner is incredibly supportive and helps me with these things! Space has also been an issue. While in graduate school I only had a small table that served as my ‘jewelers bench’, and even now my space is rather limited living in the city – in fact, my small apartment serves as both living quarters and studio. I do all of my jewelry design in my home – with soldering and metalsmithing often done in my kitchen with my small kitchen grade butane torch. Balancing my two passions has been a constant struggle when it comes to time, but the reward and fulfillment I get from both have been encouraging and worth the extra work!
Please tell us about Petite Maus.
I pride myself on using high-grade metals (especially hypoallergenic metals with no traces of nickel) and high quality genuine natural stones in all of my pieces. I go to great lengths to source the ‘perfect’ stones for my pieces, and almost all of my work is either limited run or truly one-of-a-kind. Most of my work centers on custom orders, particularly for brides and bridal parties. I love working with brides to create the perfect piece for their wedding day, and to outfit the bridal party with jewelry that they can wear during the event, and for years to come. I also specialize in neuroscience-related custom orders involving hand forged sterling silver neurons and neural cells.
Do you think there are structural or other barriers impeding the emergence of more female leaders?
The biggest barriers to female leadership – in many cases – is the lack of established and outspoken female leaders. While there are many amazing female leaders, males tend to be more celebrated and at the forefront of the industry. Furthermore, it is rare to see young, successful female leaders. I think that showcased a young and diverse female leadership – from all walks of life – is imperative to show young girls and women that anything is possible!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.petitemaus.etsy.com
- Email: petitemaus@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/petitemaus/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PetiteMaus/
Image Credit:
Little Fang Photography
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