Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Vander Els.
Amy, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I studied Studio Art and Education in college, earning both a B.A. and an M. Ed in k-12 Art Education from the University of New Hampshire. My teaching career brought me overseas to teach art at international schools in Italy, Hungary and the Cayman Islands. As an art educator, I tried to instill in my students the idea that authentic art should have three tenets: the head, the hands, the heart I hope that my own work conveys the thought, the craftsmanship and the soul that goes into each piece that I make.
After I returned to the United States in 2014, my sister told me about a local craft market that was looking for vendors. On a whim, I signed up to participate and had one sale over 2 days. I can remember telling the customer that she was the first person who didn’t already love me to have purchased one of my items. I was hooked, and I started selling my work as much as I could: online, at art fairs, trade shows and markets.
What began as a side project has since turned into my full-time career. My work can be found in many stores in coastal New England and I participate in markets from Boston, MA to Portland, ME. I spend my time working in my Amesbury, Massachusetts studio where I still personally craft and ship all my orders myself, with the help of my mother Linda who packages, tags and provides moral support and cups of coffee when things get hectic. In addition to making all the jewelry, a lot of time goes into brainstorming new product ideas and sketching new designs or working on the day-to-day logistics of running a small business.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I would say that the growth of my business has been very organic. I didn’t necessarily know that I would end up where I have. I kept making small decisions that felt right in my gut, and I think that those add up in a big way. There have been some days that felt hard, some bumps in the road, but sometimes the things that feel like obstacles or hardships can turn out to be blessings. Just this week, I had a store reach out to me and they had found me through a market that had been a complete bust at the time. I try to remember that, when I have a really hard day, that I never know how it will pay off in the end.
Please tell us about Amy Vander Els.
I design handcrafted artisan jewelry and typewriter stationery for my business, and I also sell my artwork and teach encaustic painting classes in my studio in Amesbury, Mass.
I create all my designs by hand using small-scale metalsmithing techniques. I intend my jewelry to have a unique style that is elegant in its simplicity, and just the right amount of unusual. Every piece is hand cut, shaped, forged, polished and assembled to ensure a high-quality design.
I am proud of my designs, that is true. But I am most proud of the relationships that have been forged along the way with fellow vendors, artists, customers, shop owners etc. And I love that it allows my mom and I to work side by side each week, as she helps me with all my tagging and packaging.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I’m happy with my winding path. I think the lessons come in the moments when I didn’t trust my instincts, that little flutter in my gut when I knew I should have handled something or done something in a different way. In hindsight, it is always easy to see when you didn’t pay attention to something that you should have. Otherwise, I can’t think of anything that I would really change.
Contact Info:
- Address: 9 Water Street
Amesbury, MA 01913 - Website: amyvanderels.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amyvanderels/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amyvanderelsdesigns/
Image Credit:
Amy Vander Els
Jesika Theos
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