A Creative Outlet Turned Into Something More
LMB Design Studio was born in April or 2020 as a creative outlet from my day job and since then it has grown into so much more.
Growing up I was always working on art projects or crafts in my free time. My mother is an artist and taught art while I was in grade school so I was always surrounded by art and encouraged to explore my creative side.
Over the years I have tried making and selling different things, but none of them stuck until I started making clay earrings. Polymer clay is an amazing medium that has endless possibilities.
Before starting this business I was working as an apartment manager, I felt stuck and frustrated and hated my job. I knew there was something more for me I just didn't know how to find it. I tried a few things over the years but always gave up because I wasn't passionate about it. But then the pandemic hit and I was stuck at home working part-time worried about how we were going to pay for things. I had gotten a few blocks of clay and some beginner tools for Christmas but hadn't had time to play with them yet. Now I had nothing but time, so I googled some how-to articles and made my first pair of earrings in March of 2020. The first pairs were terrible, but I was intrigued by the medium, so I decided to keep trying and ordered a few more supplies. Before I knew it I had made some pairs I thought were good enough to sell and I launched my Etsy shop on April 11th, 2020.
The process of creating earrings is a labor of love that I have grown to appreciate. To make a pair of earrings I have to condition the clay/ mix the color, cut out the shape, bake, sand, attach posts, assemble, and sometimes seal. Each pair takes about 2 hrs to make, but the time is well worth the result.
When I look back on the first pairs I made I can see how far I have come and how much I have learned. As I have gotten better tools, learned which brands of clay are best, learned how to property condition and attach posts, discovered new techniques. and found my creative voice I have felt myself becoming more of whom I believe I was made to be.
This business has awakened my creative voice that was previously being crippled by my day job, it has brought me new levels of joy, it has pushed me to be better, it has taught me to take better care of myself, it has given me a passion that I had been searching for, and it has made me feel more like myself than ever before.
Now I dream of new ideas all the time, I am constantly filling sticky notes with ideas at work & rushing home to test them out. I am so much happier and more fulfilled than I thought possible.
Since I started this business I have learned a lot about the polymer clay world, I’ve improved my techniques, and have gained respect for this medium. I’ve worked to discover my creative voice, but mostly I have grown as a person. I’ve never felt more confident or like my true self than I do while I’m working on this art. I am eternally grateful for this space because it has unlocked a side of me I didn’t know I needed.
I am beyond thankful for what this business has taught me and excited for it to grow, this is only the beginning.
xoxo Leanna
