Making Jewelry And Motherhood With Special Guest The Wild Pine

In today's episode, I welcome back Laura Niblack of The Wild Pine to discuss one of the biggest life changes a small business owner can face — becoming a parent. Laura opens up about what it's really like to run a full-time jewelry business while planning for maternity leave, and what it's been like stepping into motherhood while staying connected to the work she loves.

If you haven't heard Laura's first appearance on the podcast, check out Episode 13: Selling Your Jewelry Through Instagram with The Wild Pine.

Follow Laura on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewildpine/
Find Laura's jewelry at: https://thewildpine.com/

Today's episode is sponsored by Dovetail Workwear. Visit dovetailworkwear.com/metalsmithsociety and use code METALSMITHSOCIETY to save $10 off your order.

Follow Metalsmith Society on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/metalsmithsociety/

Check out my jewelry work on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/corkieboltonjewelry/

Support the Podcast: The best way to support the show is by joining our Patreon community. Your support helps keep this podcast going!

Music attribution: Stock Music provided by RomanSenykMusic, from Pond5

Transcript

Welcome And Podcast Mission

Corkie Bolton 0:01

Welcome to Jewelry Making Tips with Metalsmith Society, the podcast for anyone passionate about jewelry making. I'm your host, Corkie Bolton, and on this podcast, I will discuss jewelry making tips, social media, marketing, running a jewelry business, along with insights from special guests in the jewelry industry who share their expertise and stories. Whether you've been making jewelry for a while or just starting your journey, this podcast is your go-to resource. So grab your tools, dust off your workbench, and join me. Hi

Laura Returns And Introductions

Corkie Bolton 0:35

friends, I'm so excited to have Laura from The Wild Pine return to the podcast for an episode about making jewelry and making room for motherhood. If you're not familiar with Laura, she was the first guest I ever had on the podcast, actually. And it was episode 13, and it was all about selling your jewelry through Instagram. Still a great listen. If you haven't listened to it, I'm sure after this conversation, you're just gonna start binging. So, Laura, welcome. Thank you for coming back, especially in this new season of life when you're busy with as a mother.

Laura Niblack 1:19

Oh, yeah. Thank you so much for having me. For those that don't know me, I'm Laura. I run the Wild Pine, which is kind of my jeweler pen name. I live in Maine and I've been metalsmithing for 10 years, which is absolutely insane. Love working with turquoise and casting botanicals. And I recently became a mom in last September. And so my daughter Maeve is nine months old now.

Corkie Bolton 1:44

Yeah, and she's adorable. If you go over to the wild pine follow Laura, you can see all the updates. So, you know, Laura, the thing that really has always impressed me about you during our friendship has been that you, at the time that I was starting Metalsmith Society back in 2018, you had already really established yourself on Instagram and not only had a unique voice in the jewelry that you're making, but had lots of success selling your work. You continue to have that success. So when I thought about, you know, when I was starting Metalsmith Society, my son Dean was six months old, and my daughter Blake was two and a half. I mean, I still am, but I was just trying to see if I could connect with other jewelers. I didn't have a business established like you did. So one of the reasons I really value, you know, having you here and chatting with you about that is because there are a lot of folks out there, not just moms, parents, that, you know, either are about to become a parent or perhaps they're a new parent or a struggling parent. And I really wanted to share from your perspective, you know, what can be tough, what, you know, what advice you have for folks, but also just, you know, hearing your perspective as someone that came into it with a successful jewelry business.

Planning Income Around Baby Timing

Corkie Bolton 3:17

So, you know, my first question for you would be, you know, when you, when you knew you were expecting and, you know, you're running your business, what was your general plan, you know, for that for the ultimate time where you knew the baby was coming and that you were gonna have to take some time from your business? What were you thinking about at the time?

Laura Niblack 3:38

Oh, yeah. Well, I guess from the beginning, I was really lucky I was able to establish my business like early on, like 10 years ago. So I kind of had the longevity and knew like the cycles of my business and what worked then. As for most people, like fall and winter are my busiest months where most people are shopping. And so I knew that I was going to be giving birth and postpartum then. So I really had to plan ahead and kind of be okay with the loss of income. But basically, I think once we we didn't know that we wanted kids for a really long time, so it really kind of wasn't in our plan. And then finally, when we made the decision, just my perspective and priority shifted. And so I feel like planning was less of it basically, we were planning for like joy instead of like this scary countdown where it was like, oh well, I can't work anymore, everything's gonna change and be bad. It was like, no, this is gonna be something that enhances my life and enhances like my work and inspiration. And so I love that. Basically, yeah. So it was just really special. Like, I just kind of knew the like, even without knowing that I was gonna be more inspired and fulfilled by having a child and uh setting a good example for her.

Smaller Pieces And Customer Support

Corkie Bolton 5:02

Just quickly, because you touched on it, but for folks that don't know, you do an amazing job about really creating collections collections that are quite literally seasonal. Oh, yeah. Like there are fall colors for the fall and there are spring colors. Did you find yourself leading up to that time? Did you try to do, you know, an extra large collection to kind of like, you know, bring in some additional income? Did you sort of articulate to your fans and your customers that this, you know, this is going to be happening? And did you find that they were lending a little bit more support at that time? Yeah.

Laura Niblack 5:39

I definitely felt that. And I also prioritized making smaller price pointed items that were more like evergreen, if you will, no pun intended. Um, just like smaller items. I did a bunch of one-off pine cone necklaces that were just like a little bit more affordable, and so I just kind of had more volume in preparation. And then it was hilarious. I ended up going late. Like she just came late. And so I kept having like the last three updates I did was like, this will be the last update for months. And it was like, just kidding, I haven't given birth yet. I'm gonna do another one. Um, I know, and so I also just made sure to plan that I would have like I didn't know how postpartum would go and how birth would go. And so I made sure to like actually fully take time off for at least two months. Um, and I had the benefit too of my husband Isaac getting paternity leave. And so it was like not even thinking about the business at all for two months minimum. Just like a fully, fully for focus on healing and my new family and getting into like new routines and new habits. So that's like big advice is like fully take off. And I mean, you can do some of the fun stuff and be inspired here and there, but just honestly rest is the most important thing after getting birthed. Yeah.

Corkie Bolton 7:01

I'm sure like if you get ideas, sketch them, if that's how your brain works. But yeah, I mean, I love that. I love that you were focusing on the joy and that you were sort of you were, it sounds like you did make a plan and you were able to kind of be calm in knowing that there were gonna be a few months that you know sales wouldn't necessarily be coming in. And I also just love the idea of having those smaller items that are affordable, especially when you have a fan base like yours. You know, there's a lot of times people try to go buy a PC yours, it'd be sold out, and so having some of those smaller attainable items that's so smart.

Laura Niblack 7:44

It was fun too.

Corkie Bolton 7:45

Yeah, and sounds like your plan mostly worked out. What were some of the things that you didn't anticipate after having

Postpartum Mental Health And Recovery

Corkie Bolton 7:56

Mave? And you know, tell us about that.

Laura Niblack 7:59

Yeah, I mean, I think going from zero to one children is such an insane life change, just absolutely rocks your world. You can't prepare for it until you're in it. And also, I have bipolar disorder, and so we didn't know the risk of just mental health decline. I think most women get the baby blues, but I just from lack of sleep, unfortunately suffered from postpartum psychosis, which was really intense. So did not anticipate that happening. Um, and I had to be hospitalized, and it was incredible. Our community came in and we had like overnight help and people living with us for weeks to help me get better. So I ended up having to take off two more months. So I was out for like four months just to like fully be a functional human again. And so, but what was interesting is during some of the healing time, I think I took solace in the creative aspect. So like I had a lot of yeah, just like viewing the business like for the creative side, just like not really worrying about anything other than getting healthy and just enjoying walking through my studio and knowing that I was gonna get back to it. Like it was something else to work for, other than like my baby, and then just thinking about like the future and yeah, wanting to get better to be an artist again instead of like running a business, if you will, like having it for fulfillment. So yeah, those were kind of I did not expect that to happen, but it made my work even more precious after the fact. Totally and made me re-prioritize like my own health and yeah, my new priority, which is my baby.

Corkie Bolton 9:41

So well, and I love like it just goes to show that we're doing what we love when you know you're able to kind of you know, walk through. I can imagine you just walking through the studio, tracing your hand across your bench and just thinking about like the pure joy of what it is to sit down with the sheet metal and start drawing and sawing and soldering and looking at your stones again, pulling them out. It's that's it's super cool. I know though that as a mom myself, like when we are either, you know, when we're caretakers of any kind, but especially of young children, it's like we have less time in the studio.

Studio Focus With Less Time

Corkie Bolton 10:25

And so I would love if you could share how you are able to kind of get focused and what are you prioritizing? I know you kind of just said like getting into just the joy of making, but how are you utilizing your time, you know, and what's what's your game plan when you go to your studio?

Laura Niblack 10:44

It really made me realize like having a baby made me realize how much time I wasted before.

Corkie Bolton 10:49

Really? Oh my god, yeah.

Laura Niblack 10:52

I think just like time on my phone or just like messing around, or I don't know. Like I felt like becoming a mother made me much more pinpointed, like focused and vigilant. Whereas I only had a small amount of time to do things. So, like as soon as she'd go down for a nap, it would be like, Okay, I've gotta go like do this. And so I finished I like resurrected work I hadn't made before or hadn't finished before.

Corkie Bolton 11:18

I love that.

Laura Niblack 11:19

And also, I mean, you know, with the price of metals, silver was insane. So I used the challenge of only using scrap and stuff that I already had in my inventory until like I had to buy more silver, which hurt, but yeah, so I felt like it made me become really pinpointed focused in what I was creating. So like immediately I would like lock in as soon as I get in my studio, and also spending significantly less time on my phone just because we don't want to be on screens or have her around screens, mave. And so I just wasn't comparing myself at all to other people or other jewelers or other businesses, and so I was just kind of really creating from a very like pure place that was very helpful. There wasn't like the comparison game, it was just kind of like, oh, this is what I want to make, this is what's interesting, this is what I know, what my customer base loves, and I'm just gonna kind of go with that. So I felt like it really helped me hone in on my skills.

Sponsor Break Dovetail Workwear

Corkie Bolton 12:18

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Creative Cross Training And Joy

Corkie Bolton 13:10

totally understand what it is though to waste time. Part of me feels like I'm not wasting time, but as an example, I'm so obsessed with my dog Winnie, who has changed my life that recently I can't stop designing merch with her. So, like the podcast listeners can't see this, but I'm wearing a hoodie. Okay. Can can you see this?

Laura Niblack 13:39

Oh my gosh, yes, it's so funny.

Corkie Bolton 13:42

For the listeners, you know, that can't see the video. Basically, I made myself a hoodie and I did all this graphic design on Canva with like 90s components, and then I took a photo of Winnie's head, removed the body, I put 90s sunglasses on her, and I use this retro font, and I put also an old school cell phone, and it just says call me, babe.

Laura Niblack 14:08

Like it has like uh it has like a color palette of like Lisa Frank, like real throwback, nostalgia. You know what? That's incredible. You follow your joy. Like I'm holding it up.

Corkie Bolton 14:23

I'll have to I I wish we could like share photos. You know what? We can I'll share it over on Instagram. I should do it. Perfect. Can we screenshot this? I don't even know how to do it. How do you wait? Hold up. I don't know how okay, wait. Ready? I got this. Yeah, okay. All right, we got that moment. It's fantastic, anyways, though. Not to digress us, but I mean sometimes your point of being on Instagram and comparing and despairing, most certainly that can take up a lot of time, especially when you're running a small business. But there is a nice aspect to a palette cleanse, to kind of focusing on something that brings you joy, which I do believe is what I'm doing with my Winnie merch. Oh, yeah.

Laura Niblack 15:07

You know what? I call it, I call it creative cross-training. Love that because you kind of have to yeah, dabble in some other things, other mediums or other things that bring you joy, and then that will help inform your work. So totally follow your muse.

Building With Scrap Silver Challenge

Corkie Bolton 15:23

So are you still planning an upcoming collection?

Laura Niblack 15:28

Yeah. So usually in summer I focus on turquoise, so I'm still doing the the challenge of not buying as much. I'm like just not buying stones until the end of the year, and also just trying not to buy more silver unless absolutely necessary. So I'm doing a lot of simple pieces using scrap silver. I love that though. Just summary. Oh, it's like the challenge is so fun. I love that.

Corkie Bolton 15:54

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Because it's also just great for anyone right now that's feeling those high costs to just look at what you already have and challenge yourself to just kind of work with it. Love that. Yeah.

Advice For Parents And Makers

Corkie Bolton 16:09

So what's one thing that you would tell a maker who's perhaps about to become a parent, or like we said in the beginning, maybe they're scared of what's gonna happen to their business. You know, maybe they're wanting to start a business, but they're also wanting to start a family.

Laura Niblack 16:26

Yeah.

Corkie Bolton 16:26

And it doesn't need to be one thing, but sort of like what are your thoughts on that?

Laura Niblack 16:31

Yeah. Oh gosh, loaded question. It is. Um, I would say honestly, like having a child was like one of the greatest joys of my life. And I would say, like, prioritize yourself and what is the most fulfilling thing to you. And if that's building a family or your business, it was a very difficult decision for us to make. But the preparation mentally, I think was really important, like doing a lot of therapy, planning, thinking about how I want to raise a child, what's the most, yeah, like how I want to inspire her and raise her. So I just say once you make the decision, just don't worry. Like, go with the flow, let your intuition and your child kind of lead the way. And like also, like obviously, preparation and planning, but just for some of the business aspects. But I think also just taking that time to really soak in having a new family and completely taking time off to heal and just be there and kind of like be able to really lean into the reorientation of your life. Yeah. I hope that answers that.

Corkie Bolton 17:43

It does. And I know it is kind of an open-ended question, but I love you know, you touch on planning ahead, you touch on acceptance and just being present in the moment, experiencing the joy. I think for me, also asking for help.

Laura Niblack 17:58

Oh, God, yeah. That's very important.

Corkie Bolton 18:01

Tell the listeners what started today.

Laura Niblack 18:05

What started? Oh, yes.

Daycare And Getting Work Back

Laura Niblack 18:07

Oh my god. We got her into daycare, which is crazy. I'm very happy we were able to like keep her home for nine months, which was really great. But as fellow parents can know, you cannot simultaneously work and have a kid. It's like a full-time job when you have them at home. Like you can't get work done in like the half an hour to an hour that they're napping. And also having a kid in a metal smoothing studio is a little dangerous. So we waited a really long time and found a really cool outdoorsy nature-based daycare. And so she's in it. And I've been able to get, I feel like I've been able to get like six months worth of work done in a week. So that's incredible. It's been great. Yeah.

Corkie Bolton 18:46

And that is another thing. I'm a little bit, I would say, I think I'm several clicks ahead of you. My son just turned nine, my daughter's turning 11. She's going into grade. What? And I'm telling her, I'm like, Blake, don't do what I do. But I think I had my first cigarette in sixth grade. And obviously, we all know I'm sober now and don't go down the road that I did. But I mean, like, I'm just like, wow. And my kids are just incredible. They make me laugh. I'm so proud of them. They're kind. They're empathetic. Like, I really, I feel really grateful because I know. Yeah.

Laura Niblack 19:26

And it's because you set an amazing example and just loved on them. They see you following your creative joy. And so they do it. I remember last time we FaceTimed, you like brought me in and your kids were like doing their little individual art projects. And I was like, this is amazing. They're following their mommy's footsteps.

Corkie Bolton 19:42

Actually, we're gonna have day next week where we work on jewelry. We haven't done it in a while. Oh, nice. Because my son especially wants to make himself a ring. But nice. Yeah, I say that I feel like I just started bragging about my kids, which is fine. I'm happy to do that.

Laura Niblack 20:01

No, you're supposed to.

Corkie Bolton 20:02

But just sort of being being in that next stage, I can say that like I did when I started Metal Swith Society, I was working on it when the kids were napping. Because, like you, I didn't want to be like at the playground and I'm pushing a kid on a swing and I'm on my phone. And oh yeah, you know, if someone's hearing that and you're feeling like, you know, triggered or judged, like, please don't. But for my ADHD brain, I cannot be on a phone and then be present.

Laura Niblack 20:29

Like I was letting focus is so hard.

Corkie Bolton 20:32

Right. I would be pushing my kid in a bucket swing and they would like slump out of it, and I'd be pushing an empty swing because I'm like scrolling. That would never happen. But and I was doing the work during the naps, and then you know, they they started going to daycare, and the years went on, and I found that, you know, then they started public school, and I'm like, they're out of the house from eight to three every day. And that was still like okay, my work day ends at three, it really ends at 245 because I'm gotta bring Winnie to the bus stop because that's where we do our best work, just you know, seeing all the seeing all the kids and having fun. But I also can look ahead and say, wow, one day they are either going to be doing a trade or going to college or doing something that they're gonna be more independent, and then I'm gonna have a lot of time left, or rather, excuse me, I'm gonna have all this time that maybe I wasn't spending like driving kids to sports and stuff like that. So it's always changing. And I think when we're doing what we love, there's always that excitement when you know, when you do have time and in different phases of life to say, like, what am I excited to to work on now and create now? So I absolutely love that. Yeah. And so asking for help, daycare is great, especially if you do run a full time business. I mean Just like, you know, anyone else. Exactly.

What Brings Joy Right Now

Corkie Bolton 22:05

So this is sort of different, but I just want to end on a super positive note. Oh yeah. Tell me like something that is in the jewelry industry or a tool or something in your business that's just like made you really happy. And it could even just be like I got this coffee mug from Fish's Eddy with dogs on it. And it makes me really happy. But what's something that's just bringing you joy?

Laura Niblack 22:33

Oh gosh. It sounds really funny because it's really tedious, but I am obsessed with stone setting right now, like tiny stones. Like I just want to get all the metal work done with as quickly as possible so I can set a bazillion stones. Most metalsmiths, I feel like, would say they love soldering the most. And I'm like, no, I love stone setting. Me too. So I've got my like super old, like vintage, like stone setting tools that I found at like a random vintage shop, which is really fun. And I just love sitting there and the I don't know, getting into the zone, setting teeny tiny things of turquoise. I set like 120 stones last week and it was like the best.

Corkie Bolton 23:08

That's awesome. And I also love that you counted. Fantastic. I did.

Laura Niblack 23:12

I was like, oh my God. But yeah, I could do it all day, every day. It's so fun. And so I'm really enjoying doing multi-stone pieces and just things for summer.

Corkie Bolton 23:21

I love that. And I love like letting that dictate what you're creating. Okay. And then what's something that's just making you laugh?

Laura Niblack 23:28

Oh my gosh, my daughter. She's so funny. Well, and also the interaction of my huskies with her. Like, she'll just laugh and then they'll howl back at her. And then she's just learned how to clap. So lots of clapping and following the dogs around. She was ever crying. I'll just go find a dog. And she'll just be like and she'll like stuff her face into their fur, which is the cutest thing in the entire world. And also just hiking with them is so fun. I have her in the backpack, and then the huskies are like doing their thing and swimming and getting all muddy. And she's just always like, ooh, ooh. So yeah, I'm having a lot of fun with that. It's so great. Having a little baby in the summer.

Corkie Bolton 24:05

I love that. I need to like FaceTime with you again and her, you know, and just get to experience all that. Get the husky, get the huskies in there too. And then

Studio Listening Dubstep And True Crime

Corkie Bolton 24:16

my last question is there any particular music that you love listening to in the studio lately?

Laura Niblack 24:22

Oh gosh. This is really funny. So we found that the only music that will calm Maeve in the car if she's like crying is Dubstep, so Skrillix.

Speaker 2 24:32

Yep.

Laura Niblack 24:33

And so I've oddly really gotten into that. I feel like my Spotify rap is gonna be like, you're the top 0.10 listener of Skrillix. So I've been listening to that. And then also audiobooks and true crime podcasts. I like eat those up.

Corkie Bolton 24:46

Oh my gosh. True, true crime podcasts. Yes. I'm like crime junkie right now, criminal.

Laura Niblack 24:53

Oh yeah, I love both of those. And my favorite murder. Like if I'm listening to something, I feel like it helps me lock in more with how I'm focusing because like that part of my brain is being exercised, so I can just get more done. But yeah, mostly yeah, dubstep randomly, and then a lot of yeah, a lot of true crime podcasts and and novels.

Corkie Bolton 25:16

All right. Well, I'm gonna again, I'm gonna, I'm gonna side text you to find out what those books are. But Laura, thank you so much for just being candid. I know that this conversation is gonna help folks out there just hearing about the experience. We're humans, you know, life happens, things kind of you make a plan and it doesn't always go the way that you want. And you know, the thing with being a parent too is that sometimes you have a whole day planned in the studio and then someone gets sick.

Laura Niblack 25:48

Yeah.

Corkie Bolton 25:48

I hate to tell you that on your first day of daycare, but oh no, we've already had the sickness, it's been delightful.

Laura Niblack 25:54

Yeah, but yeah, I would say parents just take care of yourselves, trust yourselves. Self-care is so important, and then also just taking time off, definitely asking for help, as you said, Quirky, and just really enjoying life with this new little human in your family.

Corkie Bolton 26:11

Thank you, Laura. Thank you. Thank you

Closing Thoughts And Support Options

Corkie Bolton 26:15

so much for listening to today's episode. I just love Laura, and I think this conversation is one that a lot of us needed to hear. Whether you're already a parent, thinking about it, or just trying to figure out how to hold your business together through a major life change. I hope this gave you something real to hold on to. If you enjoyed the episode, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you're listening. It means so much and it really does help more makers find the show. And honestly, send this episode to someone who needs it. You probably already know who that person is. The very best way to support this educational work is through Patreon at patreon.com slash metalsmithsociety. And don't forget to check out today's sponsor, Dovetail Workware, at dovetailworkware.com slash metalsmithsociety, and you'll save $10 off your order. As always, keep creating, keep experimenting, and remember building a jewelry business and a family at the same time is hard, but you don't have to do it perfectly. You just have to keep going until next time.