Meet Hailey Starr | Enamel Jewelry Artist and CEO of Fun

We had the good fortune of connecting with Hailey Starr and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Hailey, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Who gets a six-year-old a dirt bike? My parents did. This is when I started developing a long and intimate relationship with risk. From wakeboarding to backcountry snowboarding to mountain biking to solo adventuring, I love testing my limits. The best lessons learned about risk and how to manage fear (risk’s older brother) have come from my biggest infatuation – mountain biking. This sport has taught me how to calculate risk and manage the fear within. Do I have the skills to take that jump, drop, or trail? Yes – let’s rally! No – well, what do I need to get there? You can’t have risk without fear. If you want to go outside your comfort zone, you need to know how to manage fear’s omnipresent voice and usually, this comes from obtaining skills and preparation.

I took the biggest risk of my career by transitioning between two completely different fields. Wildlife ecology and a practicing jewelry artist. Talk about fear. Talk about a buttload of what-ifs. Talk about saying goodbye to security. I tackled this risk and fear by obtaining new skills and preparation. This process took about five years. Preparation included shrinking my spending and saving money for years, taking classes, reading books, going through career coaching, and busting my butt after work and on the weekends. I hedged my bets as best as I could. Risk and fear are to be managed not avoided. Do the work internally and externally to get to where you want to be. It’s worth it. We only get one life.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I have always found artists to be such brave members of our society. But a long-held limiting belief – you can’t make a living as an artist – kept me from investing in my creativity and pursuing a career as one. However, in 2017 I decided to start taking classes in topics that have long sparked innate interest – jewelry. I also bought $100 worth of supplies and started teaching myself enameling after work with an ambitious hope of one day making a career transition.

In December of 2020, I left my career and jumped into full-time work as an enamel artist. It took years of releasing my ego and untangling my professional identity to start anew. Talk about the scariest and best decision of this chapter – becoming a newbie again.

Being able to designate a fulltime effort toward my business these last two years has been a tremendous game changer. This year has been characterized by primarily living outside my introverted comfort zone. Participating in a new mark, show, or festival almost every weekend. I signed up for a big year and it is delivering.

I can’t explain how rewarding the exchange between making something beautiful with your hands and sparking joy, curiosity, and excitement in another. I love bringing this kind of energy to the world. I feel honored to be part of this creative community.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Do you love mountain biking, gorgeous outdoor recreational opportunities, craft beer, and delicious food? If so, I gotchu! First up we would head to Baker Lake for an easy hike around the northern rim where we would see the snow melt from my favorite volcano – Mount Baker, common ravens, and old-growth trees. We would then go for a paddle via stand-up boards we had rented from REI in Bellingham, WA. On our way home, we would hit up Train Wreck Bar and Grill in Sedro Woolley for an elk burger and a tasty brew.

Later in the week we will spend a couple of days shredding Galbraith Mountain and the Chuckanut trails around Bellingham as well as the local pump track down at Trackside. After adrenaline-pumping rides, we would hit up a variety of restaurants and breweries in town. A must is KPOP Chicken and Beer for the BEST Korean fried chicken wings and Wander Brewery for the BEST locally craft beer. Mmm!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Oh man, where do I begin? There are truly so many people that have supported and encouraged me along the way. My first shoutout would be to my husband Andy. I probably would have quit long ago if it wasn’t for his unconditional love and encouragement. His “You need to get out in the garage and make some jewelry.” cheer. When I am questioning whether I should continue on with this pursuit he has the perfect assemblage of words to keep me going. And there have been many times I have leaned on his relentless cheerleading.

I am also very fortunate to be surrounded by an amalgamation of amazing people who I call my family and friends. I am tremendously grateful to my mom who has been right by my side as I was getting my sea legs at shows and markets this year as well as to my sister who carried my jewelry in her coffee shop. And the amount of love I feel from my friends who come out to visit me at my booth is immeasurable. I am truly lucky.

I also have to give a shoutout to my dear friend and mentor Sam Slater. Jumping off into a brand-new career where I didn’t know anyone was disorienting and intimidating. Within the first year of tackling this new career field full-time, I quickly realized I needed guidance and better skills. I needed a mentor. I needed a teacher. Someone who knew the ropes and she did!

Website: https://wanderlingcreations.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wanderling.creations/?hl=en

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hailey-starr-ba7394198/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WanderlingCreations