Meet Samantha Slater | Jewlery Designer, Maker and Teacher

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

Hi Samantha, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
It took a long time to decide to do this and there were a lot of different factors. Mainly I wanted control over my schedule, my salary and what resulted from my efforts. It felt as though I was working really hard to help other people reach their (business) dreams and goals and I wanted to see what would happen if I worked really hard to reach my own. I found myself working for people who I no longer aligned with in ethical and creative ways and I wanted to be part of something that shared my values. Building my business was about creating that for myself but also creating that for my community.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I am a one woman show, made up of two parts: handmade jewelry and one on one jewelry classes. I have a small studio in Seattle where I create my modern geometric jewelry designs and teach my classes.  I teach these classes on a regular basis and it is honestly one of the most satisfying parts of my job. I love seeing the creative spark get ignited in my students. Every day at Samantha Slater Studio is a serious hustle. I wouldn’t say it’s been easy – working for myself has been the most challenging thing I have ever set my mind to, but it’s also been the most rewarding –  I wouldn’t want it any other way. My jewelry line has changed a lot since I first opened my business in 2018, and I will say the most common thing I hear from my customers is how unusual my work is – how it stands out. Jewelry tends to be an overstaurated areana and so finding a very clear style and artist voice has been a huge priority for me and I would say is paramount to my success. One of my favorite parts about teaching is helping others find their artstic voices and supporting them on that journey. I owe a lot to the amazing commmunity around me, to all my cheerleaders and friends as well as all my amazing teachers (in jewelry making and business)  – there are so many elements that have have helped me get where I am today – but it is the community around me that I could not live without.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I have so many suggestions for great places to check out in Seattle:

EAT:
Autumn, Samsara, Joule, Rupee, Homer and Westward, Alexander’s Macarons.
Grab the best brunch at Stone Burner.

DRINK (Coffee):
Preserve and Gather, Anchored Ship, and Root.

FUN THINGS TO DO:
Take an electric boat ride on South Lake Union.Or better yet, rent a Hot Tub Boat.
Hop on the Bainbridge Island Ferry and go explore the island by way of Puget Sound.
Explore the Fremont Market, Ballard Market and other local maker markets in the area. Pike place market is on the water and even has fish throwing
Peruse shops around town like Baleen and Venue, Station 7, Glasswing and the vintage mall in Fremont.
Seattle has an excellent thrifting and consignment scene. Some of myfavorite women-owned consignment stores include Labels and Editor. For the best thrifting check out the Ballard Goodwill.

HIKE:
Take advantage of the wilderness – explore the desert, the mountains, or the coast. Move Rattlesnake Lake to the TOP of your list. Lake Crescent and Gold bar are less than 2 hours away and totally worth checking out.

DAY TRIP:
Head to La Conner. Go via Bow Edison and Mount Vernon. Stop in to Bow Edison and eat at Tweedy’s then check out the local galleries ESPECIALLY Smith and Vallee. Next go to Snowgoose Produce and Perry and Carlson in Mount Vernon, and lastly hit up Handmade La Conner, Winston’s General and eat dinner at Neal Thorn.

BEST PLANT NURSERY:
Take a trip to Christianson’s Nursery + Greenhouse in Skagit Valley for a wide variety of common and uncommon plants,

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?
There are so many people who have helped me get where I am today. Firstly, my husband Jason, who has helped me a thousand times over, from financial support at the beginning, to on going and consistant emotional support as well as lots of muscle 🙂 He helps me most weekends when I need to set up and take down shows. I have a huge commuity of makers and fellow jewelers who I talk shop with, brainstorm ideas and feel supported by; Hailey Starr (Wanderling Creations), Aisha Formanski (Everthine Jewelry), Cindy Liebel (Cindy Liebel Jewelry), Shana Luther (Shana Luther) and Rian Robison (Tuesday Shop) to name a very few. Whoelsale in a Box and One Mill School are two places I have learnt a ton and made a huge amount of friends. There are truly so many more but the above humans are instrumental in my development and community.

Website: www.SamanthaSlaterStudio.com

Instagram: @Samanthaslaterstudio

Linkedin: @Samanthaslaterstudio

Facebook: @Samanthaslaterstudio

Image Credits
First three images (me, and the statement rings) by Jess Eskelsen Rest by Max Krubsack