WHY I CREATED METALSMITH SOCIETY

In early 2018 I was feeling a bit frustrated with Instagram. I was putting tons of effort into gorgeous photos and thoughtfully written posts (showcasing my jewelry) but my growth and engagement sucked. Algorithm changes and the grind of posting daily on my business account (@corkieboltonjewelry) had me feeling discouraged. I had however made some amazing friends and marveled at Instagram's power to connect people. So I had an idea: what if I started a page that connected jewelers that were willing to help each other out? @metalsmithsociety was born.

My journey with jewelry making began in high school and it was an instant obsession. I enjoyed the challenge of it and improving my skills was very satisfying. I went on to receive my Bachelors in Jewelry Design at Pratt Institute in 2007. From there I worked for other jewelers, did my own thing, and did some teaching, however I missed having a teacher of my own! In recent years I found myself reaching out to an old coworker when I had a jewelry crisis (we've all been there) or trying to Google solutions. There is nothing better than troubleshooting with another jeweler if you can, Metalsmith Society is my solution.

My goal with Metalsmith Society is to create a friendly, safe place to share all ideas pertaining to jewelry making and running a jewelry business. There are no stupid questions and no "right" way to do something. I'm also not about sharing proprietary information, meaning I'm not trying to share how to copy another artists work. Every morning I post a tip, some of the content I create, some is sent to me and some I repost from other artists. Crediting those that help me with the content is very important to me. I genuinely believe in #communityovercompetition, and want to surround myself with other jewelers that support one another and share their knowledge.

Thank you for joining us, and for showing up daily with your own insights. This community would be nothing without all of you!

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Corkie