Meet Katie Rose Brunner | Jewelry Designer & Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Katie Rose Brunner and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Katie Rose, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
In 2019, I was looking for a pair of feather earrings online. When I found a pair, I thought to myself, “I could probably make that.” So I had a choice: buy the earrings, or buy the supplies to make the earrings. The latter was definitely more expensive and time-consuming, but I knew that I could create them the way I wanted them.

I ended up buying a small amount of supplies which, as expected, were more expensive than the pair of earrings. I made this wild pair of long, loud, multi-colored feather earrings that I wore to a weekend workshop I was attending. I remember one of my classmates telling me, “You should consider selling those. I know a bunch of people who would be interested in buying that style of earrings.” Self-doubt came in immediately, and I figured, even if I wanted to try and sell them, would I: 1. have enough interest? and 2. have enough commitment and dedication to keep making them?

I decided to make a few pairs of earrings, created an Etsy page, and posted on my Instagram stories that I had some new creations for sale. I was incredibly nervous that no one would care, or people would think that they were too expensive. The next day, I got a sale. My friend had bought a pair of earrings for his partner, and she absolutely loved them. She came back to my site to order 2 more pairs.

After that, I realized that my friends were my best customers. I began to think, “why have I not been doing this all along?!” I would make a pair of earrings, post them on my Instagram story, and they would get snatched almost immediately. This is when So Alive Designs was born.

I started sending earrings to people I admired on Instagram and YouTube. They would wear my earrings in videos and posts, tagging my business name. I honestly didn’t do this for the marketing, but it worked for all of our benefits.

A few months in, I started getting orders from people I didn’t know. I had random days where someone would order 3-5 pairs of earrings. I got messages on social media saying, “I saw someone today wearing these beautiful feather earrings, can you make me a pair?” and I would have no idea who or which earrings they were talking about. This is where it got really exciting for me. The fact that I didn’t even know who or which earrings they were referring to, meant that it was out of my circle. And I was incredibly happy about that!

Currently, my main focus is custom-made earrings. I’ve been getting a good amount of requests for bridal and bridal party earrings. It’s such an honor to be able to make something that is going to be worn on someone’s special day.

I’ve learned throughout this entire process how resilient I can be once I am doing something I love with a good intention behind it, rather than something that feels forced because I think I “should” be doing it. There’s so much more success and joy available to me when I put my energy into something I love, rather than what I think might be expected of me. I think back to when I started this business with the belief that it might be incredibly challenging to put myself and my creations out there, but I’ve learned that it doesn’t have to be hard. If you love what you do and create, people feel that. They’re attracted to the love you put into it. It’s rewarding and so worth it.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Born and raised in Los Angeles, always surrounded by creatively-minded people, I was always interested in making things. Whatever I could get my hands on, I wanted to turn it into art. Jewelry-making started when I was about 10 years old. I would take apart necklaces and old clothes and make funky pairs of earrings out of everything I could find. This affinity for jewelry-making followed me throughout high school and college, using my hands to make something out of nothing, allowing me to return home to myself in my own creative way. I look back on what I made and honestly laugh. No item was safe from being turned into jewelry.

I’m very blessed to have had parents who supported my artistic endeavors. Even if something I made looked imperfect, they would cheer me on and encourage me to make more — more of whatever I did.

When I decided to start making jewelry again in 2019 and actually sell quality-made earrings (instead of the found concoctions I made earlier in life), I felt confident in my ability to create unique pieces, without worrying that it would turn into a successful business. I just enjoyed making them, and I remembered seeing my parents’ joy whenever I made something (funky or fashionable) purely because they knew it made me happy. And that’s what fuels me to this day.

During the pandemic, I was a little worried about people not wanting to buy big feather earrings since no one was going anywhere. Then I realized: putting on a pair of statement earrings is the easiest way to elevate a look, to give a splash of color and texture to whatever you have on that day. 2020 was a successful year for me because of this reason — people wanted to feel beautiful without needing to dress up or put on make up when they weren’t leaving the house. Earrings gave them the right amount of edge.

I decided on the name So Alive Designs because my priority is to create pieces of jewelry that make people feel beautiful and alive when they wear them. Something that doesn’t require them to change anything about themselves, but rather gives them the confidence to be more of themselves when they put them on. To be able to create something that allows someone to remember their own power like this, is an absolute honor and dream come true.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
The first place I’d take anyone to is my favorite slice of heaven: Laguna Beach. Shaw’s Cove is one of my ideal spots, since it’s small enough to feel like you have a little pocket of sand all to yourself, if you’re willing to get there early. I’d recommend going in the morning before it gets hot so you can see the ocean at its most crisp blue and avoid the crowds, or if you’d prefer to sleep in you can go to catch the sunset on one of the parks overlooking the ocean. Laguna is so magical the way the light hits the rocky cliffs and flowers cascading down to the sea. In the summertime, make sure to check out the Sawdust Festival, which is an art festival featuring some of Laguna Beach’s most incredible painters, jewelers, glass blowers, musicians, and artists of all kinds. Get there early and stay all day. If you’re lucky, you may come on a day where you can observe someone blowing glass right before your eyes!

If you’re into fine arts, I’d highly recommend visiting either the Getty or the Getty Villa. Both museums are free to enter, and have some of the most magnificently beautiful layouts I’ve ever seen. Take the whole day to get lost and marvel at history, art, and architecture.

If you’d prefer to just walk around a garden all day (which I often do), head over to The Huntington Botantical Gardens. The gardens span 130 acres and boast 16 themed gardens, with something different always blooming throughout the year. I’ve spent an entire day here and only covered half of it. Wear comfortable shoes, pack a lunch for a picnic, and make sure to leave ample time (more than you think) to visit the gift shop.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I couldn’t possibly get to where I am today without my friends’ and partner’s support. I’m not exaggerating when I say my friends are my best customers. Every single one of my close friends has at least 2 pieces of jewelry that I’ve made. They inspire me to continue making new designs, and I love to tempt them with designs I think they’d like. It’s also become a fun little trading system, where I can offer a pair of earrings in exchange for an item/photoshoot/favor. My heart explodes whenever I’m in a room with them and all of them are wearing a piece of jewelry I made. Every single one of them exudes creativity in their own unique way, it is an absolute joy to see. They inspire me to take risks knowing that there is always more possibility on the other side of fear.

My partner, Christian, is my biggest supporter in the world. If there’s ever a moment I feel self-doubt come up, I know he will not sugarcoat the situation, but remind me of my own power. And that is the best gift in the world; I think we all need that.

Thank you to all the artists that continue to create, no matter the circumstance. Whether or not we know each other, I’m grateful for you and your dedication to the arts. May we all continue to grow and learn from each other, supporting one another along the way.

Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/soalivedesigns

Instagram: https://instagram.com/soalivedesigns

Image Credits
Christian Bedoya Austin Queen