Meet Kayla Moody | Jewelry Designer

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

Hi Kayla, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Whether it be trying a new supplier, investing in bigger shows and a better setup, traveling to new territory, or taking a class- running a business takes a lot of blind faith in yourself and also believing in where you’ll end up. I’ve made jewelry for 10 years but I think making a move from FL to WA helped me the most as far as personal and artistic growth goes. I was in a really supportive community when I moved here 3 years ago and had more time to reflect and create. Life has changed so much for the better! Since starting my business on the floor of my bedroom with a limited budget, to doing 2-5 events a week and being busier than ever, I have learned you start small and keep reinvesting in your materials. Taking financial risks in business is important. I started with basically a few hundred dollars worth of supplies and kept reinvesting hoping to do an art walk. I’m now working for myself full time and thinking of hiring someone- it is the most surreal, awesome feeling ever.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Most peoples’ reactions when they see my business at events is, “Wow, who makes all this?” or “Do you guys have a store?” My reply is always that, “I’m the artist actually, I design everything and it’s just me.” What people don’t realize because I look young is that I’ve actually been making jewelry 11 years. I worked for Melissa (who I shouted out) and got a lot of experience from her, but I also took a course on jewelry repair in South Florida and have worked for several jewelers since. One lady specialized in hand-wired expensive gemstones wired in white and yellow gold, I worked for her wiring gemstone chain. This definitely helped me hone in on my wire wrapping skills. One man I apprenticed under used the lost wax process to carve all his own designs and components out of wax then casted it and made molds of his work. I learned about many different skills from him regarding silversmithing. For years now I’ve also done stringing repairs for jewelry stores doing hand knotted silk beaded jewelry. My job experience leading up to now wasn’t always ideal because you’re making someone else’s dream a reality while being paid less than you deserve, sometimes even working two jobs to make ends meet. But I worked in a business I understood and loved and learned so many great skills along the way. Somewhere between costume jewelry and fine jewelry is my happy place. Nice, high quality materials without paying thousands of dollars and breaking the bank. That’s how Mystic Visions came to life. I use gold filled and sterling silver metal with semi-precious stones and crystals that people feel connected to. I have a lot of settings casted so I can make in bulk and also offer my jewelry pieces more affordably. All of my experiences working for other people led me to where I am today. I was finally able to financially start my business 3 years ago and have applied the lessons I’ve learned to my business today.

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?
So I live an hour north of Portland and an hour away from the coast and also live two hours from Seattle, so what I love the most about this area is how diverse it is. I can be in a city and drive 15 minutes away and be in a state park in the mountains. If I had a friend come to visit I would probably take them to the Ape Caves because theres nothing better than going underground in a cave to escape from reality into a whole other world. Then I would take them to the Oregon coast to see Astoria (where they filmed the Goonies) then down to Cannon Beach to see the famous Haystack Rock at low tide. On the weekend we would end up heading north for a day at Pikes Place Market in Seattle then to the Tacoma Brunch Market for a drag show and to watch me weld permanent jewelry and sell my other handcrafted jewelry as well.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I want to dedicate my shoutout to my mentor Melissa. She taught me everything I know about the jewelry business and making jewelry. Melissa owned a business and we were in over 100 stores, featured in NYFW, did big buyers markets, trunk shows and even made custom lines of jewelry for Free People and Anthropologie. It was during this time she took me under her wing and trained me to make in bulk, design, and how to sell/merchandise jewelry. It’s always been a dream of mine after meeting someone in high school with a thriving jewelry business to one day make and sell my own, and meeting Melissa was definitely a blessing in disguise.

Website: www.mysticvisionsjewelry.com

Instagram: @mysticvisionsjewelry

Facebook: Facebook.com/mysticvisionsjewelry

Image Credits
I would like to credit Kayla Yourston who is my model and Delaney Hawley who is my photographer.