Today we’d like to introduce you to Lindsay Williams.
Hi Lindsay, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m a maker, a marketer, and a project coordinator. In terms of Avert Adornments, my jewelry brand is inspired by both of my grandmothers.
Treva is the namesake (Avert is Treva backwards!) and the put-together, classic, always perfectly accessorized Gram who delighted in the finest quality adornments. Carol is the wild one—she mixed polka dots with stripes with an admirable level of reckless abandon, and color was her friend. Blending their styles together has created a cohesive brand full of jewelry that can pull an outfit together, with just a hint of wildness to make it stand out.
I started this journey after several jewelry fabrication classes at Toledo Museum of Art with the incomparable artist & teacher Jane Lamanna, though my love of big earrings and bright colors has been lifelong!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Ooh! Great question. I suppose no road is entirely smooth – especially any creative endeavor, in which a fair amount of experimentation needs to take place!
I think any major business shifts feel pretty bumpy, so the pandemic transition toward entirely virtual business was a learning curve. Prior to, I had actually started my jewelry business largely to have more in-person interaction with artists and art patrons.
At that time, I’d moved from working at an arts school in a vibrant downtown to working in a very gray corporate cubicle setting in the suburbs. The job was great, but I deeply missed my creative community. Starting my own jewelry business was a way to participate in shows, meet other makers, and stay connected via our downtown maker shoppe (Handmade Toledo).
In the months things were shuttered for COVID-19, the community part felt stifled, as I’m sure was the case for everyone. So, the shift from seeing smiling faces and getting real-time, real-life feedback verbally on my work was abrupt – it put artists in their studios (which in some ways was a welcome relief) but also apart from that genuine, in-person feedback loop. As a jeweler, your goal is to positively impact someone’s look, their vibe, their confidence – I want to make jewelry that stops people in their tracks to come compliment my customers! – so attempting to gauge largely solo if what I’d created would make someone feel that way was new!
Every challenge is also an opportunity, however, and my online shop evolved to be so much better than ever before- if out of necessity. It’s known something I’m proud of, and as a result, brings in a greater percentage of my business.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m honestly most proud of giving this thing a go! My early childhood & teen background never made me feel like an artist; the art classes at my schools were fairly traditional in that the students who could representationally draw (portraits, still life, etc.) were very celebrated, but – at least in my young mind – the celebration stopped there.
I always was a dancer and had great fun with fashion, but it wasn’t really until I began to work at Toledo School for the Arts that I understood art is more than drawing, is more than visual. Art is taking the world, flipping it in another direction, and using a new perspective to pull something beautiful out of it. It really freed up my idea of an artist and inspired me to explore galleries and other spaces where a broader idea of art was on display.
I’ve traveled a lot since, and find inspiration in every little nook and cranny of our country and beyond. I like to think that I’m a much better observer now.
In my jewelry business, I specialize in statement jewelry and it always comes back to earrings because that is what I love to wear.
When I’m wearing my marketing, project coordination, or grant writing hat for others I really shift into that observing space, as if I’m on a road trip through their business, thinking about how I’d talk about it when I return. All of these things center on storytelling and strategizing – both of which I adore.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
Carrying out my business with honesty, thoughtfulness, and clear principles is very important. It helps you to be more focused, ensure you aren’t taking your customer’s trust lightly and put out strong work with meaning behind it.
The more creative parts of my career were also born during some darker times – I lost two people extremely close to me when I was quite young, and it’s shaped the lens through which I view many things. It matters to me that I love what I do and that the people I surround myself with treat me with respect and honesty because to carry on any other way is… well… for the birds. We only have so much time to fly around on this earth, so it seems doing so with positive intentions is for the best!
Pricing:
- I want fashion and jewelry to be accessible to people, so I strive to keep my price points honest and reasonable. My jewelry work runs anywhere from $19 to $57, with most pieces coming in between $27 and $39.
- For my clients in marketing, project coordination, and grant writing the investment varies; I create a custom quote for each based on discovery conversations about their needs and goals.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://avertadornments.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/avertadornments/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/avertadornments
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindsay-williams-b719059/
- Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/AvertAdornments
Image Credits
Model Photos: Joni Johnson Photography
Show Photo: Ruben Kappler for Toledo.com
Product Photos: Lindsay Williams for Avert Adornments
