Conversations with Gay Davis

Today we’d like to introduce you to Gay Davis

Hi Gay, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I’ve always enjoyed making things, and I’ve done it in many forms, including sewing, crafting, gardening, and now jewelry making. I started making jewelry before the pandemic and continued to work on my craft during the pandemic. About two years ago, I decided to try my hand at creating an online shop using Shopify. My goal was to support my love of creating jewelry through on line sales. At the same time, I realized I needed to gain a social presence and began my journey of learning about and creating a presence on social media. In the past four months, I’ve begun participating in local vendor markets to increase my social presence and get to know other local artists. My goal is to create affordable and well-made jewelry for everyday people like me.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No, it hasn’t been a smooth road. Selling online isn’t easy and I would say that this has been the biggest challenge or struggle for me. Particularly creating the social presence/following and understanding everything that is required to create that presence. Up until 4 months ago, I was working fulltime so it was a matter of figuring out how to parse my “free time” to be able to continue to make jewelry but keep everything else going as well. I made a decision, that I was going to be OK with taking it slow so I didn’t burn myself out and end up not enjoying the creative part of this endeavor.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a recent retiree having spent my career in the telecommunications and technology field. I worked in inventory management, the procurement of technology and technology services and finally in the vendor management space focusing on providers of technology and technology services. If I look back at my career, it was a natural progression as at each step I gained an understanding and knowledge I was able to build upon which enhanced my ability to do the job at hand. I think I’m known for being an expert in my field because of my ability to grasp the concepts and tie everything together as opposed to just following a playbook or doing things in a step 1, step 2, step 3 process…..Sometimes things don’t necessarily follow a process and being able to think beyond or outside is what makes one successful.

Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
Having family and a few good friends in life are all that really matter.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://blakeleylanejewelry.com
• Instagram: @blakeleylanejewelry
• Facebook: blakeleylane