Rising Stars: Meet Linnea Imam

Today we’d like to introduce you to Linnea Imam.

Hi Linnea, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
As soon as my fine motor skills developed, I was crafting. I made dolls out of tinfoil, beads out of clay, and my crayon drawings covered every open surface of the refrigerator. I was an artist from day one; I always knew I would be. My mother enrolled me in as many after-school art programs as there were days in the week. I spent my four years of high school focused on drawing and convinced my advisor to put me in 7 hours of art electives my final semester there. I was accepted on a scholarship to attend the School of Art and Design at Northern Michigan University as an Illustration major, and it was just a few weeks into my first semester there that I realized I did not like Illustration.

I switched my major to Jewelry on a whim, figuring I could switch again if I felt like it. I quickly fell in love. Working with metal exercised my brain and my body in ways I had never used them before. I learned a wide array of skills in the metal shop that would impress a mechanic or a jeweler. I graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Metal Crafts, and the world was my oyster!

A few months into my post-grad life in a new city, I realized I was not prepared to make it on my own as an independent jewelry designer. I had barely any equipment, limited business experience, and no clue what I was doing. So I wandered around Michigan for a few years, creating jewelry here and there, before deciding to move to Asheville, North Carolina.

Asheville was everything I wanted. A booming food and beverage scene, mountains a size I had never seen before, and a community overflowing with artists. However, anyone who’s lived in Asheville will tell you, things there don’t often go as planned. So after three years of pure fun, I was moving to Raleigh, having never even unpacked my jewelry tools.

Right from the go, Raleigh was different. In early 2020, I set up my workbench and started creating. I launched my jewelry company, & The Minotaur, named after my favorite Greek Myth. I invested in branding, my social media began to take off, and I was set to participate in as many local craft fairs as I could. We all know how March of 2020 turned out, but I cherished the time I had at home in my studio and the time I finally felt like I had to spend on creating jewelry. Taking my craft slow and focusing on creating quality, future heirlooms for people is now my number one focus, and I wouldn’t trade a second of how I got here.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
My road has been anything but smooth, but I’m a firm believer that a bumpy ride just prepares you for the good that comes next. The biggest struggle for me has been finding value within myself. Venturing into an art space at all can be intimidating, and when you add selling your work into the mix, things can feel pretty vulnerable. Add self-employment on top of that, and you have a soufflé that’s always on the verge of deflating. It took me a while to realize that if I want other people to believe in me and engage with my craft, then I had to believe in myself first.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I handcraft jewelry. Every element in my jewelry (apart from gemstones, which I source from other individual artists and small businesses- lapidary is a skill I don’t possess -yet) is handmade by me, meaning there are no pre-fabricated elements to my pieces. I use materials like sterling silver, brass, and high-grade gemstones to make jewelry inspired by mythology and nature. My mantra that sets me apart from others is to always make something that I would wear, so you’ll never find my designs elsewhere. I am uncompromising on quality in my work, and I will always bring you long-lasting, tough, but beautiful jewelry.

Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
My biggest piece of advice will always be to invest in yourself. Whether that means money, education, or just time, believing in and trusting yourself is the surest way to set yourself apart from others and to succeed.

Contact Info:

• Email: andtheminotaur@gmail.com
• Website: www.andtheminotaur.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/andtheminotaur

Image Credits
Left Shot Photography