There is a certain magic to a person who has a concept and brings it to fruition with their own skills and talents. I am always intrigued by people who still create businesses where they are creating and making with their own hands. Enter our babe of the week...Jami! Jami is the Owner of Jami Creates, a handmade business hailing from Maryland, specializing in products made from Jami's fun doodles. As a maker myself, I started following Jami because I loved seeing her handmade art and stuck around for her fun and authentic personality.

Jami Creates is filled with a plethora of products, including apparel, stationery, accessories, and little gift items. Jami is a true creative who consistently tests new products, new methods of product making, and consistently is inventing newer and better product ideas. She is a true innovator and so fun to watch!

One of my favorite things that Jami does is when she creates doodles based on actual photos that people submit to her of themselves, their pets, and more. She uses a whimsical style in her work yet truly encompasses the subject matter.

We were so excited to feature Jami and Jami Creates. Her work and dedication to being a handmade artist is truly inspiring. In addition, Jami uses her voice in the public to share snippets into mental health, self-love, and so much more. We adore her spunky spirit, creative mind, and authentic soul. We hope that you will read more about Jami below and check out her Instagram and website to see her art.

What is Your Website? Insta Handle? (Or However Else We Can Find You!) www.JamiCreatesThings.com

IG: @Jami_Creates

Why Did You Decide To Start Your Business? I received a lot of encouragement from friends. They were telling me how good my art was and that I should open up an Etsy shop. So I went for it and did back in June of 2020. I actually had an Etsy shop from 2013 so it was kind of exciting to re-open it with a new variety of products. It also has proven to be a great creative outlet. With Covid there was a lot of new found time and it was something healthy for me to pour my energy into.

What Is The Best Advice You Can Give to A Woman Starting Her Business Venture? Just do it. I know it is super cliche, but it honestly is the best advice. If you keep waiting until you're ready and know it all, you will never be ready. Trust me, none of us have it all together. We are so good at winging it and faking it till you make it! It is a constant learning experience. Just be open to shifting. The road path you set out to follow is not always the one your business winds up taking you down. There will be bumps and forks in the roads. But you have to treat them as opportunities and not set backs.

What Is Something Most People Don't Know About You? I feel like I tend to be pretty open on my social media. What you see is what you get. But perhaps the fact I work as a Financial Analyst full time. I am a huge Excel nerd. I love writing formulas and building reports. Its the other way I am creative. It's pretty polar opposite from the art and products I create for my business.

What Does Your Typical Day Look Like? It starts early. I get up at 6:15 with my pup every am. I enjoy some coffee and do a quick social media scroll. Then I just chill and watch the news and have breakfast. I like a nice and slow morning. I start my work day at 8 am. I eat lunch at noon every day, it's actually a standing joke with my boss. But my fiancé and I eat together everyday and it's honestly my favorite part of the day. Then from 8-5 you'll find me on calls, analyzing new sales deals, making bad @$$ spreadsheets, and sneaking in some crafting whenever possible. I'm the queen of multi tasking and time efficiency. So if I'm on a call I'll set my printer to start printing stuff I need to make later. I don't like to waste time. After work I get in a work out and any doodling I can before dinner. Then it's dinner, TV shows, and doodling.

Who Are Some Women That Inspire You? (Globally and Locally) I work closely with so many women locally. I'm really big on supporting my local maker community in Maryland. Sheila owns this shop called Chosen in Hyde Maryland and creates her own beautiful jewelry. I love how passionate she is about her shop. She puts so much time and effort into it and hand selecting every item she sells. Not to mention she is just an absolute gem to be around. Globally I'd have to say Megan Rapinoe. Her continued fight for equal pay for women in sports has been inspiring. She won't back down from what she stands for and I admire that. Also, she is one hell of a soccer player. I used to dream of being a soccer play when I was kid. She's a great role model out there for young girls playing sports.

What Was One Huge Business Flop or Problem That You Had to Endure and How Did You Handle That? Oh man, making the decision to no longer screen print. People loved my screen printed shirts. But it was an absolute mental battle for me. Every time I'd have a big order to print I'd wind up breaking down and crying because something went wrong. No craft is easy by any means. And I was so excited to screen print. I invested a lot of time and money into it. But I noticed the common denominator with my stress was screen printing and I ultimately made the decision to stop. It was crazy how supportive my group was. Everyone was so understanding and was super supportive of me stopping if it mean saving my sanity. My advice is if it doesn't bring you joy, don't do it. I have since found alternative ways to create apparel.

What Accomplishment Are You Most Proud Of? I am most proud of my launching my website. 4/15 was the website launch! I put a lot of time and effort into making it and customizing it so that it really reflected me and my brand. I think it turned out great and I am excited to see how I grow it.

What Do You Do For Self Care? I treat myself to an eyebrow wax and tint every other week. I don't pamper myself with things like manicures and pedicures and I'm pretty low key on my hair. I don't know what it is, but good brows really make me feel fierce.

What Jobs Did You Work Before You Created Your Business? Tell Us Your Journey. I have been all over the place with jobs. I was a Quality Control / Accounting Admin, a Sales Tax auditor, a Staff Accountant, and I've been in a few different Financial Analyst rolls over the year. I went to school for Business and have my MBA so I knew I always wanted to land in the Finance world. I honestly don't plan on leaving unless my business catapults and I need to devote 110% of my time to it. I really do enjoy my day time job a lot.

Give Us Five Fun Facts About You! 1. I've never broken a bone (knock on wood!)

2. I'm a super elder emo. I still rock out to Mayday Parade, Yellow Card, New Found Glory

3. I'm an extroverted introvert. It takes a lot of energy to talk myself into being around people, but when I'm there I also have a lot of fun

4. I'm getting married next May and can not wait!

5. I have an auto delivery of fruit snacks, and I'm not ashamed. Anytime I travel you'll find me with a stash of fruit snacks.

What Sign Are You? Are You Into Astrology? I am a Gemini. I am not huge into astrology. I have been doing some more research into and it's pretty wild how accurate my sign is.

What One Word Represents You Most. Eclectic

What is Your Favorite The Posh Shop Co Product? You're going to make me pick? Probably the Probably Hangry tee. It's so beyond accurate. If I'm feeling moody I'm like oh I probably need to eat. I do a happy dance when I'm eatting a lot.