Meet Shatia Marie | Jewelry Artist

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

Hi Shatia, can you share a quote or affirmation with us?
My favorite quote is “Never let a temporary situation steal your permanent job.” This quote means everything to me, It sums up how I live my life. More often than I would like I find ourselves in situations that make me feel helpless or useless, but this quote reminds me that the feeling is temporary. Everyone has their own struggles and personal traumas that scar us, but those wounds heal and you can become stronger when you make it to the other side. I use this quote to remind me that the negative feelings are temporary and that I will make it through and to not allow things to change my positive outlook on life. It was one of the reasons I decided to actually move forward with my business because for far too long I was allowing fear to make many excuses as to why it just would not work out. I am happy that I did start because I now own a wonderful jewelry business!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I love to craft but one of my favorite things to do was create jewelry, so naturally I decided to start my own business creating pieces that everyone can wear. My favorite medium is polymer clay. It has really expanded my creativity and has taken my art to the next level. I love making big statement pieces and the polymer clay material is so lightweight that even my biggest pieces feel like I am wearing nothing at all. I take pride in my pieces because unlike other artist I use gold filled jewelry components so the pieces last for a long time. I also mix and make my own color recipes when using polymer clay. The clay comes in many colors but I use my knowledge in color theory to create my own recipes.

Tee & Clay Co. officially began November 2020 so I am still in the beginning stages but the reception has been amazing! Every sell I make gives me butterflies and when I sell out of an item it blows my mind! The most difficult part of being a small business that makes handmade items is not the making but all of the other things that you have to do to build brand awareness. Having a social media strategy is very important so you have to know about marketing, photography, website development and so on. That has been the struggle. I am a full time Software Engineer so finding the time to get everything done is stressful, but when I get it all done it is so rewarding. i absolutely love what I do and the biggest things I want people to know about Tee & Clay Co. is every piece is thoughtfully made and carefully crafted so that you can use my pieces to create your own fashion story.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I love Austin, there are so many things to do here but it really depends on what time of year my friend comes to visit. Regardless of when our week would consist of live music, a trip to the dine-in theater, Alamo Drafthouse, and lots of good food! We would definitely look on the Do512 website to see what shows are in town and I am sure Antones or Stubbs BBQ will have an awesome live band that week. If not a live band then definitely a comedy show at Cap City Comedy Club would be on the itinerary. During the day we would take a bike ride at Lady Bird Lake, a picnic at Zilker Park and a go for a light hike at Mount Bonnell. Food is a big part of Austin so we would hit my favorite breakfast spots First Watch and Hillside Farmacy they are definitely places worth waking up for. I would get a group together so we can hit Fareground in Downtown Austin and pick one of the many options at the food court and just hang out in the courtyard, and of course there would be any night time hangs to go to but we would have to hit my absolute favorites places to get drinks, Zanzibar, Easy Tiger and Volsted.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
All throughout my life there are people who contribute to the support and encouragement that keeps me going. My first shoutout is to my daughter because she gives me purpose. She is an incredible person and I learn more from her than she learns from me. Second, my biggest influence on always being graceful and ambitious is watching celebrities like Beyonce, Debbie Allen, Viola Davis, and Rochelle Aytes. I have pictures of them on my vision board and each of their stories help me get through when I am faced with anxiety. And finally, the maker community!! I did not even know how collaborative and helpful people who create art are. It truly is a different world. I want to specifically give a shoutout to Sarah Miller the owner and creator behind Awkward Auntie, her business savvy is really inspiring. She is so good at what she does, she is my favorite creator to support and I love following her social media pages and seeing the new items she is creating.

Website: www.teeandclay.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/teeandclay/

Linkedin: twitter.com/teeandclay

Twitter: @teeandclay

Facebook: www.facebook.com/teeandclay

Other: Tiktok: www.tiktok.com/@teeandclay