The Start of EmMelody: How It All Began
EmMelody wasn't really planned... It kind of just happened. One thing led to another, and I ended up with a little brand called EmMelody.
A Creative Childhood
I've been obsessed with making things since as long as I remember. I always took a notepad to school, and I remember sitting on the school running field doodling while my friends ran around. Some of my earliest memories are of making daisy chains on a summer's day, tying bracelets with string, sketching diagrams of inventions I dreamed of creating, and once (probably annoying my parents a little) I stole a load of my parent's printer paper and made a giant fort! 😂
My First Taste of Selling
Then, when I was a teenager, I got my first taste of selling. Just after I discovered paracord bracelets while watching videos on YouTube, a family member let me tag along to a school fair they were selling ice-cream at. I made my own jig out of spare wooden skirting board and made about 50 paracord bracelets over the span of a few weeks.
I only sold 3 in the end, but it didn't upset me; I was really proud. 3 people decided that they liked what I made and wanted to pay me hard-earned money for them. That feeling stuck with me.
EmMelody Is Born
Eventually I decided to try selling them online. I'd already come up with the name EmMelody when I was looking for a simple name to post my photography under on DeviantArt; a mix of my name, Emma, and Melody. As well as art, I've always loved music and playing the piano, along with photography and animals. I chose a bird to represent EmMelody because I wanted my brand to almost feel like a bird song. I'm often hesitant to share my work with the world, so having my brand feel like a little tune, quietly building (hopefully!😅), seemed right to me.
Nothing Holds Me Back
I tried to list all the bracelets from the fair on eBay, but not a single one sold. I felt a bit sad, but it didn't put me off. Around the same time, I managed to sell a photography piece of mine at a local art gallery, so I knew I still had it in me.
I went back to the drawing board and simplified the designs to the ones you see today; cleaner and a bit more wearable day-to-day. Using my knowledge of photography, I then took photos of these bracelets in a brightly lit room on a very simple set-up (just A4 paper as the background! 😂). It was very basic, but the bracelets stood out and I managed to get my first sale within a few weeks.
Looking Back
It's been quite a few years since I started EmMelody in 2016, and while I'm still doing much of the same, I've made and sold about 10,000 bracelets in total, which is a lot more than the 3 I started with! I've grown more efficient at making them, improved my packaging, polished up my brand a bit, and now sell on 4 different platforms. Although, I will admit, there's definitely much more room for me to grow.
Branching Out
Over the past year or so, I've been branching into other creative projects, like my YouTube channel, and I have been exploring Procreate on the iPad and have made some designs for stickers and cards. On top of that, I've been diving back into photography, as that has been a bit neglected for years; I often left my camera at home because it was very heavy, but I've recently purchased a much better bag. So now, no excuses! 🙃
Looking Forward to the Future
I'm excited to keep growing EmMelody in all its different forms, although it can be difficult juggling everything. I often create a lot of work behind the scenes, but I find it difficult to share my work with the world. I'm an overthinker, and even posting this is a bit overwhelming. I have to keep reminding myself that everything doesn't have to be perfect; I've put myself out there before, and I can do it again. 😊
Thanks for reading this and for coming along for the ride; I can't wait to see who will hear this little melody in the future!
If you'd like to see more, you can explore other Blogs, follow me on my Socials, or pop over to my Shop. Have a lovely day! 😊
- Emma ❤️
