Blog

Discover the journey of jewelry making with Alexandra Cheresheva from Cherryberrycreations.

• Can you introduce yourself and what you are doing?

My name is Alexandra Cheresheva and I am 29 years old.
I have studied journalism and digital communications. I have worked as an Event Manager, PR Manager and Social Media Specialist.
However, I have always been interested in art and design. I loved painting as a kid and maybe this is why, all of my life I have been trying to have a creative outlet for my artistic ideas. In my adult years, I have done a lot of mandala colouring for relaxation and creating handmade jewelry.

• How did you decide to start your jewelry business?

Last year, I started something I wanted to do for a few years, but never got the chance or courage. That is until I had a career change and had the spare time to do it. I began creating custom jewelry from epoxy resin, mostly earrings. They are my guilty pleasure in my own accessory closet and I have more than 210 different pairs myself.

• Did you have a mentor or someone who guided you?

I wish I had, but I didn’t. I did it the hard way – by watching tutorials and learning by mistake in the practice itself.
If someone wants to start doing similar things, I would recommend consulting with a “handmader”, as I call them, with longer experience, even though most artists don’t want to share their know-how and proven tips and tricks, because there is quite the competition in the industry.

• In your experience, what are the top skills needed to start your own business?

Patience, creativity, persistence and an adventurous nature.
To be a successful handmade artist, you have to be a master of many skills. The jewelry-making is only the fun part. Then there come the long photoshoots with a setup, posting plans, marketing knowledge, picking and supplying the new materials, communication with clients and so on…
I am still learning how to do every step right. I make mistakes and try to correct them the next time. It takes a lot of time to adjust your work “routine”, especially when it is still a hobby/ part-time small business and you have to juggle this around all of your other activities.

• How did you create your “brand” CherryBerryCreations?

I created it with my passion and personal preferences in mind at first.
I thought of the first part of the name quite fast, as I wanted to use my surname as a catchphrase, as it is unusual.
Then, I wanted to add something else to it, to make it self-explanatory that I am making handmade jewelry. A close friend of mine suggested adding “creations” as a generalization for all of the art activities I one day might want to add to my brand resume.

• In what ways do you promote your current projects or activities?

Right now, I am using only Social Media for the presentation and promotion of my creations.
But I also want to start participating in art fairs and exhibitions, which are quite common in Sofia. However, I want to do it when I am fully ready.
I hope this happens soon!

• How did you find your first customer?

My first 5-6 customers were only my acquaintances. I still had not sponsored my posts and all of my followers were just people I knew that I invited to like the page. Some of them wanted to support me, which I will forever be grateful for! This gesture means so much for a creator, especially at the beginning when they are still expanding their audience.

• Are you able to make a living from making jewelry, or do you also have a regular job on the side?

Unfortunately, right now, I am still not making a living from it, I have a regular job.
But my dream for the next 5 years is for this to become my full-time job.

• What’s the competition like in your field?

The competition is quite high because many creators make and present their art in distinctive ways. Most of them create brilliant things, keeping you “on your toes” to find and expand your niche.

• What are your plans for the future?

A goal of mine is to expand my jewelry-making with many different techniques and explore new ways of presenting and displaying them through several platforms.
I have also always dreamt of having my own art studio to create my pieces, organize the collections and prepare my parcels for shipping.

• What inspires you?

I have followed a couple of Bulgarian creators for years and have admired their work the whole time.
However, I get most of my ideas mainly from my love for colours, extravagant style and experimenting with shapes and patterns.

• What’s the best advice you’ve gotten?

To be persistent because small businesses usually develop slowly and with lots of non-refundable investments, both financially and time-wise. One day, they might become the “real thing”, which will make you happy and fulfilled with your work.

• And what’s the worst?

Many people see it as something not serious, that I am just having fun with and that I would probably quit, but I am motivated to prove them wrong.
Apart from that – not advice, but an expressed complaint: My mother is quite worried about my jewelry-making activities. The epoxy resin that is used for creating them is quite poisonous to use in closed areas until it fully dries out and might result in serious health damage. When it dries out, it is totally safe to use and wear.
I underestimated this at first and did it without safety precautions, but after a couple of months, I started using a filtering mask and gloves during the whole process. It is quite uncomfortable and sometimes even painful to wear for as long as 5 hours, but it is better to be safe than sorry.

• What about creating jewelry gives you the most satisfaction?

I like expressing myself through art and creating different styles of earrings for different outfits and people.
I imagine what type of person would wear them and create scenarios in my head to expand the idea.

• Did you hit any low points in your path and if yes, how did you overcome them?

There’s a feeling of discouragement for not dedicating enough time to this project. I still work full time from the office and don’t want to give up my regular social gatherings with friends and family, my monthly travels and organizing my own wedding in a few months. It’s hard to find enough time for it and I feel guilty and disappointed. So I hope in the future I will be more flexible and have more time to do it.
Another thing that sometimes makes me feel a little low is when I think I have created a cool collection or piece, but my sales drop. Of course, I realize that this could be due to a lot of things like period of the year, inflation, Social Media reach and much more, but I still feel bad, because I want women to wear my pieces, especially the ones I find the most beautiful and feel happy.

• What is the most valuable lesson you have learned while following your passion?

Following your creative goals and ambitions is hard but quite satisfying.
It gives you another purpose and motivation to be unique and express yourself.

• Do you have any advice for people struggling to find their purpose?

Try as many things as you want, until you find yours!
For many people, I may seem inconsistent in my ventures, as my background is quite diverse because I want to try, explore and eventually move to another activity if it does not suit me, but I do not care and want to try as many new things as I can in the fields I am interested in and progress in the things I like doing.

• And to those who have found it but are afraid to start?

It is scary, it is unpredictable and has many challenges, but just get the courage and start it!
You have two options – it might work or fail, but either way, you win, because you have tried and at least you would already know if it is “your thing” or not.
Take the risk – there is no growth in the safe zone!

• Lastly, where can people find you?

CherryBerryCreationsInstagram
CherryBerryCreationsFacebook