Meet Raegen Knight: Raegen Knight Jewelry

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

Hi Raegen, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
Balancing work with all of the other priorities in life – parenting, household responsibilities, leisure, and self-care is definitely a challenge, but I think I’ve been better able to manage it all as I age. The perspective that comes in mid-life has been so helpful in building an internal system that sorts out what task is most important when, and somehow it all seems to just get done. Recently, I’ve also been able to naturally start finding more joy in the work that I do, as well as a greater appreciation for downtime. The key to all this has been is self-care – being healthy and centered enough to be able too function well and enjoy daily life. 

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I went to art school with the intention of studying fashion design. At school, I fell in love with art history, printmaking, and metal smithing – and I realized I didn’t love fashion as much as I thought I did. I went to grad school for museum studies and ended up working in exhibitions and public relations for two art museums. I left full-time employment to be a mother and that’s when I started my jewelry business. It’s been fun to see it grow. I never had any pre-conceived notions of what I wanted this business to be, so right now I’m just having fun watching it evolve. Choosing to have a career in the art world is never going to be easy, so I guess my best advice would be to stay open, be curious, and never stop working.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
My favorite thing about California is its natural beauty, along with the weather, which means you can be outside enjoying nature literally all-year round. When we have visitors, we usually take them to the beach. Solana Beach is gorgeous and their farmer’s market is a great place to shop and get lunch. We’ve also had some amazing kayak trips out of La Jolla – you can paddle out to the kelp forest and go diving and, if you’re with a guide, you can go inside the caves.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Honestly, I wouldn’t be where I am without my friends. I have a close group of maker friends that have similar businesses. We meet regularly (lately via Zoom) to share wins and losses, strategize, and support each other. For sure, I would have given up doing this a long time ago if it hadn’t been for my maker friends.

Website: https://raegenknight.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raegenknight
Linkedin: n/a
Twitter: n/a
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/raegenknightjewelry
Yelp: n/a
Youtube: n/a

Image Credits
Mol Goodman Riley Starr