Meet Sharon Lafferty | Indigenous Jewelry Designer

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

Hi Sharon, we’d love for you to start things off by telling us something about your industry that we and others not in the industry might be unaware of?

I feel that outsiders are unaware that it is okay to wear indigenous jewelry. I think it is beautiful when I see people wearing handmade beaded jewelry. It may feel uncomfortable at first, but it is fine! I am indigenous and I used to feel somewhat disconnected from my culture because I was bullied for the colour of my skin as a child. It took me years to feel connected to my culture again and to be able to wear & use things of my heritage. I understand feeling uncomfortable when wearing or using indigenous jewelry. I’ve had a few people express their worries to me about wearing my handmade earrings. That made my heart sink. Anyone can wear any of my handmade jewelry. It is more than okay with me. It is a beautiful sight to see! I cannot speak for other indigenous jewelry artists, I am only speaking on behalf of myself. I hope this helps others feel comfortable wearing my pieces.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I don’t think anything special sets me apart from my fellow beaders. I think we all have unique styles and we’re all very artistic and creative in our own way. I am the most proud myself for putting myself out there on social media and selling my jewelry in markets. To be outspoken was probably the hardest things for me growing up. I was a shy kid, and when I moved away from home for the first time with my family at 10 years old, I became a very silent person. I was in a new school & town, and I felt very out of place for the years, when I was away from home. It took me awhile to be confident again. I had to force myself out of my shell because I knew no one else was going to do it for me. So anytime I am vocal and confident now, I am probably the most proud of myself in those moments.
Starting my business was somewhat easy. I actually did not expect to start a business when I wanted to make beaded earrings. All I wanted to do was make earrings for my family members because I did not have a lot of money to spend on Christmas presents. But when I started beading, I began to get creative with my work and I thought that I should start selling them. Except I didn’t start selling them until I made a decent amount of each design. Months go by, I finally get my business up and running. I also thought I would sell out of my earrings the moment I opened up my website. I was so used to seeing everyone sell out of their collections so quickly. But now I know to keep your expectations low in the beginning. You just don’t know how things can turn out. That is also the downfall of social media, you really have to post a lot of content to be recognized. And there is also too much content on social media, so that can be super challenging. I was nervous when I knew I had to get my business started, but I did not overthink too much about putting myself or my business out there. I think I was way too worried about how my handmade jewelry looked. I would look at them over and over to make sure they were perfect before posting or selling them. I still worry and hope my customers love them. Anything I created, I overthought for hours.
The lessons I have learned along the way are, it is okay to be different with your artwork. Get creative with it! Do not get discouraged if someone else doesn’t find your beadwork eye catching or normal. Be different! The next lesson would probably have to be that growth doesn’t happen over night for everyone. It certainly didn’t happen to me. Just continue to put yourself and your hard work out there! Continue to post on social media and sell your work in person if you can. Don’t put so much pressure on yourself if you are becoming overwhelmed as well. Breaks are necessary!
I want the world to know all the love, thought and time that goes into each of my handmade pieces. Being the only creator in my business, it takes a lot of time and effort to create each piece. I am also a stay at home mom and I tend to feel guilty a lot when I take time away from my son. So it is important to me that I value my time in making my jewelry, which is why I price my jewelry the way that I do. It is really important to me that everyone understands this. I will continue to improve & do my best in giving the best results with each piece I create. I try my best to create unique pieces as much as possible. Sometimes it feels impossible to come up with a new design. I also get inspiration from other people’s beadwork. There are so many talented beaders out there and I’m blown away every time I see someone else’s work. I am not sure where my work will take me or how long I will continue to do this. I just live day by day because I’m the kind of person that tends to fall in love in with doing new things and changing my line of work a lot. But who knows, I may possibly stick to creating handmade jewelry for a long time.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
There are so many cool places in my city that even I haven’t checked out yet. If they come during the winter time, I would definitely bring them to Aurora Village for a dog sledding experience. I would also bring them to the museum because there is so many beautiful indigenous artifacts. I would take them for a walk through city hall and downtown because they go all out with Christmas lights. Next would be the ice caves, snowshoeing, & fishing. We would also have to check out the hand games & drum dances if they are happening during the time my friend is visiting. When it comes time to eat, I would bring them to the Elks table, Copperhouse, The Woodyard Brewhouse & Eatery, Taste of Saigon, Sushi Café, Birchwood Coffee Kò & Javaroma. I will also show them all the cute local shops & boutiques. Yellowknife, Northwest Territories is filled with so much culture and beauty. It is a must place to visit if you get the chance.

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?
I want to dedicate my shoutout to my parents & grandparents. They deserve all the credit and recognition in all the work I put into my beadwork/jewelry. I was taught how to bead by my late grandmothers. When I first became a woman, I was told that I had to stay with my grandmother because I had to stay home for a week to clean and sew all day. It was not fun at all. I definitely did not have the love, appreciation & patience I had for sewing at that time. I very much do now, so sometimes I find myself wondering what it would be like to sew with my grandmothers, now that I have the love, appreciation & patience for sewing. I do feel much more connection with my grandmothers now, because I feel a part of them in me while I am beading. Now, if I ever need help with my sewing projects, I will call my mom. I grew up with strong & patient women in my life, who would sew for hours, days and weeks. I get my strength from them. I also cannot forget my dad either. He is artistic as well and I know some of my artwork in my beaded earrings have come from him. How I use colours & connection with the shapes in my beadwork, is definitely inspiration from him.

Website: www.pinerosebeadco.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/pinerosebeadco

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Pine-Rose-Bead-Co-103445808986421/

Image Credits
Myself, Sharon Lafferty