Maggie Perdue shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Maggie, really appreciate you sharing your stories and insights with us. The world would have so much more understanding and empathy if we all were a bit more open about our stories and how they have helped shaped our journey and worldview. Let’s jump in with a fun one: Would YOU hire you? Why or why not?
I would actually not hire myself, because I already have my skill set. I would hire someone with different skills to mine, so that our strengths could complement each other.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Maggie Perdue, and I am the jewelry artist behind WonderStruck Jewelry Design. My specialty is making jewelry that tells a story and brings magic into your everyday life. Whether that is designing a custom piece inspired by your beloved Dungeons and Dragons character, or an engagement ring that is perfect for your aesthetic, I want to use my skills to make your dreams come true. Everyone is creative and has moments in their life they want to commemorate, but not everybody’s creativity results in a physical object. That can make it hard to appreciate the work you do! I make jewelry that puts those ideas into a physical object that reminds you of those magical moments.
When I am not working on commissions, I make collections of jewelry inspired by different stories and archetypes. I love incorporating flowers and their symbolism as a way to subtly convey my message. My current collection available on Etsy is called “The Memory Collection”. I have been exploring different ways to use line work and Poppies as symbols of journeys, adventure, and the memories we collect. I have new designs coming out soon, and a new collection in the works!
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
When I was about three or four, I flounced up to my mother and said, “Someday, when I am a grown-up and I am in charge, if you do what I say, I’ll give you a little treat”. She just about died laughing at the sheer confidence that surely the only reason I wasn’t in charge yet was because I wasn’t a “grown-up”. As an adult, I can firmly say I am glad I am not in charge of everything, but I am trying to reclaim that confidence. Like many adults from my generation, I have really struggled with people pleasing and fear of failure. But I know I have that confidence somewhere inside of me still. The more I practice taking leaps of faith, standing up for myself, and appreciating what I have accomplished, the closer I feel to who I truly am meant to be.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
Your life doesn’t need to look the same as everyone else’s. My chronic illness went undiagnosed until I was in my early twenties. I struggled with so many things, sometimes barely able to stay awake despite sleeping for hours and hours. Walking across my college campus, there would be times my body would feel so heavy I wasn’t sure I would be able to reach a safe area before collapsing. Sometimes, I would wake up in pain so intense that it brought tears to my eyes. I didn’t think I could handle being self-employed when all I wanted to do was sleep all the time. I felt lazy and like I couldn’t rely on myself to follow through. But I kept going, and eventually I got answers. Once I learned how to work with my limitations instead of against them, a whole new world opened up. Learning about my illness and getting treatment was like getting the key to a locked door that I had been pushing and pushing against my whole life. Turns out when you take care of your health first, you make much better art.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
The biggest lie in the art and entrepreneur world is that you cannot succeed without sacrificing everything except the project. They say work-life balance is for traditional employment, not creatives, and definitely not for the self-employed. But that is the fastest road to burn out. If you need to work a more traditional job to make ends meet and do art on the side, you will make better art if you know you will have enough food to eat. You will be more productive when you are at work if you give yourself a chance to rest. One hour of well-rested effort is infinitely better than two hours of sleep-deprived pushing. That is how costly mistakes and injuries happen. Proper rest and work-life balance are essential.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I hope people talk about how you can create a business you love and a life you love at the same time. I hope they talk about how it’s worth hanging in there when things are bad because it gets better. I hope I inspire somebody to be better than they would be otherwise.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/wonderstruckgoods/?etsrc=sdt
- Instagram: @wonderstruckjewelrydesign
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/share/167YvmFXNt/?mibextid=wwXIfr
- Other: tiktok: @wonderstruckdesigns
