The Beginning
Meet Sharmequa Franklin, a chief learning officer at a financial institution by day, owner of the bright and colorful The Artsy Girl by night. Specializing in sparkly, handmade, hypoallergenic jewelry, Statesboro-based business aims to bring a smile to customer’s faces. Franklin’s journey officially began in 2020 after deciding to turn her passion projects into a business. But the woman behind The Artsy Girl got her start much earlier than 2020.
Franklin draws a lot of her inspiration and motivation from her late grandfather, an artist. Alongside him, Franklin let her artistic spirit fly, entering art contest after art contest. Shortly after, she began making bracelets around age nine or ten. Her creativity knew no bounds. However, following her grandfather’s passing, she “put art on the back burner” because she believed that “enjoying it was somehow dishonoring his legacy.” Covid served as the final push for Franklin to reignite her talents and share them with others. With her husband’s suggestion to start making her jewelry more than a side project, it wouldn’t be long before the “She-Shed” was born. Inspired by a State Farm commercial, Franklin’s husband helped the shed come into existence. “He was like, you need to find some place to make it so that you don’t make it in our home. And so we started this journey of me creating a she shed.” Now equipped with a workspace and a plethora of ideas, Franklin got to work.
The Creative Process
How do her ideas go from conception to creation? Starting with pen and paper, Franklin lays out her ideas. While her sketches serve as blueprints, she says “I often don’t know what it’s gonna look like on the other end.” With hand painted designs, the colors she plans to use may change in the middle. Unafraid to use bright and bold colors, Franklin allows herself to create with her heart. In terms of inspiration, she keeps an eye on current trends and takes inspiration from the ever-changing fashion landscape. This includes big names designers like Kate Spade, who Franklin has always admired for her creative branding. She ensures her designs are authentic to herself and her brand.
Inevitably, many creatives fall victim to art block. While there are various takes to remedying this phenomena, Franklin instead takes a laid back approach. “I find value in watching movies and resting and reframing my mind.” Rest is critical to recharging her creative battery. She takes it a step further through “windshield times”, taking drives to “walk around and just experience life.”
A Message to Young Designers
Franklin shared some wisdom for young designers entering the industry.
- Stick to the thing you love.
“Don’t [go] chasing all the new trends that come in.” She references Brandon Blackwood and his signature trunk purse. “He might make it smaller, different colors, different textures, all that, but it’s clear he is in love with that design.” She says that some designers try to “chase everything” leading to them being unable to “hone in on what they really want to do.”
- Go slow and never stop learning.
“It’s a continuous learning process. You never know everything.”
- Technology skills are great.
“Understanding how to use AI. I know that people are like, ‘Oh my God, AI’, but learn how to use it because it’s everywhere now.” She uses Shopify’s AI tool to help build product descriptions and other smaller tasks.
- Researching and reading skills are great too.
“This is gonna sound like I’m an old fogy, but I’m gonna say this: reading, research and reading is so important. Researching the product, like for jewelry designers, researching the products that you use, researching how those products can impact people.”
- Good finance skills.
“The other thing I would say is good finance skills. You can’t spend everything you make in your business. You got to reinvest. So when you make money in your business, you’ve got to reinvest that money so that…you will start to be able to pay yourself at some point.”
A Bright Legacy
Franklin plans to participate in big Statesboro events, expos and other markets. Franklin’s dreams for her brand’s future might seem different than most.
“I’d like to open a really, really small store. But in my mind, I don’t want just to be another typical spot that people come and get accessories. I want it to be someplace that people can come and paint and do art type things, and I want to teach little girls how to paint, how to express themselves through art.”
She highlights the importance of each of her brand’s products having that “personal touch” that reflect her value of authenticity. “I still want people to know me, and not just some fictitious character…I don’t have the desire to walk around with paparazzi.”
“I want someone to be able to pick up my brand and carry on that legacy of instilling confidence and happiness in people. If my brand doesn’t do that after I’m long gone, I’ll be kind of sad, actually, even though I won’t be here, but I think it would make me sad.”
Franklin had to overcome her own anxieties about receiving judgment from others, and now hopes to help others do the same.
“I stopped being fearful on whether somebody likes something, and I just started making what I like,” she said. “Everybody just puts on for social media. But that’s not who they are in person, and I just, I don’t want that for me or my brand I want. If you meet me in person, I want you to say Sharmequa was a really nice person, and she loves to live colorfully.”
Her newest plans include a future “sisterhood collection” focused on four historically black sororities. Franklin’s website hosts a variety of earrings, bracelets, stationary, and more. Updates can also be found on her Instagram account, @theartsygirl76.
