Claymate Designs is the brainchild of Steve Spurth’s Entrepreneurship 101 class at the University of Minnesota. Myself and two other individuals; Joe Price & Paige Li were tasked with creating, marketing, and building a brand that could be sold in the Weismann Art Museum gift shop.

We wanted to do something environmentally conscious, something nature-focused, and something tangible that would make an attractive gift while focusing on the obvious; art. Claymate Designs was born! Claymate is a play on the word playmate— an earring that is lightweight, colorful, and your faithful companion to whatever adventures you may embark on.

Our brand was successful and was chosen by the museums store director. After our course finished, our team met and discussed the future of Claymate. I was thrilled when my team offered sole proprietorship to me, given my passion for the brand and their plans to pursue other medias.

I have continued to grow Claymate, slowly but surely, in between my full time career and other responsibilities. I launched a new line of earrings that all center around a different neighborhood in Minneapolis— playing on the natural landscapes of those neighborhoods and vibrant colors. I have generated signage & marketing assets for craft markets.

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, with ample time to be at home and create, I hosted an online 2-day sale where I 100% of my sales were donated to ZACAH, a local non-profit that provides resources to our unhoused neighbors.