Meet Pamela Jean | Business Owner/Artist

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

Hi Pamela, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
From selling bracelets at the end of our driveway to being the neighborhood’s favorite babysitter through my teens, I have always had an entrepreneurial mindset. In high school, I started my photography business and shortly after graduation, I embarked on my never-ending journey of music. Throughout the 2 decades on and off in the service industry, I have tried multiple other avenues of self-employment, always looking for that ticket out of having a “job”. I gave every network marketing opportunity a chance, attended any business seminar that presented itself, listened to the motivational speakers, read the books that were recommended on business, self-development and entrepreneurship. Other than being a touring Singer/Songwriter singing my original music, my dream has always been to be successfully self-employed.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Nothing I’ve ever set out to do has been easy! If it was, everyone would do it. Running a business, taking that leap of faith away from the job world, and removing the security blanket is scary and completely unpredictable. There is never a guarantee on where the next paycheck is coming from, the work never ends, and the visions need to be written down and precisely worked towards on a daily basis. You have to be 110% self-motivated, from the time you wake up until the time you think you’ll be going to bed. My photography business started at 17, the music became a paid gig around 29 (when I started hosting open mics), and my jewelry business just launched a little over a year ago, in my early 40’s.

The Rockstar Jewelry Collection was an impromptu endeavor that was the means to get me through a physical healing journey. I had a hysterectomy and stage 4 endometriosis removed in August of 2022. They surgeons told me I’d be out of work and unable to physically perform for 6 weeks. Being the strong and stubborn individual that I am, I thought this was nonsense and that I’d be waiting tables in 2-3 weeks and playing guitar at the bars. This was a major surgery, and it took a full 6 weeks and then some to heal. I sat in this little cabin in the woods where I was living in Bayview, Idaho, wracking my brain on how I was going to financially survive 6 weeks without income. I couldn’t lift anything over 20 lbs. or walk more than 3 houses down and back for weeks. Being forced to slow down brought me one of the greatest gifts I’ve ever found. I started creating river rock jewelry with hemp string and some beads I had in the cabin. They were nothing fancy, but people started buying them! There is even a diary entry from September of 2022. I felt these necklaces would be my ticket to full time self-employment.

When I was able to pick up my guitar again and play a show, I started selling these necklaces on my merch table. They were selling great, and I used that money to buy more beads, wire and classier looking items to keep creating. Jeremiah had the idea for “Rockstar” necklaces since they were made of rocks and I’m a musician. It was perfect! In the past 15 months, I have booked enough photo shoots, created enough jewelry and played enough shows, that I have yet to return to a “job”. The jewelry has also become very healing for me. I enjoy creating it and as someone who’s battled addiction my entire adult life, I’ve found jewelry making to be my “sober activity”. The nights I’m creating, I have no desire to drink and will sit for literally HOURS, just creating new pieces, keeping my brain busy. Some things just fall into place exactly when they are meant to be in your life.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I have only spent time in Nashville once in my life. In 2012, I flew out to spend a week there to record my original EP “Searching for Utopia”. I had an absolute blast walking Music Row and hearing every type of music coming out of every venue you walked by. The city was beautiful, the music was amazing, the people were nice, and I would love to come back someday and spend a little more time there. Recording with Grammy Award winning musicians was one of the biggest highlights of my life and I’m blessed to have had that opportunity.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
A couple books that changed my life and way of thinking were “The Secret” by Rhonda Byrne and “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” by Robert Kiyosaki. I would also love to give a shout out to Picturesque Portrait Studios in Forest Lake, MN. Beverly and Gene took me under their wing at 17 to show me the ropes of being a portrait photographer, how they organized their business and gave me a piece of advice I took with me and cherished. I was envious of this stunning studio they had, with lightening and backdrops and props. This was a goal I thought I wanted to achieve. Beverly told me that running this studio was expensive and that she wasn’t able to just up and go anywhere. She told me to take my camera, the natural sunlight and make the World my studio. 25 years later, I’ve never owned a studio or even set one up. Everything I photograph is on location, with natural light, anywhere I want in the country. I also need to give a shout out to Terri Kraiter. She was there through my teenage years, my sloppy years, my midnight, crying phone calls, and still is one of my biggest cheerleaders. She was a mentor for me, a person who always listened to my heart’s desires, and most importantly, BELIEVES in me- no matter what crazy idea I call her with.

The biggest shout out goes to the venues that continue live music, the people that come to support the shows, the couples that trust me to capture their big day, and anyone who has bought a piece of my Rockstar Jewelry. Without loyal fans and customers, this journey wouldn’t be possible.

Website: https://linktr.ee/pamelajeanunlimited

Image Credits
Myself, Jeremiah Phillipe, Robert Wescott, Terri Kraiter