I know, I know….I’m terrible when it comes to consistency. I was so excited to start writing on here, because I always have a lot to say (too much for social media) and was going to use this as an outlet - how’d that go for me?!
This blog post is going to be all over the place, so I apologize in advance. I’ve honestly been diving deep into my thoughts and feelings the past few months and have really come to understand a lot of things.
First: I simply can not design and launch collections, just BECAUSE. Yes, I’ve been doing that for the past couple of years - I’m able to go through the motions, but I realized this absolutely does not fill my cup. I've realized that doing business this way has honestly made me feel hollow - like there is zero substance. I’m not money driven, never have been - so to do something just to make money feels kind of gross to me. Don’t get me wrong, being financially stable and free is IT, but I just mean I can’t just design jewelry to make money, it really puts out my fire.
I started Stud Muffin while I was working a corporate job and bartending on the weekends (11 years ago). I really had very little down time, but was so passionate about starting my own business that I FOUND the time. I’ve always been a creative person, so making jewelry became therapeutic for me, and it slowly turned into my outlet.
I’ve suffered from anxiety for as long as I can remember, honestly since I was a little kid. Diving deeper into the jewelry world, I became more educated on gemstones and their healing properties. I also started learning more about Catholicism (a religion I was raised practicing, but never REALLY understood). I loved learning about all the different saints and how they pertain to certain illnesses (mental and physical). I really started leaning into this stuff, because I felt like it was helping my anxiety immensely - so I started incorporating more and more of it into my business. I was always sharing new saints I’d design with and their meanings, as well as gemstones and their healing properties. This made me realize there were SO MANY people out there just like me, struggling mentally - and the feedback I was getting was so motivating (and fulfilling).
In 2020 when the pandemic hit, Stud Muffin really skyrocketed. I genuinely couldn’t keep up and we made more money that year than I ever could have imagined - I’d love to share the number so people could grasp this story better, but I wont - because, ew. Anyway, 2020 was the HIGHEST grossing year we have everrrrr had and I felt like I was unstoppable. Really believed I’d make half a million the following year (with the analytics from 2020, that was really not a stretch at all). Boy was I wrong…things PLUMMETED. Sales, interactions, website visits etc. With all that plummeting, so did my motivation and creativity. It just kept plummeting every year until last year I decided I needed to really make a change. What’s that saying? Doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result is the definition of insanity??
Fast forward to 2024. My family suffered a loss, which brought up lots of emotions I had stored away from past losses. Then we booked a trip and my fear of flying came back to the surface. I found myself diving head first into my gemstones, saints and amulets. I was like a madwoman designing stuff to make me feel protected at all times. I HONESTLY believe these things help me and really love sharing it with anyone who wants to listen.
Through all this, I came to the realization that I need to get back to the core of Stud Muffin. This business is my creative outlet and my creativity stems from things going on in my life, mixed with my need to help others. If a bracelet of mine helps someone with a fear of flying (St Christopher!!!), or if an evil eye necklace makes someone think ‘ok, no evil can get to me. return to sender. I am safe’ - then I’ve done my job.
My mission with this PROTECTION COLLECTION is to help alleviate any sort of negative emotion someone may be feeling. There is so much bad around us at all times, but there’s even more beauty if you look hard enough. Stud Muffin is here to make you a shield of positive, radiant, healing energy so that NO evil can get to you. In this process, you’ll be surrounded by love, light, health + wealth.
I hope you enjoy this collection as much as I do
xo Al