We sat down to talk about how her clay earring business came to be, why she’s always been an educator at heart, and how she does good in the world by donating portions of sales to causes she cares about.
You make clay earrings and goods as part of your business, Ji Designs. What was your journey to get there?
Ji Designs stemmed from a hobby of making clay earrings that I started during the pandemic, and it became a way to use my passions to raise funds for causes I cared about. I loved that when I work with clay, it feels like a neutral medium that I can shape into whatever I want.
I was making earrings and pins while watching “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” which led to the creation of an Avatar-themed earring collection. I donated all the proceeds from my first launch to the Black Lives Matter Foundation and Northwest Community Bail Fund, and I’ve continued to design collections and donate part of the proceeds to organizations that support causes that are responding to what’s happening in the world, whether it’s People’s Fund of Maui, Feeding Texas or Every Mother Counts.
Tell me more about your creative process for coming up with new collections and designs. How do you know when a collection is ready to share with the world?
The planning stage often takes the longest because I’m gathering inspiration, doing research and sketching concepts. When it comes to building collections, I often draw inspiration from the identities I hold or by following my curiosity, which has led to me making enneagram, zodiac and Diyosa (Filipino goddess) collections.
The Diyosa (Filipino goddess) collection took me the longest because there wasn’t a lot of information about Filipino mythology, so the exploration became a lot more open-ended as I re-imagined each goddess through different colors, shapes and symbols. A collection feels ready to share when it feels true to myself, and I still feel like I’ve challenged myself as an artist.
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- Reduque displays her clay creations at a market booth.
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- Earrings from Ji Design’s Diyosa collection
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- Reduque co-organized UW Bothell’s first-ever makers fair.
How do you balance what creatively fulfills you and a business sense of what will sell well?
When I’m vending, I find it helpful to create a batch of sample earrings with different shapes, colors and textures and see what people respond to. Vending at markets also enables me to talk to customers and other business owners about what else I could offer. I also love getting feedback on future collections through polls or by going live on Instagram to share more about the creative process and responding to comments.
How do you find balance between all your realms of work?
I always felt like my path had to be linear, especially as the eldest daughter of Filipino immigrants. I knew I wanted to do so much more than that. Juggling my business, working at UW Bothell and being in grad school at one time just proved that I don’t have to choose, or be, just one thing.
What work do you do to create space for other small business owners?
I love that I’m able to bring my connections to the UW Bothell campus, whether we’re looking for a cupcake vendor or tarot card reader who writes poems for an upcoming event. This past year, my supervisor and I planned the first UW Bothell Makers Fair, which was a love letter to small businesses in Seattle. Being part of the Palengke National team has enabled me to create opportunities for Seattle-based small businesses to not only share what they make with the world but also build community, learn from each other and celebrate.
What advice do you have for other small business owners and creatives?
My dad taught me that the path to success starts with you allowing yourself to make mistakes and learn from them. Why not put yourself out there? You never know unless you try.
Stay up-to-date about upcoming markets and events on the Ji Designs Instagram.
About the author: Aleenah Ansari (she/her) is equal parts storyteller, creative problem solver, and journalist at heart who’s rooted in the stories of people behind products, companies, and initiatives. She writes about travel, entrepreneurship, mental health and wellness, and representation in media for Insider, The Seattle Times, Byrdie, and more. You can usually find her searching for murals, reading a book by a BIPOC author, or planning her next trip to New York. You can learn more at www.aleenahansari.com.