Hey everyone, I’m Heather Sparks, the owner, designer, and everything else for Indigo and Arrow. I am a small shop that creates handmade seed bead jewelry and fiber art bracelets I call tribal cuffs. Inspired by diving back into my native roots, I love to choose various finishes and colors of beads to coordinate with my monthly themed collections. All of my beaded bits and fiber art bracelets are an outlet for me to deal with my anxiety while creating beautiful jewelry for everyone to wear and enjoy.
I have always struggled with anxiety and didn’t even realize what anxiety was until I was sixteen years old. I was undergoing a lot of stress in my life at the time and anxiety attacked my body with physical symptoms that left me scared and helpless. With a trip to the ER due to barely being able to walk from unbearable pain and numbness in my legs and after going to see a neuro specialist to see if they could figure out what was causing this, I got an all-clear and was diagnosed with a severe case of anxiety. I have been dealing with it on and off since I got the diagnosis. Some months were worse than others and often came with anxiety and panic attacks, so I wanted and needed an outlet to turn my thoughts off and focus on other things besides worrying and stressing about all the little things and the physical symptoms caused by anxiety.
Starting the Business
I began to think about what I could do that interests me and would keep me busy and also allow me to express my creative side. I’m part Native American (Cherokee), so when I was growing up I would often visit a nearby Native American reservation, exploring all of the beautiful jewelry and crafts and often partaking in pow wow dancing. Their outfits were dripping with beaded pieces that took many hours to create and they were amazing. I was intrigued, so I was taught at an early age how to bead and use a bead loom and I loved it. I thought back to this period in my life and decided to get my hands back into the beads and began creating. I made bracelet after bracelet and realized when I made them I didn’t think or worry about anything but what I was creating with my own two hands. It was an amazing feeling. My family saw how much it was helping with my anxiety and suggested that I open an Etsy shop, so I did.
I was scared about how I would do it, if it would fail, or if anyone would even like what I made. I ended up getting a few sales and began to engage with people on my shop’s Instagram page which lead to selling more and more. As I grew, I met many other talented crafters and creators that owned their own jewelry shops too and we started supporting each other. That’s when Indigo and Arrow really took off. Any anxiety and fears that I had about putting myself out there and admitting that I had severe anxiety were gone. There were some times where I felt like I couldn’t do it, but I just kept pushing myself to not cave into my anxiety and let it win.
I was not going to settle for defeat or let it control my life anymore. I stayed positive and kept with it and I am super proud of how far I have come with my business and how we are flourishing. I actually put my story out there to my customers and let them know that I struggle with anxiety and I couldn’t believe all the people who reached out to tell me how proud of me they were for telling my story and that I encouraged them to talk more about their anxiety and to not be ashamed of it. I have customers reach out to simply just talk and ask for advice and others message me with products or things they do to cope with their anxiety for me to try. I have tried some of the suggested resources and they have helped me tremendously. I have a great tribe of women that support me and each other and I encourage people to talk more about their anxiety or depression. It really helps.
How My Business Has Helped Me
Looking back at when I started in 2016 with Indigo and Arrow I have overcome many things and can’t believe how far the shop and myself have come. I was just creating single pieces on Etsy hoping that they would sell and now I’m creating and designing monthly collections and monthly subscription boxes on our own website.
I went from being fearful of doing this business to discovering that it was the best decision I ever made and not giving up on myself and letting my anxiety win. I was just hoping to sell my beaded pieces back then and I was hiding my story. Now I’m sharing my story and journey and encouraging others to do the same all while doing what I love.
Indigo and Arrow has given me the confidence boost I needed. I was a stay-at-home mom feeling like I wasn’t contributing and I wasn’t doing anything for myself. I was giving all of myself to my girls while being a wife as well. Don’t get me wrong, my girls still get all of me but I also get to do something for myself and take time for me which is super important for any parent.
One thing I have learned since starting my business is that you don’t always need to be so eager to say yes to everything. It’s ok to tell people no. Keep on your planned schedule and don’t overbook yourself and commit to things unless you are certain you can accomplish them on time. If your product is great and how you represent your business is great, customers won’t mind waiting until you are able to fulfill their request. That way you can manage your workload without being over-stressed and still produce top-quality products while keeping your customers happy.
Another thing I have learned is to keep finding different ways to be inspired and create new designs and pieces. You can find inspiration everywhere, whether it be a conversation with a friend, a walk through the park, a song that you heard, or a movie that you watched. Inspiration is everywhere and always changing which means that my pieces and collections are constantly changing and evolving. Don’t be afraid to try new things. I like to experiment and try new things I’ve never done before. It could turn out to be a best-seller in your shop which is what happened to Indigo and Arrow with our new tribal cuffs.
The Future is Looking Bright
I don’t know exactly what the future holds for Indigo and Arrow, but I am super excited to keep pushing and growing and to keep on this journey and see where it takes me. One goal I do have is to have a pop-up shop somewhere and to see my jewelry in small shops all over the U.S.
If you’re struggling with anxiety like myself, never give up or give in to anxiety. Don’t let it win or control your life. Keep pushing through it and keep knocking down walls and overcome those fears and believe in yourself. I think anxiety gives us a sense of insecurity when it comes to dealing with our feelings. If you focus on other things and keep your mind busy, beautiful things can happen and anxiety takes a back seat in your life, giving you back security in your feelings. I don’t think anxiety can be fully eliminated, but you can be the sole controller over it. Put everything you have into your business, especially if you’re feeling an “anxiety rut” coming on. And don’t be afraid to reach out to others. Everyone has a story and it should be shared and told. You could help someone else struggling by reading your story and journey and give hope to someone who might be suffering similarly.
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