Inside the Studio: An Exclusive Interview with Kristie Nerby of Deveer Designs.

These conversations will provide an exclusive look at the artistic journeys of IndieMe artists, offering insights into how they turn visions into reality and the challenges they overcome along the way. Join me as we delve into the creative minds behind the art, exploring the passion and dedication that fuel their work.

Creative Process

Our designs are inspired by the world around us. Our studio is located in Northwestern Montana, one of the most beautiful places on the planet.  We are surrounded by natural beauty every single day. Summertime flowers and fall colors give us our biggest boost of creativity. I have a great design partner and between the two of us we are never out of design ideas.

Business Aspects

Any self-employed person will tell you their need for organization and time management. If you are a creative it can be a bit more of a challenge to hold yourself to a strict schedule but in order to be successful these things are a must. If you are worrying about all the loose ends it’s very difficult to get into a flow state. Be accountable to yourself and set a standard that both you and your customers can adhere to.

I can be in my studio producing gorgeous products, but I also must be able to distribute those products. This is another challenge for creatives. You must break your days up so you have blocks of time for uninterrupted creativity, production, bookkeeping, and advertising, among other things.

You must also know where your strengths are, play to them, and delegate the other tasks. For example, I know nothing about online media marketing so I have delegated all those duties so I can focus on the things I enjoy more and do well. It can be tough when you are just starting out. My advice is to keep really tight books, keep searching for the best vendors for the materials you need, don’t chase trends. Get a solid base of what you want to create and stick with that as you build out your brand.

 Customer Experience

We rarely have a dissatisfied customer, but when we do we bend over backwards to win them over. We have built our business by being very customer-friendly. And we have the absolute best customers to work with, no matter the size of the order. Our customers always feel like they are number one, and they are correct. As we always say, “We are at your service”.

I have a customer in Texas who told me that someone came into his gallery and stole some things. Upon further investigation, he found all the stolen pieces were DeVeer Designs earrings. We had a good laugh over that. That person risked going to jail to have those DeVeer Designs earrings! So we keep making earrings that are so beautiful customers would go to jail for them.

Personal Insights

I started with DeVeer Designs as an independent contractor for the previous owner. As the previous owner made the decision to move in to wholesale I was able to share my skill set for time management and organization so we could make that transition. When the previous owner retired, I bought the business from her. Because I have my own management style, I had to spend some time and money putting some new policy and procedures in place so we could work smarter, not harder. There was a lot of trial and error but I view errors as learning lessons so there is always a silver lining.

I think a lot of folks think we sit around in our fluffy slippers and screw around all day. While I’m sure some folks do, we choose to run a tight ship. We have daily, weekly, and monthly goals we work towards. And, yes, someday I clock 10 hours while in my pajamas but that is another perk of self-employment in my opinion.

Sometimes, my work-life balance gets out of whack but I know that I will eventually get caught up with work and be able to take little mini vacations. I love the flexibility my work affords me. And I am able to work this way because I am very disciplined.

Industry Trends

I don’t try to keep up with handmade industry trends and changes. To me, it’s like playing the lottery. You can keep investing in these new trends but at the end of the day they are just trends, and trends generally fade away. That said, I have spent much blood and treasure trying to be supportive of the handmade shows but at the end of the day corporate entities swallowed up our premier show so I now work closely with my reps to maintain current accounts and always be on the look out for new customers.

DeVeer Designs is never trendy but we are always relevant. We focus on timeless and collectable pieces. We stick you a gorgeous color palette. Our customers never grow tired of product for these reasons. We have been in business for about 20 years and we know exactly who we are.

Selling to Boutiques and Buyers

We have top-notch reps working with us. They grind hard doing shows and road work, face-to-face with customers. They are an invaluable branch of my business plan. We usually launch at least one new style every 6 months, which gives them something new to show our customers and keeps the customers engaged.

I used to do shows but the ROI is just not there any longer for us. We learned to pivot our business model, focusing on customer service to retain our long-time customers. In addition, since we don’t do shows any longer, the IndieMe platform has become even more important to us. The days of massive crowds of buyers flocking to see us/you have greatly diminished. While we always came home from shows with lots of orders, the expense of these show is just cost-prohibitive for most makers.

In my experience, I would say that one of the most important pieces of advice I can give to someone just starting out is to be sure you have enough money to make it through the slow times. And if you are going to do a show you need to work hard on every aspect of your booth and promotion materials. And for heaven’s sake, stay off your phones and other devices. Our job in that booth is to make each customer feel like they are the most important person in the room.

I have witnessed artists having complete meltdowns and blaming show management for their shortcomings. Like any other business, you must have enough capital to get you through the lean times or you should not be going to a show. Period.

One important aspect of running your business is being honest with yourself and your customers. Do not overpromise and under-deliver. It is a career killer. Our customers become part of our team. They know that we are in it not just to make money but to help them make money as well.

Our customers love that we keep track of milestones for them, like birthdays, anniversaries, etc. Then there are the harder life challenges that we need to help them through like weather-related catastrophes, deaths in the family and such. It helps us bond and shows them that we really appreciate them and care about them. A handwritten note is always a great idea.

 Personal

I am a lifelong creative inspired by colors and vibrant energy. Our studio is located in the little town of St Ignatius, MT, at the foot of the majestic Mission Mountain range and on the Flathead Indian Reservation. Our surroundings are a constant inspiration. Glass has an ethereal quality that soothes my mind as I get a dose of vibrant color therapy each day. I cannot imagine doing anything else as a career.

I get to work in my beautiful Studio space, watch Netflix, listen to podcasts, or jam out to my favorite music, which is often island-based or other upbeat tunes. I sustain myself by making little charcuterie boards on pretty little dishes for my lunch and taking lots of stretch breaks, naps, and walks. It makes my extra long days much more bearable.

Every chance we get we hit the road to go visit our grown children. That really fills my heart. I consider myself to be one lucky gal to work the way I do and while some of it is pure luck, most of it is disciplined hard work and I love it!

Jessica Adamany
Development Manager | IndieMe Marketplace