Rising Stars: Meet Maya Perez

Today we’d like to introduce you to Maya Perez. 

Hi Maya, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My interest in jewelry making started in 2016, I was a senior in high school and me and my mom happened to be shopping at Walmart. We went down one of the isles where all the arts and crafts were. So, I ended up convincing her to buy me a jewelry kit. It came with everything to make a pair of earrings, a bracelet, and a simple necklace. After a few hours of trying to make them, I eventually gave up and just realized I wasn’t good at it. Two years later my mom took me to a cave. The cave was full of beautiful rocks and stones and honestly, it was the happiest I had felt in a while. I felt inspired being there and my mom started giving me all kinds of ideas on how I could make jewelry with the rocks and matching necklaces and so when we left there, I was eager to learn. I was actually excited about learning something new. Then I realized putting my focus into this started to become therapeutic. So, I enjoyed it even more. After weeks of playing around with the rocks and wire, I finally had figured out. Once my mom seen that I enjoyed it and it was something that I wasn’t going to just move on from she took me to the store and bought me all the supplies I needed to start a jewelry business. At first, all of the pieces I made were for me and my mom. As time went on, I started to make more and more jewelry so it only made sense to start a jewelry shop. I learned about websites and photography in school so setting up an online shop wasn’t that difficult. Managing all the other aspects of it however, was a bit challenging but once I figured it out it became easier to manage. 

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
I think starting a business is never a smooth road but that’s what’s fun about it. One of the struggles I faced was finding inspiration to create more pieces. I think life and working full time can sometimes get in the way of one’s ability to be creative, and for a while, I was just putting out pieces that I wasn’t really proud of. When I started, I wasn’t expecting to make tons of money right away. I knew it was going to take time and patience and consistency on my part and so I was fine with spending money on supplies and more materials even if I wasn’t going to make it back. I think having confidence in your product helps others to have confidence in it as well and when I learned that I started to sell more pieces as well. 

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I make handmade jewelry which at first, I started off with just wire wrapping but eventually learned how to work with polymer clay and resin as well which allowed me to create way more pieces. The most interesting method for me was resin. I made many pieces with dried flowers and the results for me personally have been so beautiful and unique. With resin, you can freeze almost anything through a clear like plastic. It starts off in liquid form and eventually becomes hard but the ideas of things you can make with resin are never-ending. The most challenging method for me to learn has definitely been the polymer clay process. Sometimes the pieces break if you don’t bake them long enough or if it isn’t the right temperature and sometimes the process can be frustrating but the pieces do come out beautiful when you take your time. There’s a lot that can be created with clay as well but I’m mostly proud of my wire wrapping. I remember being so excited when I finally learned because it required patience and attention to detail and it wasn’t something you could just do in minutes. I’ve always tried to challenge myself and wire wrapping was definitely the hardest and most time-consuming skill I learned, also my favorite. I think something that sets me apart from others is that I don’t focus on one specific type of jewelry or one specific style. Sometimes I’ll drop colorful funky collections and sometimes I’ll drop elegant neutral collections. Then sometimes I’ll focus on a specific style and then switch it up and I think it makes things more interesting and allows me to target a bigger audience. It also allows me to see what products and styles are most successful. 

We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
I think success looks different for everyone. I’m constantly setting goals for my business and myself and being able to reach them is a measure of success for me in a way. I do think there’s different levels of success and reaching a certain level of success within myself doesn’t mean I’m content or finished at that level. I think it’s good to always push yourself to keep going and do more. Also being able to stick with my business through the ups and downs and watching it grow over the years has made the journey a success for me as well. 

Contact Info:

• Email: mayazlyn@gmail.com
• Website: azlynco.com
• Instagram: Instagram.com/azlyncollections
• Facebook: Facebook.com/AzlynCollections

Image Credits
Jordan Perez