The Becoming Of Her Independence

"I can also make and sell
my jewellery and not feel completely dependent
on something or someone.
I am my own woman."

In the second part of our conversation with Marie, she bravely opens up about her personal struggle with Sickle-cell, and retrospectively explains how this has motivated her to become more independent in her career ambitions.

And so the conversation continues …

Starting Again & (Re-)Building Her Independence

 

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Yaaya:

If you wouldn't mind, could you speak more about your battle with Sickle-cell?

Marie-M J:

All my life I have suffered from [Sickle-cell] crises. And so it can be difficult, because you go to work, but in the back of your mind, you know that you might lose your job because you are sick all the time.

When I arrived in London, I was able to manage my Sickle-cell. But I made a mistake. If you get any infections or any colds, you have to go and see your GP. If you forget about that, you're making your life a lot worse. But I said “oh, it's Sickle-cell, I know how to manage it”.

Yaaya:

What was the turning point for you health-wise?

Marie-M J:

I travelled to Paris to see my GP there, and then I came back to London. I was working and became very weak, it was very very bizarre, so I went to see my GP [in London] and he gave me some medication. I lost consciousness for a whole day and had to go to A&E. They had to give me a lot … a lot of blood, because my haemoglobin went down [to severe levels]. I was dying, basically. But, my haematologist didn't check my anti-bodies, so now I am on dialysis.

Yaaya:

It's difficult for us to imagine what you must have gone through when that happened. Would you be able to share with our readers, especially to another person going through the same situation, how you dealt with the aftermath?

Marie-M J:

It was a dark time for me, I was just thinking about what happened, the decisions made, and what I should have done differently. There were lots of questions to reflect on and there was lots of searching. I stopped working for a year and so I lost my job. Instead of only working for someone else and not knowing if they were going to keep me employed because I was sick all the time, [I said] “why don't I work on doing something for myself, and start my own business?” So I did a few things before focusing on designing and making jewellery.


I am also a representative for a renal focus group. When I started to go on dialysis, I didn't understand anything and its impact to my health. And I believe this lack of education about kidney donors and dialysis is very common within the black community. So as a representative, I try to promote awareness about organ donation to black people because successful matches or compatibility really does depend on genetics and race. So the more black people that are aware, then more black people can donate their organs, and therefore more lives of black people can be helped.

Yaaya:

From your story, we can see how starting your own business was about you empowering yourself, in a very personal and difficult circumstance, to provide stability for you and your son.

Marie-M J:

Yes, it was and is still very much like that. I also work as a teacher at a private college. Again, there is that voice of caution in the back of your head that tells you things can change very quickly. It's not just about the Sickle-cell. It's about life in general. Anything can happen to my health, anything can also happen to that college as well. So I wanted to build something that could give me, not just “a plan B”, but also that feeling of ownership and independence. I still teach, but now I can also make and sell my jewellery and not feel completely dependent on something or someone. I am my own woman.

Educating Thy Self

 

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Yaaya:

You didn’t have a formal education per se in jewellery making. How did you educate yourself about the creative process of jewellery making?

Marie-M J:

Yes, I didn't have a formal higher-education. I didn't do a three or four-year degree in jewellery design. But, I did go to college to do different short-courses in design and making jewellery, because there is an art to it.

Yaaya:

What do you do to continue to hone your craft?

Marie-M J:

I still do courses, for instance, I am still learning how to design and make enamel jewellery, which requires you to be more clinical and technically precise to skilfully make it well. Enamel jewellery is made with very small broken pieces of glass that you [embed] on silver that has been pre-prepared with a glue-like [substance]. You then put it in the oven to melt the glass at a very high temperature. And then the result is this shiny and colourfully decorated silver. The outcome is very beautiful. Three or four months ago, I had the opportunity to make wedding rings using enamel for a friend that got married. The bride was really happy (Laughs).

Yaaya:

Sounds like there is a science as well as an art to it too!

Marie-M J:

Yes, there really is (Laughs). So yes, back to your question, I go to college to learn. In this business, in fact in life, you never stop learning.

Yaaya:

What advice would you give to someone wishing to start-up their own jewellery line?

Marie-M J:

You have to really love the craftsmanship of jewellery. You have to love designing. And you have to be patient (Laughs). It's not everyday when you make something that it will work … that it will go according to plan. Sometimes creativity has it's own clock. So if things are not going right today, you can't force it, come back to it tomorrow with a freshness. I think it is also really important to design on paper first, otherwise you'll end up wasting a lot of time, material and money. And I speak from experience. The business administrative side is also important when it comes to finances, marketing and PR. My brother helps me with my PR. With marketing, it's really important to understand who your niche is and who are your clientèle.

We will continue this conversation in our Part 3 post, where Marie provides her own perspective on living as a black person in Europe and her experiences with social integration in France.

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Image Source | These images do not belong to Yaaya. Images courtesy of Marie-Maimoona Jeannot (Light Of Marie Jewels)