Meet Angela Dunbar of Little Fang Silver in Central Phoenix

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I’ve always been a very hands-on type of creative; I worked in woodworking for four years before switching over to sign language interpreting, which is now my full-time job. I always joke about the irony of becoming a jewelry maker and not being able to wear most of what I make (interpreters are required to dress very simply without rings and flashy jewelry, etc.) Interpreting is very mentally challenging, but I didn’t feel like it was stimulating me creatively. I was at a low point in my life, and that mixed with the monotony of my work routine had started taking a toll. I felt like I needed to explore some creative outlets to keep my mind and hands busy. I took cooking classes, belly dancing, pottery, but nothing really resonated with me. Then, in 2017 I expressed an interest in silversmithing to my grandmother (who has been a long-time hobbyist), and a few weeks later she gifted me boxes of tools and material that she could no longer use due to her arthritis. I took a short class here in Phoenix to get down the basics, and then I started my journey setting up a studio in my home.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s been a bumpy ride. Frankly, I was not immediately gifted at silversmithing. The first year was a lot of trial and error that resulted in wasted time and material. Silversmithing is a lesson in patience, and I really had to coax that trait out of myself if I didn’t want to continue to melt every piece or break every stone I touched. There is this sense of vulnerability that you have to accept when you are an artist where you have to be okay with potentially failing at your craft in order to get better. I think that’s really scary when you’re first starting out. I didn’t immediately trust in myself and my abilities, so the first year was littered with self-doubt, which I think was reflected in a lot of my work in the early days. I’ve definitely started to find more of my groove now, but it took a lot of experimenting to get there.

To top all of that off, it’s also incredibly challenging to balance a full-time career with a small business, and it’s taken me a long time to balance those two things out. I have the utmost respect for full-time business owners because it is not at all easy. I’ve had to step back from silversmithing a few times in the last two years because of time restraints, but now I’m going at it full force and feeling a newfound passion and confidence that I didn’t have initially. It’s just a reminder to keep pushing for your goals because you WILL eventually get better!

Little Fang Silver – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I feel like my jewelry style spreads a pretty big spectrum. I like to play around with different styles, from classic southwestern to silly cuss rings. I consider myself a multi-faceted person, and I think that is reflected in the many styles of my work. I hope that’s what makes my jewelry appealing to an audience because I think there is a little of something for everyone. It’s hard to narrow down, but I think I’m probably most known my onyx and turquoise mixed pieces, which are my two favorite stones to work with.

Beyond that, I’ve been working to incorporate different ways to give back to the community through my jewelry, When there is a cause I stand behind I like to sell pieces that the proceeds can be donated towards. I think as someone who can create you are given a really special power to use that to give back. I have made donations in the past, but now I’m working towards a permanent section of my website being dedicated solely to female empowered themed jewelry with a portion of the proceeds being given back to various organizations in our community. I think that is a really important part of what I want my brand to stand for and I’m excited to see what happens when I explore that avenue more.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I don’t think there is a specific marker that I’m chasing. I’m just enjoying the ride and seeing where it takes me. I’ve been a very slow-moving business maker, and I feel like there is an endless list of things I still need to learn and achieve. I try to appreciate the small victories daily by just trying something new or completing a particularly challenging piece. I think there is a lot of pressure on the numbers game when you are a maker and it is easy to start comparing your successes based on the number of followers you have or how many sales or how many days you’re able to commit to working, etc. I think it’s okay to find joy in your business growing, but I try not to consider those things as the most important successes.