About Me
Hi, I'm Sierra Bailey!
For 16 years, I was a jewelry designer whose baubles were often compared to candy. After a four-year hiatus from artisan life, I decided it was time to return to being a maker. As the tiny business expert, I am, of course, building it as a tiny business.
Decades ago, I went to the School of Visual and Performing Art at Syracuse University where I discovered my love of combining science and art. At the time, it was via 3d animation wthatI spent half my time in the engineering school. As the years went by it was largely by using my coding skills combined with my creative skills to create an e-commerce site for my jewelry, before Etsy existed. This differentiator at the time helped get the attention of the press.
The press attention eventually landed me in over 60 national magazines, on tv shows, and developing a show on a shopping channel teaching people to make jewelry. This all led me to blogging, video, and podcasting to help educate Tiny Business owners. Eventually, I realized I was repeating myself constantly and that there had to be a better way. That was how I started writing (and self-published) the book, Smarter Starting. The technology aspect which can be a struggle with self-publishing was a good use of my skill set.
Writing ended up sparking the creativity which had been dormant since moving away from jewelry. I went into details on my portfolio site, but I realized that the burnout I experienced in jewelry was largely caused by the move to focus on jewelry and remove paintings from my business model. Thankfully, painting is just like riding a bike. One day I picked up a brush and it all came flooding back. And that is how we got to today.
---
I was born in NH but lived in NY from two until 34 when I met my now-husband. We met by chance during a weekend I spent in Austin and I moved to TX (but of course not in with him yet!), four months later. I am the oldest of four sisters, and a proud auntie of 8. I have lived in Austin since 2011, where I did eventually end up cohabitating and marrying Adam Fujawa. We currently spend a great deal of time corraling our three loud, but tiny, rescue dogs: Fiona, Bessie, and Abby.
I'm an avid reader, a jigsaw puzzler, a cross-stitcher, and a coffee addict. Service is my love language, and I volunteer obsessively. I'm a people-loving introvert, meaning I get all excited to be around people, but then require days by myself to recharge. I'm a GenXer, an Aries, an Enneagram 8, and a finisher not an opener. I love meeting new people, so never shy away from reaching out.
If you are curious about what tiny businesses are, you can pick up a copy of my book, Smarter Starting, wherever you buy books. You can see my past work in my portfolio at sierrabailey.com
Photo by Thea Adler (also my sister)
Fine Art
Painting is the skill I have been honing the longest. For over 30 years I have been studying and creating on canvases, including attending a boarding school with a strong focus on the arts, and Syracuse University School of Visual and Performing arts where I received a BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts) with a minor in painting.
I have worked in galleries, managed an artists studio and explored many mediums. I love the texture, color and large scale paintings.
I am working on a new series, I share videos about the process on the Yellow Table Goods Instagram. You can see my past work in my portfolio at sierrabailey.com
Collectibles & Treasures
Following in the path of my grandmother and father, who both became avid antique dealers in their 40's, I too am a collector.
I offer an ever-changing supply of new, vintage and antique treasures to add to your collection. I find things while traveling and through my constant curiousty for finding beautiful and interesting objects.
Be sure and stay connected via Instagram and sign up for the email to find what's new. Reach out (by email or the form below) if you have any questions or want to show me your own collections!