Submitted by Katie Hellmuth on | 0 Comments
Everything about jewelry designer Christine Mighion's path to finding her talent, passion and career is precious, as precious as the stones she works with. And fashion magazines including Lucky, Vogue Spain and Mexico, and Self have all recognized her jewelry line of the same name, www.christinemighion.com.
Christine's story is an example of someone waking up from a career, saying "How did I get here?" and trying to listen to her inner voice, but not hearing it exactly. It wasn't until a physical injury was Christine able to stop her world as she knew it, and listen to a whim. And you'll never guess what her first career was in: dental hygiene.
What inspired you to get started?
Pursuing a creative career was something I always wanted to do, but I was pushed by my family to consider a more practical direction. After the birth of our second child and an injury from the birthing process, I found myself happily at home giving up my 40 hour a week career. Like many mothers that give so much of themselves to their families, I found myself needing to do something that was all my own. I began taking a 
metalsmithing class at a local museum and fell in love with working a piece of raw metal into a beautiful form. My husband had one goal for me and that was to get me back into his office working in some capacity by the time our son went to kindergarten. My goal was different. I wanted to create a solid business by the time our son went to kindergarten so that I never needed to go back into the office, and that's just what I did.
What was your background? Was it in what you were doing now?
I have one degree in dental hygiene and a second in liberal arts. In my second year of dental school, I knew that it wasn't my passion. At one point, the head of the school knowing my heart wasn't into it sat me down and asked if I thought about going into art or fashion design. Oh, definitely! Unfortunately, I did not have the freedom to change directions at that time in my life. After college I worked in dentistry for a couple of years then moved to Hawaii where I was employed by the Easter Seal Society working with adults with developmental disabilities. I think that was the first job I ever truly loved. It opened my eyes to the unrecognized beauty of individuals that society turned their eyes away from.
Once I moved back from Hawaii and had my daughter I decided to go back into dental hygiene so that I could work part time while making a good salary. My husband is a dentist and we worked together, so stepping away from that was hard for him.
What challenge have you had to face that led to a big growth for your company?
I'm continually challenged to listen to what I enjoy doing within my business and follow this voice although it may not be conventional. When I first started down the path of growth, I understood that I could only grow successfully if I branched out into retail. I made collections for 
the first time, when I was used to creating one of a kind pieces, and I found the whole process frustrating. I quickly got burnt out from repetitive fabrication and really didn't feel like I was growing in a way that was fulfilling or healthy. I loved making each piece myself and interacting with my clients, so I really didn't want to have to hire production assistant. After a pouring over the very difficult decision for several weeks, I decided to pull out of my retail accounts and go back to creating one of a kind and limited edition pieces. I was immediately happier and these pieces fly out of my shop. My clients continue to enjoy having an exclusive piece and tell me how much they love having direct access to me, the designer. I have an incredibly high rate of repeat customers and referrals, so it's validating to design my business my way and be very successful at it.
What do you have going on in your business right now that you're excited about?
Philanthropy has been a huge part of my business since the first quarter I turned a profit. I absolutely love giving back as I feel so lucky to get up and do what I love everyday. This year, I have donated nearly $15k in money or product donations and it feels great! However, I've found myself wanting to add a "hands on" component and I'm currently in discussions with a local charity for what I think will be a really amazing project! This charity supports women coming from abusive situations gain confidence and discover their creative talents that they will hopefully use to create their own businesses. I hope to supply their studio with the tools and materials needed for basic jewelry making techniques and then teach these skills one day a week.
Where would you love to see your business in 5 years?
Honestly, my vision of success may seem a bit unconventional, but I'm still excited to see what each day brings along the way. My goals are fairly simple. I want to continue to enjoy what I'm doing each day and if I don't then I will reinvent my work life. I want to be able to give my clients a piece of jewelry that they fall in love with and continue to better myself as a business owner and person. Finally, what I would really love see in 5 years is that I was able to move my studio back to Hawaii where I could not only continue to support the marine environmental charitable organizations that I love monetarily, but hands on as well.
