When I was little, I always wanted to start a new business and share the things I made with the world. One of my first businesses was selling a recipe book I had hand-drawn around ten copies of. These were not typical recipes, though; they were recipes for making clothes in the Clothing Machine in Webkinz, my favorite online game when I was growing up. Unfortunately, I did not sell any copies other than to my mom and possibly my cousins, but I loved my little business project anyway.

Several summers’ worth of “small businesses” later, COVID-19 spread, cutting the school year short. I had so much extra time and wanted to make the most of it. So, I hopped on Amazon and ordered myself a bracelet loom, embroidery floss, and a pack of tiny seed beads. I taught myself (with the help of the loom manual) how to make a beaded loom bracelet that spelled out my name. Once I made one for myself, I thought, “This was pretty fun to make–maybe my friends would want bracelets too…” So, I created an Instagram account @gs_beads_ (drop a follow?) and made that my central marketing platform. My summer was full of making these bracelets while watching Dance Moms with my sister. My love for making these bracelets never ended, and I expanded to selling on Etsy after about two years.

My business, G’s Beads, is certainly still a small business, but it has grown and developed into what eight-year-old Glynes always wanted–something to make and people to buy it. Bringing G’s Beads with me to college, I now make more than just bracelets. I embroider sweatshirts and makeup bags, and I also create banners. My essentials and anything I would ever need for anything crafting-related fill two storage drawers in my dorm, and G’s Beads has moved to college. Growing up, these little projects and “businesses” were always a part of my identity, and making and crafting things was an even bigger part. Both of these pieces of me have joined to become G’s Beads, one of my favorite aspects of my identity.