This week we would like you to meet Bill Sechrist. Bill’s shop on Zibbet is WVSechrist where you will find Native American inspired handcrafted jewelry. He uses semi-precious gemstones, beads and sterling silver to craft his jewelry.
Bill can be found in the Community Hub participating by helping his fellow Zibbeters, as well as on Facebook and Twitter.
Please enjoy Bill’s interview, leave him a comment, and then use the share tools so others can enjoy his interview, too. Please share the Zibbet Love!
I am not good at interviews or writing so please bear with me. My name is Bill Sechrist, I am 49 years old and live in Wilkes-Barre, which is located in Northeastern Pennsylvania. I worked for numerous years in the computer field at a Drug & Alcohol Rehab and then at a county prison. About 20 years ago I started designing and selling Native American style arts and crafts including jewelry. At that time my only method of selling was at craft shows, festivals, etc. Today my main method of marketing my jewelry is online. I am an artist who would love to sell every piece I create but I am also happy to just receive recognition for my work and to meet new people as a result of it.I spend most of my time doing the normal daily things which for me include cleaning the house and doing the outside yard work along with watching after a charming little 3 year old boy. When time permits I enjoy going to festivals, playing guitar, visiting family and of course hunting for that perfect piece of dessert.
As a young child I found pleasure in hunting for different types of stones. I really enjoyed them for all the different colors and patterns you could find in them. Then I learned I had Native American ancestors, Cherokee, and from there started learning about some of the different crafts popular with the Native Americans. When I was 16 years old my family went on a vacation and traveled throughout the Western USA, mainly Wyoming and the Dakotas. It was while on this vacation, with being able to see a lot of Native American craftsmen and jewelry, that my love for jewelry really took off. Around the time I reached my mid to late 20’s I started marketing some jewelry I purchased wholesale and found that boring so I started learning about and creating my own jewelry. Today the only jewelry I will even consider selling is a piece that I have created myself so that I know the quality of the product and the materials used to make it.My love for jewelry and gemstones has also more or less become a form of therapy for me. I suffer from Fibromyalgia and find that creating jewelry is great exercise for me, both physically and spiritually.
I look up to my parents. It has always seemed like no matter what was going on in life they were always there for my siblings and I. While growing up, if there was something we wanted to do then my parents always did their best to make it happen. They also taught me a lot of morals/values in life that I feel are very important.Recently my mother passed away with leukemia. I was fortunate to be there with her during her last couple of days. During this process I was reminded, by my father, how strong love can be. People came and went during her last week but it was my father who was there for at least 3 days without much, if any, sleep or rest for himself. He did all of this without complaining once about anything other than not being able to help her more. This experience was just one of many that make me thankful to have such great parents and to have been taught about compassion, love, honesty, etc… while growing up.I enjoy music, especially the Bluegrass and Folk genres. From time to time I will attempt playing the guitar and mandolin, sometimes with success. I also enjoy reading about Native Americans, musicians and artists.
I love the administration, community and ease of use. If you ever need help with anything regarding Zibbet all you have to do is ask, whether it be from administration or the community of fellow Zibbeters, they are willing and ready to help.The administration is doing a wonderful job at adding new features to Zibbet and I know that most of what I would like to see is already being worked on.I promote my work mostly through word-of-mouth and business cards. I have always believed that word-of-mouth is one of the best marketing tools, whether it is in person or on the internet through e-mail, chat rooms, online communities, etc… From time to time I will participate in craft shows and small festivals but do these mainly just for fun and the exposure.
Become active in the Zibbet community, spread the word about Zibbet and don’t be afraid to ask questions. As I stated before, fellow Zibbeters from the community are willing to help each other with everything from opinions on products to methods of helping market your shops.Healthy and successful with the opportunity to make a living from being creative.Tags: Featured Zibbeters, WV Sechrist
