Meet Erika Akemi | Polymer Clay Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Erika Akemi and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Erika, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I always enjoyed arts and crafts but I would either pick something that was too simple to sell or I would make wonderful items that took too long to make. When I got addicted to making polymer clay earrings, I knew I was onto something good. I started making so many of them that I had to find a way to offload my stash. It ended up becoming Akemi Clay and I’ve been enjoying every part of this process.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Oh, it’s no wonder we call it “busi-ness” because there’s always so much to do. There’s the creation process – which is the most fun of course. But then there’s the sanding & assembling, then photographing, uploading, posting, finding markets & finally, the interactions with the customers. There’s also a ton of behind the scenes stuff, completely unrelated to my creative process like taxes and finances. I think it’s easy to think owning a business is just creating fun stuff, but there’s a lot more that happens to keep us busy. 

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Ooh, I like this question because I’ve had a ton of guests come into town and there’s a lot of fun things to do and see.

I’m picturing a beautiful summer day, we’d start the day grabbing some breakfast at First Watch. Then we would head to Horsetooth Lake for a hike or for some paddle boarding. For lunch, we would go to Smok, our favorite BBQ place. Then we would check all the shops in Old Town, while sipping some fun coffee drink from Lima Coffee Roasters. We would head home for some rest then go to Josh & John’s for some yummy ice cream.
I would also take them to Jessup Farms, for a yummy brunch at The Farmhouse and some good coffee at Bindle, and of course, to check out all the fun local shops. If my guests had children we’d definitely stop at the Fort Collins Museum of Discovery, visit all the libraries with the fun stuff and also check some of the different playgrounds in town, like Twin Silos, Avery Park and Traverse Park.
If we had extra time, a visit to Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park would definitely be in the schedule.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Shout out to my husband Jesse and my two kids, Yohan & Nalu. I’m thankful that I get to be home with my kids and use my free time to work on something I’m passionate about.

Website: www.AkemiClay.Etsy.com

Instagram: @AkemiClay

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100093913504541