Kowa Mattern shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Good morning Kowa, we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
I love this question! With everything happening in the world right now, I think it is so important to find moments of joy when possible. Even if that just means not looking at your phone for 1 hour and giving your mind a moment of peace from the constant bombardment of news, updates, messages, etc.
Personally, the thing outside of work that brings me the most joy is being in nature. I love when I allow myself to take even 20 minutes to go for a walk around the neighborhood (without my phone) and listen to the wind, birdsong, etc. It sounds silly, but it really helps refresh my brain and get my blood moving a little (since I often spend so much time sitting at the computer or making jewelry). One of my favorite placed in Houston is the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center. It is in the middle of the city, but feels like a total escape, and you see a lot of wildlife too!
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Kowa Mattern, and I am the owner of the jewelry brand, Herself Collections. I started my business at the end of 2019 by building a collection of wearable art from women jewelry makers. As the world shut down during the pandemic, I began making my own jewelry and just kept going! Today my site is a mix of pieces that I source and pieces that I make by hand, but they are all meant to be worn daily and cherished for years to come. I love the flexibility that being a small business owner provides because some days I am really excited about designing and jewelry making and other days I am more in the mood to do admin work, like catching up on emails or updating the website. I also really love the community of fellow small business owners and customers that I have come to know since starting this endeavor.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
A favorite quote that my mom used to repeat to me whenever I was torn about a decision is “Whatever decision you make will be the right one.” It was her way of telling me that she had confidence in my ability to seek solutions for myself, and also a way to build my own confidence. And there was also this underlying message that even if everything doesn’t go as planned, there is still power in being able to make a choice.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
If I could give my younger self one piece of advise, it would be “You have to go through it to get past it.” In the current age of distraction, I think it is so easy to ignore problems or anxieties by distracting ourselves with something else. Growing up I sometimes had this idea that if I ignored something for long enough, then it would just disappear, but it is often the opposite! Especially as a small business owner, there are always a never ending to do list, and it is easy to push things I don’t want to do down the list, since I can still be productive with other things. But in the end, the more something is ignored, the more difficult it becomes to face or work through.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
My closest friends all know that quality time together is the most important to me. My favorite thing is to catch up over a slow dinner and hear all about how his or her life is going. I show love by showing up with my full attention because time spent together is not necessarily time well spent if we are distracted or are trying to multitask. I try to emulate this in my relationship with my work as well. Time after time I catch myself reaching for my phone instead of fully focusing on the task at hand, and so I try to refocus my attention fully to whatever it is that I am doing (some days are better than others!)
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. If you knew you had 10 years left, what would you stop doing immediately?
Honestly, if I only had 10 years left, I think I would immediately cancel all my social media accounts. If I think back to the amount of time I have spent looking at random photos, articles, ads and videos, I get a little sad that I didn’t spend that time doing almost anything else. As a small business owner, I do have to spend time on social media to interact with customers and share product images and updates, but at the same time I am trying to be conscious of how I use them in my personal life. I just really don’t think the human brain was meant to be so stimulated all the time. and I definitely see how constant updates have affected my ability to focus. I heard a podcast once where the woman was speaking on how, as humans, when we encountered trauma, we had a fight or flight reaction that helped process that trauma. But now we encounter trauma all the time from around the world, while sitting at home looking at our screen. And so our bodies are not able to process it in the same way, and it can eventually store up in our bodies. I hope I am remembering that message right, but it really spoke to me at the time. We are so unable to control what gets served to us and when, and I think that is a real negative aspect of the apps. On the other hand, I also don’t want to take away from the good that has come from being able to connect with people all around the world. Like with most things in life, there is good and bad to everything.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.herselfcollections.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/herselfcollections/
