luli and me.: Pride and Passion Tuesday/Shades of Grey

Long ago in a land far away, before the naughty book was published , Attalie Dexter started making jewelry while living in Asheville, North Carolina, the year was 1997 . The stunning natural landscape and artistic community nurtured Attalie's desire to experiment with materials and explore new ideas. When she couldn't find the kind of pieces of jewelry she wanted to wear, she made her own.
Heavily textured and muted tonal qualities, complicated geometric shapes and layers define Shades of Grey Jewelry. Incorporating vintage dead stock beads and natural materials such as leather and ribbon, the pieces become more interesting with wear. Certain pieces are embedded with positive meaning or bear a metaphysical effect on the body. The spirit of experimentation and nuance is very much in tact in every Shades of Grey piece today.
I met Attalie at Indie Wed earlier this year and immediately became her fan! There is a peaceful feeling about her, the pieces are so unique and well balanced, I started my collection right there and then. This is one of a kind jewelry and it will become your signature look for the year. I can't stop wearing and layering mine!
Here is a little bit about Attalie, who by the way, is fresh out of the pages of Turkish Vogue! Yay! Congrats Attalie!

Tell us a bit about yourself and Shades of Grey?  I started out by just
making pieces for myself. My friends (and even a few strangers!) wanted
their own, so I started making things for others and decided to actually
start Shades of Grey in 2009. My friends have honestly been a huge push
and support system for me!

What/Who inspires you?  I am most often inspired by others...sometimes I
know them and sometimes I don't or they are fictional. I like
hearing/reading/viewing memories of others and how people perceive things
and what is important.


How would you describe your work?  Very nostalgic, but modern.

Please describe your creative process. I work largely with vintage
materials, so I am always collecting pieces. When I create a collection, I
either have a theme or mood in mind or I will go through everything and my
subconscious comes out and I find a link that always ends up happening to
relate to something I recently saw. I'm always collecting moodboard images
as well.


What propelled you to start your business? The work I did before was
almost entirely online and although I love that in some aspects, I felt
like I needed to start creating something tangible.


 What do you think is the most wonderful part of owning a business? I get
to make all the decisions.


What are your struggles owning a business? The decisions get harder and
harder.


Best business advice you’ve been given? This is more like wisdom I was
given rather than advice: The first year that you are fully committed to
your business is the hardest year.


Advice to other creative entrepreneurs? Never stop working and be true to
yourself while creating something unique.


If you can tell the world one thing, what would it be? Trying something
and failing is so much more fulfilling and better than never trying.