From Federal Service to Fine Art Jewelry: A Reinvention Story
In March 2025, after 32 years in federal service, my career ended abruptly when I accepted the deferred resignation program just thirty days before my office underwent a reduction in force. What followed was not a neatly planned pivot, but a lived experience of reinvention—learning to rebuild purpose, income, and identity one decision at a time.
That unexpected transition led me to expand what had once been a lifelong passion into something much larger. I launched Jayme Marshall Jewelry, a fine art jewelry manufacturing and retail business rooted in traditional metal smithing, meaningful design, and community-based creativity. What began as a hobby alongside a full-time career became my primary focus—and my livelihood.
Reinvention, I’ve learned, isn’t a single bold leap. It is the daily work of navigating rising material costs, embracing new skills in marketing and technology, and continuing to show up creatively even when the path feels uncertain. Studio work can be deeply fulfilling—but it can also be isolating. Connection with other artists and small business owners has become essential, not optional.
Seeking direction, I reached out to the Maryland Women’s Business Center and applied for their incubator program. I was honored to be accepted into their nine-month program of business education, coaching, and collaboration alongside other entrepreneurs. That learning community became a critical bridge between leaving federal service and stepping fully into the realities of running a small business.
At the same time, I began building deeper connections within the local creative community. I applied to and was accepted into the Valley Craft Network, now celebrating 45 years of championing professional craft and collaboration. I also became a member of Countryside Artisans, a collective of working artists in rural Maryland that organizes self-guided studio tours throughout the year. These ventures connected me with seasoned artisans, strengthened my business skills , and helped bring customers into my remote studio and gallery.
I also pursued partnerships with galleries where my work could reach new audiences. Today, my jewelry is proudly represented at Lockhouse Gallery in Brunswick, MD and Eastside Gallery in Frederick, MD. These relationships remind me that while the work is made by hand—often in solitude—it is sustained and inspired through shared experience, mentorship, and mutual support.
My business growth is inseparable from that sense of connection. I have hired and begun training an apprentice, passing on skills that ensure this craft and livelihood continue forward. Through my gallery, I also carry and promote the work of other artists, helping increase visibility and opportunity within a small but vibrant creative ecosystem.
One of the steepest learning curves has been building an online presence from the ground up. Creating the jaymemarshalldesign.com website and learning how to market effectively in a crowded digital space has required persistence, patience, and skills far beyond the jewelry bench. As a maker, my strength has always been in working with my hands—shaping silver, setting stones, and creating meaningful objects of beauty. But reinvention has also demanded that I become my own storyteller, web designer, and marketer, often while navigating the emotional and financial uncertainty of starting over. Growing a small artisan business means constantly balancing creative work with the behind-the-scenes labor of visibility—educating customers about the value of handmade craft, reaching new audiences, and building momentum one post, one update, and one connection at a time.
Reinvention is not simply starting over—it is building forward. It is choosing, day by day, to create something meaningful from uncertainty, to invest in community, and to turn artistry into sustainable impact. Through Jayme Marshall Jewelry, I am not only shaping metal into objects of beauty, but shaping a new chapter of purpose—one grounded in craftsmanship, collaboration, and the belief that small, local creative businesses can strengthen the cultural and economic fabric of our communities.