Empowering Creatives to be Entrepreneurs.
We are passionate about cultivating a diverse and equitable environment for all creatives through education and dialogue. G.E.M. Creative is a space to learn business practices, leadership skills, and develop strategies for long-term success in a way that's complementary to how you create. We want to grow with you as you have the hard conversations and celebrate the victories.
G.E.M. Creative’s journey began back in 2013 when I began graduate school. My initial goal was a nonprofit fine craft high school with a core curriculum of regular classes, plus concentrations in ceramics, metalsmithing, woodworking, glass blowing, etc. As I moved through school, I started seeing a trend of creative-based nonprofits/businesses beginning strong and then falling apart after a few years. My new dream was to zero in on the longevity and sustainability in arts-based nonprofits and businesses. This led to focus groups, surveys, and studies that examined WHY this was happening.
With the support of the Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation at Grand Valley State University and Dwelling Place of Grand Rapids, it became apparent that these organizations weren’t falling apart due to lack of ambition and energy. There was a knowledge gap between how to run a business and being able to keep up with the creative practice. This put into motion, a curriculum developed based on the Business Model Canvas and the entrepreneurial mindset by John C. Maxwell of “failing early, failing fast, failing forward.” However, we flipped it a little bit on its head and built it in a way that was more complementary to the way a creative brain learns. By making this one tiny switch, we opened up the approachability of learning how to run a business in a way that works for you.
After successfully running four cohorts and one boot camp, I moved from Grand Rapids, MI to Metro-Detroit. A major reason for my move was prompted by the need to see if I could take the work I had done in Grand Rapids and apply it to another vibrant arts community within the state of Michigan. Unfortunately, this move took place in 2020! Needless to say, I had to pause some of my efforts for a little bit while we all adjusted to the world that was happening (and is still happening) around us.
This venture has been years in the making. I’ve been wanting to launch this for quite some time and I thought it had to be “finished” before I did that. However! Since G.E.M. Creative is here to support you in building your business, we’re going to show you, first hand, how we’re building ours. In the many days to come, we’ll be revealing what we’ve done this far, what our to-do list looks like, what our goals are, and how we’re going to reach them! We’ll talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly (cry’s), because let’s face it. Building a business is HARD, nevertheless, we’ve got this and so do you!
A metalsmith by trade and a huge, self-proclaimed nerd, Alaina has never found an actual box that she fits into. Over the years, she has honed skills that straddle the creative, nonprofit, and business world to design a new space for fellow ‘not-fitter-inners’ to be free from the constraints of any kind of box.
She graduated from Grand Valley State University as a legacy and double alumni, with a BFA in Metalsmithing and Jewelry and an MPA in Nonprofit Management and Leadership. Alaina also worked as a GA for The Center for Entrepreneurship & Leadership (CEI) where she combined the forces of her degree, the community, and CEI to create her first curriculum - a cohort style course that teaches creatives the entrepreneurial mindset in a way that’s complementary to their learning styles and how they do business.
When she’s not working on G.E.M. Creative work, she moonlights as an event and project manager and continues to run her jewelry business, A. Clarke Metalsmith. It’s important to her that she continues to do the things she loves to support this new venture.
Besides creating jewelry and helping others with their businesses, cooking is Alaina’s love language (especially when it comes to hosting and bringing people together). She loves a good campfire hang, complete with roasting marshmallows, good drinks, and in-depth conversations. She is a proud Auntie and a family gal with many close friends from around the country that she loves to visit as much as she can.
