Who knew that a pandemic would spark such a change in my life's direction.
My name is Mercedes Burchett.
I am a Memphis native and an all around creative.
I have always had a love for art. When I was younger, that art consisted of writing short stories, plays and poetry. In roughly 2007, I dipped my toe in chain jewelry, but; that was short lived.
In 2020, jewelry made another entrance into my life, in such an extraordinary way.
Like so many during that time, I experienced serious withdrawal, anxiety and depression. I was dealing with personal issues within my relationships and was struggling with finding Mercedes. Adding to that, not being able to socialize. I felt isolated and alone. There were times, I didn't want to get out of bed, because...what else is there to do???
Later in the year I began a mentorship that introduced me to spirituality. This program helped me to channel my anxiety; to find comfort in my solitude, and honestly, opened me to God in a way I never thought I would be again.
As a lesbian, I wasn't sure what my feelings were with religion. I had pushed it out for so long because all I was ever told was that God would never love me, or that my family wouldn't show up for me simply because of who I love.
Spiritually showed me something different. It connected me, not only to the Source, but to my lineage...my ancestors...and that saved my life.
I learned to meditate, how to ground myself and ultimately gained the understanding that I have the power and the tools to do anything I want to.
In this community, I would be introduced to crystals and how they could be used. People would wear them as jewelry and I wanted to add those kinds of pieces to my collection. We have a local botanica that I would visit often, but each time I would visit, the wire artist was never available. This happened so much that I was like,
"F' it! I'm going to make my own"
Starting out, you can imagine what my pendants looked like. It definitely made me appreciate the wire artist I kept missing at the botanica because, THIS WAS HARD!!!
But I kept trying.
I would wrap pendants and gift them to my family and friends. My first "sale" was actually a donation from a stranger. It was such a satisfying feeling knowing that she saw value in something I created.
This sparked a drive that I had been missing for a while.
I created order forms, more pendants and I prayed...I prayed hard...and then I allowed the Universe to take me on a wilddddd ride!
My hope for Sincerely Antoinette is to continue to grow and encourage creativity; whatever that looks like for you. My customers mean everything to me. Without their support (your support), my brand would not be what it is. I am forever grateful for what this journey has brought into my life and I look forward to connecting more and more with my audience.
