Meet Michelle Hutley | Mom, Creator, Builder, & Entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with Michelle Hutley and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Michelle, why did you pursue a creative career?
I have always been a creative person – I love building and designing, problem solving, and getting my hands dirty. My hobbies for my entire life have been discovering new passions and new ways to create, and that is when I’m most happy. So when I finally took some time to sit down and think about what I want in a career, it was natural that I turned to those hobbies and take a hard look at whether or not I could make something of them. It’s important to know that not all your hobbies have to benefit you financially, but it’s also important to know when you CAN take something and make more out of it. This was how Mikki Makes started – I had a passion and I built around it, and decided to share my work. I was already sharing it with family, each of us encouraging the others to grow and share all of our hobbies and our passions. And it was that sharing, that showing others my own ideas and creations alongside the family whose work I also encouraged and helped (and who helped me,) that ultimately drove me to build a business. Now not only do I get to reap the benefits of knowing I created these pieces, but I get to share that pride and that love with others, and I get to see the satisfaction of putting a bit of myself out into the world.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Mikki Makes is a unique business because it is a business that suits me rather than trying to suit or fill a specific niche. While that may seem counterintuitive to success, it was a natural course for me to follow in terms of how I wanted to grow my brand. I’ve always had a mind for success and trend, finding the right niches and finding out how I fit into them. And my creations reflect that – I can crochet, print, sublimate, engrave, build, anything that my constantly working muse calls for. And while it makes for a somewhat chaotic summary, everything always manages to come together.
Not to say it’s easy! Not everything always fits in, and not everything I want to do is successful. Sometimes it’s difficult to let go of a specific idea or a project that isn’t working for the sake of harmony or time, and it’s a delicate balance between always pushing myself to do my best and knowing when it’s time to write something off. I’m always wanting to overwork myself with projects in theory, and figuring out what is manageable and what isn’t plays a major role in how I decide to move forward.
In the end, I want people to recognize Mikki Makes as an extension of me – my passions, my talents, and my mark on the world – and I want others to be as enthusiastic about it as I am.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
We would be all over the city checking out different many of the different neighborhoods and what they have to offer. We’d of course start in the Centennial Park area, check out the Aquarium, see if anything is happening at the CNN Center, hit up the World of Coke, and then check out any of the amazing restaurants within walking distance. The area is so easy to navigate – an important aspect when you’re hitting the town all day! Which leads us straight to Little Five, where there’s some of the best shopping anywhere (don’t sleep on the little but loved shops like Vintageland ATL or A Cappella Books while hitting Junkman’s Daughter!) and some of the most unique food (Vortex, anybody?). We would also have to hit the Battery to get a taste of Holman & Finch or Fox Bros BBQ while watching my favorite team – I am from Atlanta, after all, so we’d have to cheer the Braves on. The rest would be a collection of my favorites scattered around the city – the Chattahoochee Nature Center for a truly wonderful visit with nature, Lucky’s for a Burger, LanZhou for Noodles. And if we’re bringing our kids along, I’m always sure to check out one of our city’s AMAZING parks – I’m right around the corner and highly recommend Brook Run Park or Peachtree Corners Town Green! Atlanta is the perfect place for a touch of exciting tourism mixed with down home, local enterprise.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have to Shoutout my family, of course.
For many different reasons – my parents, for always encouraging me to do my best and allowing me the independence to grow on my own and how I wanted (and thanks for tolerating all those different music lessons!).
My husband and little girl, who always seem to be the biggest fans of my work even if it’s not quite their cup of tea. I wouldn’t be able to do what I do without their help and encouragement. My husband has been supporting that independence for longer than I can imagine, and I can’t even begin to think about where I would be without somebody who is able to offer so much unwavering love and support.
And then the rest of the family, the USUK Workshop. Without the spirit of the rest of the team, I would never have gotten the itch to put my own work out there and make more of my hobbies than they were. Even with the entrepreneurial itch already in me, it was the Workshop and its team who ultimately help me make that jump into the work it takes to make my own business and enjoy my own success.

Website: https://linktr.ee/mikkimakes

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikkimakesatl/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61572295292863

Image Credits
Luke Hutley