Phoebe Sherman| Founder of Girl Gang Craft
Phoebe Sherman
Founder of Girl Gang Craft A female-forward platform + community for creatives + entrepreneurs
@girlgangcraft + @phoebesherman
GIRL GANG CRAFT IS A COMMUNITY POWERED BY WOMXN FOR WOMXN. WE HOST CRAFT FAIRS, EMPOWER BRANDS, AND HAVE AN IN-HOUSE FEMINIST CLOTHING LINE. OUR UTERUS LINE COLLECTS 10% FOR PLANNED PARENTHOOD AND WE’VE GIVEN THEM OVER $2000 TO DATE.
Girl Gang Craft came to life in a time ripe with uncertainty for women and especially for women artists. The craft fair circuit is a dog eat dog world and Phoebe Sherman wanted to create a place for women creatives to continue exploring and sharing their passion without having to pay an arm and a leg. Girl Gang Craft focuses on local women makers and healers who are passionate in whatever they do--fine art, ceramics, jewelry, vintage, tarot, reiki, herbs etc. We work with community members to make space, hold events, and foster welcoming and inclusive badass places to hang and create. We want to empower women. Empowered women empower women. Being a women and daring to make art is a form of resistance itself!
Phoebe Sherman is the founder of Girl Gang Craft. She created Girl Gang Craft in August of 2017 by accident when she was just gathering her friends to sell art and hang out. The energy in that room was contagious though and she decided she wanted to continue to gather artists and create space for collaborations and possibilities. She spends her time practicing yoga, making art, and creating magic with Girl Gang Craft. You can find her traveling, eating, and hiking when she’s not working.
We'd love to know your story! How did you get started? How did you get to where you are today? What are you most proud of?
I had studied Printmaking at Santa Cruz, an ancient method of art that involved a big printing press and lots of supplies and messes. And after school I needed something to do with my hands, so I started making jewelry. Really terrible jewelry. I made a little business and started selling my jewelry at local craft and street fairs.
Around the election, Trump called Hilary a Nasty Woman, and I began to make a print that became the whole basis for Girl Gang Craft. My uterus design was born. From this print came patches that I would sew on jackets, a little zip-up pouch, and then our infamous uterus enamel pin.
I was selling these items under my own name and trying to figure out the Bay Area craft fair circuit.
I wasn’t always getting into these shows, and the shows were expensive! So I decided to throw my own event.
My friends ran Lucky Duck Bicycle Cafe, a coffee shop in Oakland. So I got together 15 maker friends, all female-identified. And the experience was so great. The air was electric, it was literally magic.
So I did it again, and again.
We went from 15 of us in a small cafe to 120 artists at Scottish Rite Center today! Somewhere along the way I merged my personal brand with GGC and we have a whole feminist clothing line now.
Last year we expanded to LA, we hosted our first ever conference, and this year we are hosting a show in Sacramento as well as LA and Oakland. Our podcast just launched and we’re hoping to offer an entrepreneur online class to our community.
Our social media followers are at 23 thousand. We have 3,000 people on our mailing list. And now GGC is my full-time job (I quit teaching yoga last year) and we have a small team of 3.
Today GGC is a multi-dimensional community ready to serve female, non-binary, and trans creatives and entrepreneurs as they navigate their dreams. We offer craft fairs, educational + resources, and our clothing line comes in sizes xs-xxl and we our uterus collection brings in 10% for Planned Parenthood.
What advice would you give someone wanting to pursue a career similar to yours?
Don't pursue a career similar to mine! Start your own thing! You have a unique set of skills and passions and you can cultivate a business and a community around that. Breathe, take care of yourself, and be nice to people. Your passion will show through and the money will come. You might need a another job while you create this biz and that's ok! Be patient with yourself and keep showing up for your community and most importantly yourSELF!
What are the best resources that have helped you along the way?
I love podcasts: Jenna Kutcher, Amy Porterfield, the Hell Yes Academy got me started into the world of marketing and branding. My partner and my family and friends have been such an amazing support and hold me when I cry and keep pushing me to continue..
Any advice for growing your social media?
Be patient with yourself, don't take things too seriously. DO NOT get bogged down by engagement, and likes. You are not running your business to be validated, actually you are running your business to make money. That is literally the definition of your biz, so learn to take your biz off the app: newsletters, podcasts, classes etc. Learn to CONVERT that traffic into paying customers.