A Conversation with Where Watermelons Grow (Creativity Over Coffee)

It’s time for another installment of Creativity Over Coffee – you know what that means! This will be our last Creativity Over Coffee of 2023. So grab your coffee (or tea) and join us!

Creativity Over Coffee

I’m so incredibly grateful to introduce you to my friend Sarah Jean Gammon. She is the creator of Where Watermelons Grow and I’m such a big fan of her jewelry. Over the years of our friendship, I’ve collected and gifted many of her beautiful bracelets, earrings, and necklaces. Her designs are inspired by the coast and are very natural and delicate. Sarah is lovely inside and out. It is my honor to introduce my readers to her. She has generously offered my readers a forever discount when using this code:  SILVERPENNIES or you can follow this Where Watermelons Grow link. Without further ado, meet Sarah and Where Watermelons Grow!

A Conversation with Where Watermelons Grow

Thank you so much for deciding to join me for coffee and chat about your creative process. When I had just graduated from film school in London and couldn’t find work, I found inspiration through the many biographies I read from the library. I used to go there each week and take out more.

Many people believe they are not creative. I hear this all the time. It is my hope with these conversations with my talented friends that I hope to inspire my readers to believe that they truly are creative. That creativity is just sitting inside of them waiting to bubble over.

Sarah, gosh, I don’t know how long we’ve been friends and I’ve been such a big fan of your jewelry for so long. Can you tell my readers more about being a jewelry designer and Where Watermelons Grow?

Sarah – Thank you for inviting me, Danielle. I enjoy reading your interviews in Creativity Over Coffee. It’s so special to actually be a part of it. We really have known each other for some time now! It’s been so fun to see where our businesses and lives have taken us thus far. I started Where Watermelons Grow around 2012. Yet, it wasn’t until recently that I began calling myself a “jewelry designer”. My degree isn’t in jewelry design and, for the most part, I am self-taught. So for the longest time I didn’t feel like I was worthy of such a title. In 2020, I left my day job and put all of my effort into turning WWG into a successful day job. I wanted to be a stay-at-home-mom, wanted to be able to provide for my family, and wanted to be creative. It’s a lot to ask of myself but I feel my best when I am able to fill all of those cups. I’m still improving my skills, learning new ones and educating myself to become a better business woman. And everyday I try to be a better mom than I was the day before. I believe that you can have whatever it is you dream of having, you just need to work your butt off to get it.

How did you come up with the name?

Sarah – The name came from the children’s song “Down by the Bay”. I was brainstorming business names with my Mom and we were discussing how I first started selling my jewelry down by the bay (on Long Island) and that nursery rhyme came to mind. My mom owns a pre-school, so nursery rhymes were well known in our house. Where Watermelons Grow, to me, isn’t so much about growing watermelons but rather being by the water. 

Do you have a favorite piece in your collection?

Sarah – Our Blue Point Pearl earrings are a forever favorite for me. I have new favorite pieces all the time but our Blue Point Pearl earrings are subtly unique and the pearls are timeless in their beauty. It’s a combo that keeps it as our number 1 selling design.

Yes, I have a pair and they’re a favorite. I wear them all the time! Can you tell us more about your studio or where you make your jewelry?

Sarah – My jewelry is designed and created in my studio, which is in our house. We live steps from the beach in Marshfield, Massachusetts and when the wind is onshore you can smell the salt air from our front porch. The studio is in our loft that overlooks the first floor of our home. It gives me a bird’s eye view of my two young boys. We do have big, exciting plans to move the studio next year but it will always be “down by the bay”.

When do you feel most creative or happy?

Sarah – Right after surfing! I have endless work and two little boys to wrangle so I never just go surfing but when it works and I do get out, it’s like a reset button gets pressed. 

Who or what inspires you?

Sarah – My husband. He is the most hard working and even-keeled person I know.

I know you grew up on Long Island and now live on the coast, how has coastal living inspired your work?

Sarah – Coastal living inspires an active lifestyle. The beach, the boat, surfing, swimming, being outside, and on the move. When I think of the kind of jewelry I want to wear, I think about how it needs to function and look like it naturally belongs. Our line of jewelry is a reflection of a life well lived by the sea. In my designs you can find natural elements like genuine pearls, shells, and soft toned gemstones and then I pair it with high-quality materials to make sure it can hold up to an active lifestyle. 

What struggles have you found running your own creative businesses? What are the highlights or perks of being your own boss?

Sarah – I have found that keeping up with social media is a struggle. It can make you feel like you aren’t doing enough, or aren’t good enough. That kind of thinking can bring you down a deep, dark hole and rob you of your creativity real fast. Social media drives my business, I have to engage with it. However, I try my best to use it to my advantage and not let it take advantage of me. On the positive side… being your own boss means you have a say with how successful you are. There is no limit to your growth. You need to put in the work to grow but that’s the fun part.

You have the cutest sons. How do you juggle motherhood and your business? Do you have any tips?

Sarah – Haha, thank you. They are cuties, but boy are they wild & busy! Mom & Business will always be a struggle to juggle but I try my best to separate the two. I focus on the task at hand and try not to get distracted. When I’m working, I focus on work. When I “clock-out” I focus on the boys & our home. That means not checking my phone – which I find VERY hard to do. It’s all easier said than done but I am aware of what I need to do and give it my best everyday.

Can you tell my readers more about permanent jewelry? I love the bracelet you did for me this summer. People can see the process here. How can people make an appointment for it?

Sarah – Permanent jewelry is perfectly fit to you and welded together on site for a seamless piece of jewelry to wear forever. At an appointment with me, you pick from our wide selection of chains, choose to add charms if you wish, and then together we find your perfect fit. It’s a very fun and meaningful service and I love meeting new people or meeting my customers in person. I often have clients come back for a second and third piece. A healthy addiction, they joke. You can book an appointment for permanent jewelry at my studio in Marshfield or meet me at one of my pop-up events. Our booking link is listed on my instagram, website wherewatermelonsgrow.com or directly at WWG.AS.ME.

What advice would you give someone who wants to follow in your footsteps or who would like to become a jewelry designer?

Sarah – Start where you are with what you have. You can learn a lot from YouTube and even more from just trying from experience. You’ll mess up and try again. It’s when you try again that you’ll start to learn and grow.

Growing up I was a huge follower of INSIDE THE ACTORS STUDIO.  At the end of the program, they would ask the interviewee these questions:

What is your favorite word? Love

What is your least favorite word? Hate. I use it, but I try not to. I especially don’t like to hear my son say it.

What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? A freshly clean, & organized space.

What turns you off? Wasted time.

What is your favorite curse word? “Fuck”. My mom would be appalled by my answer. I have no idea where I developed such a potty mouth but it certainly didn’t come from my household growing up.

What sound or noise do you love? The sound of the ocean.

What sound or noise do you hate? Whining.

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Computer Scientist. An odd interest but in another lifetime, I think I’d be pretty good at it.

What profession would you not like to do? Retail. Been there and done that. Haha.

If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? “Welcome home. Can I get you a drink before seeing your loved ones who have been waiting to see you?”

Wasn’t that just the most amazing and inspiring conversation? I couldn’t think of a better person or story to end our year with! Thank you, Sarah, for joining me and sharing your story with my readers.

Be sure to follow along with Sarah and Where Watermelons Grow:

If you’d like more Creativity Over Coffee you can read the full series here.

Photos courtesy of Where Watermelons Grow

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