When I moved up to Portland a few months ago, I was lucky to be able to easily transfer jobs. But I knew I wanted more than just retail experience on my resume. I needed to be creatively challenged and was particularly interested in helping with large-scale handcrafted displays. Through Instagram, I learned that Jessica of Bramble Workshop was also moving to Portland! So I put her at the top of my list of people to contact. We had coffee at the cutest little cafe, chatted for a while, and ta-da! I began interning for her shortly afterward. I didn’t think creative connections could be made that easily, but perhaps I hadn’t tried hard enough in the past.

Through Bramble Workshop, Jessica creates beautiful detailed window displays, backdrops, and installations for events and companies. To give you an idea of her work and process,  here are some photos I grabbed from her Instagram:

We usually meet up about once a week at her studio and work on whatever backdrops or projects need to be done. Other times, we just get coffee and brainstorm creative craft and business ideas.

While writing my list of creative businesses and people to contact in Portland a few months ago, I was seriously expecting the worst outcome. I thought every effort was a shot in the dark. But by sending that brief email to Jessica, I ended up with a fun, creative internship and a wonderful new friend. Even if you live in a small town where nobody has heard of a blog (those towns are real), I want to encourage you to be brave and look for those people with similar interests as you. :)

To see the rest of Jessica’s work (and a few projects I’ve helped out with!), visit the Bramble Workshop website or follow along on Instagram.