Women Supporting Women: Featuring Jewelry Creators and Sisters-in Law, Taryn and Rebecca Dennis

Recently on social media, I’ve seen a slew of young women behaving like ‘mean girls’ especially targeting Baby Boomers, Gen Xers, Millennials, black women, brown women, white women, lesbian/gay/queer women, and trans women. In other words, they were dissing just about every woman and group of women! And, we’ve all observed older women, too, misconducting themselves in a bullying manner toward other women. While this type of persecution and unkind verbal attacks is nothing new, once it hits social media, it amplifies the ugly mean-spiritedness. At a time when women are under attack from politicians and the culture, women not supporting other women is unconscionable. The last thing women need are women bullying other women.

I considered what I will do to support other women and was inspired by one of my favorite T-shirts; it sports this powerful phrase: “We rise by lifting each other” (Cirque du Soleil). What I will do is to highlight a few local women, sharing some of their story, inviting you to learn about what they offer, and supporting them in their passion. This week, Taryn Dennis and Rebecca Dennis are the stars of this week’s blog essay.

1. Do you also have a ‘day job’ (working in or/and outside of your home); what is your passion, your purpose, your creative expression?

2. How did you discover your passion, your purpose?

I do [have a day job outside the home] ! I work full time for Gannett, as a Client Success Team Lead. I manage a team of employees who build marketing campaigns in MI, NJ, TN, AR, and OH while running my small business.

My passion is honestly creating. I started my love of the arts with painting in high school. I was lucky enough to supply my brother’s bar with my paintings when he owned 211 Martini Lounge downtown.

In 2015, my husband and I had just had a baby girl, and we were financially in a bad place. I started to create again. This time it was jewelry. It started as stress relief from job and life and started to share my journey on Facebook and people asked if they could buy it.

So, not only did I get to do something that brought me joy, but it helped us through some of our toughest times. When I make jewelry, everything gets quiet, the stressors of life, the internal dialogue of to-do lists, and I am just focused on what I want to create. My only goal with jewelry has always been making pieces that bring people joy that are affordable.

3. How have you curated this passion, this purpose? Through experience & practice, through intuition, through certifications? Have you always worked with your sister-in-law? Share about how you and your sister-in-law make your business work well and how you work together.

Learning [to make jewelry and to run a business] has been a labor of love in so many ways [because]

1.) I had never made jewelry before, and,

2.) I had never owned a business or even been to business school/ know anything about running a business!

I started learning from YouTube tutorials and research; there were MANY trials and errors and there still are! The truth is you never stop learning. I started out with strictly beaded necklaces, to earrings, to beaded bracelets, to rings to chain necklaces , etc.

Rebecca Dennis (my sister in law and best friend) started to help me in 2017 with my live sales; I needed help putting orders together and shipping and she was kind enough to help out of the kindness of her heart because I couldn’t afford help yet and the rest is history!

Throughout the years, her help became much more [vital]. She continuously helped me with new ideas and creations. She likes to think she is not a creative, but she is! Last year at the Revel [River Rebel in Shreveport, LA], we featured a small men’s line of bracelets and a whole line of children’s earrings because of her. I couldn’t do it without her.

4. What appeals to you, resonates with you about expressing your passion, your purpose?

I love every aspect, but, what I love most is when people come to a show or [an] event I am in and they tell me a personal story on why something I made means so much to them. As simple as a recent customer told me, “My husband and I bought matching bracelets from you, and we wear them every day. When I look down and see the bracelet and think about him and vice versa. That bracelet means more to me than a million dollars.” That little $8 bracelet I [created] made such an impact on that customer.

5. Your business has an unusual name. What’s the story behind the name?

Haha! I have to laugh at this [question]. You have to know just by looking at my business name that I did not know I was starting a business BECAUSE of my business name!

Before I was married, my name was Taryn Boytim. Growing up people constantly struggled with my first and last name so when I got married, I dropped my maiden name all together to only have one hard name!

When I started to sell jewelry, I really didn’t think I was making a business, but, I didn’t want to be annoying on Facebook, so I made a page called TarynOhBoy- my way of honoring my maiden name. If I had known I was starting a business, I would have picked something a little easier, but, I am proud of it regardless.

6. Tell us about your products and where people can see them and purchase them.

We try to make pieces where everyone can find something they would love. Gold, silver, gold filled, sterling, fashion jewelry, premium pieces- featuring high end natural stones. We make women’s, men’s, teens and children! But, our goal is honestly to make something that brings you joy. We don’t have a slogan, but, we constantly say, “these are earrings you can’t have a bad day in.”

In fact, we only make a small number of each design, so, it’s like almost bespoke jewelry. We do some seasonal pieces in small batches.

We are working on a cool, new product coming out soon, so, stay tuned.

7. How can someone reach you?

The best way to reach me or shop is via my Facebook page www.facebook.com/tarynohboy. Most Thursday nights for the past 8 years, we go live on Facebook with our jewelry. We also are at the Shreveport Farmer’s Market and the Red River Revel. If you visit Kings Antiques on King’s Highway in Shreveport, you will see our jewelry there for sale.

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I support and celebrate Taryn and Rebecca as they live her purpose. Check out their fabulous jewelry! In a few weeks, I’ll interview another woman who I’ll invite you to learn about and to support. In the meantime, what women will you honor and support this week?

Thank you for reading this blog essay; if you read this on social media, please type your comments below. Or, if you read this in your subscription, please share your thoughts in an email to me at reimaginelife22@gmail.com.