Today we’d like to introduce you to Devin M. Butler.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Devin. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I moved back to Dallas four years ago from New York City with my 1 year old son and my 2 year old daughter in the midst of a horrible divorce. My divorce broke me into a thousand pieces. The beauty of breaking is healing. When you allow God to be the glue that puts you back together, there will be a new creation. After my divorce, I became more myself than I had been in over 10 years. I spent the next couple years working both with a therapist and digging into my faith and uprooting painful parts of my past. JoyPop was born out of all the tiny scars that my divorce (and life) had left. The scars forced me to look at myself and to recognize that most of my life I had lived with fear as my major modus operandi. When I finally looked fear in the face and was able to say “I see you…and I see what you’re doing…”, I was free to get back to the 6 year old girl who had always been a creative soul. I was the child in my room making, creating, coloring, designing, rearranging my furniture, cutting my clothes to make “new designs”, putting on plays, signing, dancing, dreaming. JoyPop is an act of resistance. Joy is that spark and light that cannot be extinguished despite your circumstance. Life is going to hit you hard, but your perspective on what that “hit” is trying to teach you is everything. I’m a single mom, and so my life is insane but having my kids see their mother create something is one of the biggest joys of my life.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
There are no smooth roads to success. My divorce was devastating but ultimately identity shifting. My divorce forced me to find myself again and learn how to stand on my own to legs, and to love those legs! So many women put their identities in shifting things like marriage, money, kids, work, etc. And when those idols fall, we are left so broken, so unrecognizable. My road to JoyPop has been one of finding my faith and foundation in that which is unwavering. In that shift, I have found real JOY, wholeness, happiness, and a sense of content that had previously been a stranger. My life is in no way perfect from a worldly perspective: I am 40 years old, I live with my parents, I am a single mother with no dating prospects in sight, I have had periods of great income and periods of almost no income. But despite it all, I am at peace. The tag line for JoyPop is “Count it all Joy…” James 1:2 and that is a perspective that I don’t want to live without. It is ALL Joy. Even the darkest situations have a silver lining. We are in the midst of one of those moments now. I have even thanked my ex-husband for our divorce and the darkness that I experienced because ultimately, it turned me to the light. Out of that darkness emerged a woman that I didn’t know existed. That woman is a better mother, sister, daughter, businesswoman, and friend.
What should we know about JoyPop? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I make earrings! Unique, handmade, tiny pops of joy! I have always loved earrings. When I was 25, I shaved my head and became a connoisseur of earrings. I love a statement piece. Joy is a choice. Pop is your presence. JoyPops are tiny pieces of art. I love color and contrast and finding the unexpected joy in different fabrics. Some of my favorite creations have been custom pieces that clients have asked me to create. There is something so satisfying about these tiny, circular expressions of both Joy and Presence. I am only set apart from others by being myself. When people meet me, they are often taken back by my authenticity. I can only be me. And JoyPop is a reflection of just that.
We make earrings for all women, even tiny women! My daughter is a huge fan and we also offer clip-on earrings to satisfy all earring lovers!
I am most proud of two things. First, the feedback that I get from women saying that their earrings literally bring them joy. The second thing I am most proud of is the model I have created for my kids. Business ownership is freedom. Having my children understand that their creativity can be a part of their calling and their income was very important to me.
What do you feel are the biggest barriers today to female leadership, in your industry or generally?
We are our own biggest barriers. I think most humans, but especially women, live in fear. Fear of judgement, fear of failure, fear of success…fear. My fear of putting myself out there almost killed this venture before it started. Imposter syndrome is alive and well and I have made the choice to look fear in the face everyday, and take the next step forward. If not, year after year I could be sitting in the exact same place. Now that is terrifying.
Pricing:
- Pop $20
- Midi $15
- Mini $12
- Tiny $10
Contact Info:
- Website: www.joyyypoppp.com
- Email: tinypopofjoy@gmail.com
- Instagram: @joyyypoppp
- Facebook: @joyyypoppp
Image Credit:
Zachary Wilson, Boost MC, Christina Serdjenian Yearwood
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