Today we’d like to introduce you to Hollyn Donovan.
Hi Hollyn, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I started Simply Fidgets on a whim after the original undergraduate program and subsequent internship I was completing for that program fell-through due to reasons beyond my control.
I saw an advertisement online for a silicone bead supplier and their website and the more I looked through different suppliers’ websites, the more I fell in-love with the beauty and potential-creative liberties involved with the world of crafting with silicone beads.
When I first started creating, I thought I’d make baby items (think paci clips, etc) & maybe some standard decorative keychains. As a single woman with no kids (and after I learned the complexity of the necessary safety testing involved with making items for infants and young children), I decided to pivot.
Today I make fidget-keychains, keychain wristlets, beaded lanyards, and more with the goal being sensory-friendly yet fun and sophisticated design.
A few years ago, I was given the opportunity to bring a silicone bead-design idea I had to life with the help of one of my suppliers (CTS Wholesale Silicone). As a late-diagnosed autistic person, I chose to design an infinity symbol bead with one side being rainbow-gradient (representing the neurodiversity spectrum) and the other side being metallic gold (representing autism specifically). My products featuring that “Gradient Spectrum” bead have become many of my best sellers!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Losing my original undergraduate internship and all the hard work I’d put in to get to that point (everything fell through roughly 6-weeks before graduation) as a direct result of my being an autistic person with a myriad of chronic illnesses and disorders which regularly put in me in significant amounts of pain…while that inevitably led me to creating Simply Fidgets, it was undoubtedly a very hard and difficult “launch” so-to-speak.
Starting Simply Fidgets kept me afloat mentally during that extremely difficult time-period. It kept me occupied, motivated, and creative.
Overtime, morphing into fidget-keychains (and more) and using my autism diagnosis as an inspiration for my product and design creativity has been a blessing.
I’ve been fortunate to connect with many neurodivergent and specifically-autistic people and families along the way.
While the misfortune of the past still hurts me, having Simply Fidgets makes it easier.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a late-diagnosed-autistic and physically-disabled creative and owner of my small business Simply Fidgets.
I started with one early-vision for my brand and have since morphed and changed that a time or two. Today, I specialize in creating silicone-beaded accessories with neurodiversity and sensory-friendly design in-mind.
Some of my best-selling products are my fidget keychains and keychain-wristlets, particularly those featuring my personally-designed “Gradient Spectrum” infinity focal silicone bead.
I hand-craft each individual item and take great care in insuring its quality and durability.
I am very proud of my Gradient Spectrum bead and am so grateful to CTS Wholesale Silicone for working with me to bring my design and the physical bead itself to life.
Autism exists on a spectrum like a gradient, not a spectrum like a line. There are infinite ways to be autistic and there’s no one right-way to communicate, fidget, or exist anywhere along or within that spectrum. I love being able to be a small piece of representing what autism is and can-be.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
Spotify Premium (laughs thinking about my favorite songs played continuously using Spotify’s loop/repeat setting).
As someone who lives in an almost-constant state of movement, sitting still enough to read or even focus on a podcast tends to be very difficult for me. I’m starting to be able to sit still long enough to read though, here and there. I’m currently reading a book by Jayne Mattingly called “This Is Body Grief” and I love it so far!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.simplyfidgets.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shop_simply_fidgets
