At Home with Camille Hay of Romy Studio

Today we’re virtually visiting the bright, calming home (and studio!) of Camille Hay of Romy Studio. We have carried her bright beautiful earrings in the studio shop since we opened and are so excited to step behind the scenes into her process and work flow from home these days. Plus, how she’s keeping inspired and finding routine. Read on, friends.

Who are you, what do you do, and why?

My name is Camille, and I'm a graphic designer and jewelry maker. In 2019 I started Romy Studio, a small batch, and limited edition statement earring studio. I had just cut off most of my hair and was wearing big statement earrings for the first time. I had just started a very corporate job, so when I started making earrings, it was mostly for myself. I've always had an entrepreneurial bug, so I knew I wanted to create a small business and see where it took me.

What does home mean to you?

For me, home can be anywhere you feel most comfortable. Home is not necessarily one place but anyplace where I can do my daily rituals and be myself. 

Has your relationship with home changed since the start of the covid crisis?

I'm a cancer, so I've always been obsessed with the idea of home and turning it into a sacred space. I've never thought about how much time and effort I've put into making my home feel warm and welcoming versus how much time I usually get to spend just being at home. Being home all hours of the day makes me appreciate it more.

What's your daily routine like right now?

Having a consistent routine gives me a sense of balance with everything happening lately. I usually wake up around 8:15 and get ready to start the day. I try to make breakfast every morning. I'll do a smoothie bowl or toast and fruit. Sometimes I'll set up earrings to photograph the night before and have a mini photoshoot in the morning. My apartment gets very little natural light, so I have to grab any opportunity I have. I'll work my full-time gig until lunch and always take a break. I'll use this time to work on Romy (packaging orders, mixing clay, replying to IG comments). I usually wrap up work at 5:30 and get back to work with Romy, ordering supplies, working on orders, planning future collections. I'll make dinner and watch tv or a movie and read a few chapters of whatever book I'm currently reading before bed.

You have a day job that you in normal circumstances would go to, but have always operated your jewelry business from home. How's working from home full time and running a side gig from home going?

Luckily I have enough space that when I started Romy, I was able to take over a large chunk of my living room as a studio space. I've always worked on Romy from home, so that has always felt pretty comfortable. It was a little more challenging to get into the swing of things working my 9-5 from home. I was initially using my Romy workspace for both my 9-5 and making jewelry but eventually just bought a desk for my bedroom to separate the two. I think having a designated space for each helps with my productivity. The good thing about my jewelry is that I'm only accountable for myself. So I can set my own pace and decide if I want to release new jewelry or not. I released my spring collection and was going to do a restock, but work got chaotic, so I was able to put it off a few weeks.

How are you getting inspiration while being home so much of the time? What keeps you going creatively?

For the first few weeks of social distancing, I was having trouble finding the inspiration to work on my jewelry. But luckily, I was able to get back into the groove of things. Talking about ideas with my friends and my sister keeps me inspired and motivated. A lot of my inspiration comes from spending a lot of time on the internet curating things that pique my interest from Instagram and Pinterest. I can find inspiration from a nail polish color, a dried floral bouquet, or a digital art print. I try to focus less on being inspired by people who are working in the same medium as me and more on the overall aesthetics that are inspiring me. 

Where's your daily moment of zen at home right now?

Right now, creating jewelry is my moment of zen. I'll wrap up my full-time gig and work on jewelry almost every evening. I'm still technically working, but for the most part, I'm creating for myself, so I still get a lot of joy out of it. 

Thanks so much Camille for sharing! Enjoy the jewelry pop-up on our site!