In a story that begins similarly to many others, TAC descendant Samantha Mierzejek was isolating in her Idaho home during COVID when she began looking for a way to fill her time. Hoping to make a few gifts for a handful of her close family and friends, Samantha decided to venture into jewelry making. Now, a mere three years later, Samantha leads a growing business and enchants international audiences with her coveted small-batch jewelry releases.
Though living in a landlocked state, Samantha’s mind couldn’t help but wander back to her beachside upbringing in Alaska. Inspired by those memories, she first began creating earrings that featured crowberries, cloudberries, and blueberries. Her mother-in-law, who is from Kodiak, soon requested that she make salmonberry earrings as well, which Samantha promptly did – to much celebration. These new earrings were met with immense appreciation and word quickly spread, leading to an increased demand for Samantha’s wearable art.
“Eventually,” she tells us, “it grew to where I was making earrings for friends of friends of friends, and finally, my cousin Kailyn was like, ‘Hey, you should make a Facebook for your art to start selling it online!’”
Today, Samantha manages her digital storefronts through both Facebook and Instagram, where she has amassed a combined following of over 2,000 eager supporters. When she posts images unveiling her latest creations, they are often quickly updated with the tell-tale “Sold out!” due to their popularity. As demand for her wearable art continues to grow, Samantha plans to expand beyond social media to reach an even wider audience.
The name of Samantha’s business perfectly reflects her original inspiration: Aĝaasix̂, the Unangam Tunuu word for a “gift” or “present”. Through this name, she not only pays respect to her Unangax̂ roots, but also to the very spirit of her artwork. Though she first intended the earrings as gifts for others, Samantha says that she has been humbled by the realization that her artistic pursuits have granted her unexpected gifts of their own.
Samantha enjoyed spending her childhood years on the beaches of St. George Island until her family eventually migrated to another coastal town not altogether dissimilar to St. George — they first spent some years living in Juneau, where she attended middle school, and later relocated to Sitka, where Samantha attended Mt. Edgecumbe High School. It was during her time in Anchorage when fate intervened, and Samantha met her now-husband while pursuing her undergraduate degree at UAA. Though he, too, shares Alaska roots, the couple eventually settled in Idaho, where Samantha has since gone on to achieve her master’s degree.
Samantha’s upbringing involved learning traditional art and beading from both her mother and maternal grandmother – together, they explored skin sewing and bead work. Upon her family’s migration to Southeast AK, however, Samantha found herself with limited access to Unangax̂ dance groups or culture camps. She was nevertheless determined to participate in local Haida, Tsimshian, and Tlingit culture camps and traditional events — which is where she first delved into the forms of Native art that have since lent inspiration to her own works.
Interestingly, one of Samantha’s most popular newer designs is beaded miniature replicas of the glass floats traditionally used by Japanese fishermen to buoy nets and droplines – her first memorable encounter with the beaded netting designs of these notorious floats was at an exhibition for a local Juneau artist she saw as a youth.
After deciding to pursue this particular earring design, Samantha quickly realized there was a bit of a learning curve – thankfully, she tells us, other Native earring makers were quick to lend some guidance. “I learned how to make the netting by watching YouTube videos that were recommended to me by another earring maker I connected with online, Julianna John,” she tells us.
And it is this network of other artists who generously give their time and advice that has been one of the most surprising benefits of her work.
“I started participating in the online community of jewelry makers and other artists,” she says. “Many of my first followers [on social media] were other Alaskan artists, and that community has been so supportive of me this entire journey. They really just want to help each other succeed.
“Many of those folks shared their insight and knowledge with me on types of hashtags to use, on how to bring people in by hosting giveaways and promoting other artists and such. Most recently, I did a collaboration with seven other artists to host a giveaway where we offered two really cool bundles, and I’m really proud of that project. Really, this community has offered so much support and mentorship. It isn’t a competitive environment at all, and I haven’t had to deal with any gatekeeping. Everyone just wants to see you succeed.”
Part of Samantha’s transition from making art for family and friends into maintaining a popular business is accounting for the increased need for supplies and finding ways to ensure she has an adequate stock of the materials she needs to create her work.
“My earrings are made from things like polymer clay, marbles that I make the netting on to resemble the glass floats, beads, and some materials that I source from other artists in Ukraine,” she tells us. “Sometimes, I incorporate other sort of flower and leaf details that I don’t see other similar Native earring makers doing, to set myself apart from others.”
In addition to berries and flowers, Samantha also loves to make art that reflects our maritime-based culture, such as earrings made from seaglass that has been worn smooth by long periods of time in the ocean. Eager to visit her family and comb the beaches she knows and loves, Samantha says she aims to return to Alaska about four times each year.
“I’ve always been very connected with beaches, until we moved to Idaho,” she says. “My art keeps me connected to my St. George roots and my Unangax̂ culture; it helps me to feel at home even when I’m far away.”
It is a feeling that has proven popular with many people she has met in Idaho through her art. Popular getaways for Idahoans are the Oregon and Washington coasts, where they see glass floats and Native art styles. When they return home and see Samantha’s work, it sparks fond memories of their time on Pacific beaches.
“So even beyond social media,” Samantha says, “the love for beachcombing brings a community together. I’ve had followers from Ireland reach out because they recognize the floats as well, and I love getting to let them know that Ireland looks similar to the Pribilofs and to the Aleutian Islands. The connections I’ve made through my art have been so rewarding.”
So, what advice does Samantha have for other Unangax̂ artists and people who may want to sell their art but aren’t sure where to start?
“Make those community connections faster,” Samantha says. “Trust the folks who have done this. When I first began, I was so worried about what other people think and if they would like my designs. I used to frame this as just a hobby, but I could have had more confidence in my abilities as an artist and really have inserted myself into this awesome creative community earlier.
“Also, get a website! I want to develop more of a stronger business background, and I want to develop a website so I can better reach my customers who don’t use social media. I want to make sure they can still find me.
“Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Everyone wants you to succeed, so ask them [questions like], ‘Where do you get your materials?’ And if you need to self-teach, don’t be afraid to make mistakes. If something doesn’t work, you can scrap it. Get that support system. Integrate yourself into the artist community, and if you have friends who like to create, do a creative circle. Participate in creative meetups in-person, create together. Put yourself in those spaces. Get out of your comfort zone, too, because if I were in Alaska, I would try to get into those craft shows more to really get myself out there.”
At the time of her interview in late May, Samantha was eager to share that she would be attending the June Aleut Picnic in Anchorage with a booth to sell her designs. She says, “What most excites me about being at the picnic is that I’ll finally be able to connect face-to-face with so many of the artists that I’ve worked and collaborated with online via social media. I’m really looking forward to the face-to-face interactions with the artists who have shared their knowledge and stories with me, and I’m excited to be able to put faces to the names that I’ve been talking to for a while now. Sometimes my mom hosts a booth for my designs at Anchorage events for me, and I’m so grateful for her help, but I am definitely very glad that I have the opportunity to do this one in-person.”
What started as a way to fill downtime during COVID has led Samantha to a thriving business, which has, in turn, kept her close to her Unangax̂ culture, her Alaska roots, and her love of the sea, and even brought her entry into a supportive community of other artists – wonderful gifts indeed.