Meet the Owner of Angela Design Co.

Marʉaweka, Hensci, Hello!

My name is Angela and I am a Nʉmʉnʉʉ (Comanche) & Mvskoke (Creek) small business owner of Angela Design Co. based in Oklahoma! Art has always been something very near and dear to my heart since I was a little girl. For as long as I can remember, I was always drawn to expressing myself through art. I loved making connections and learning new techniques along the way.

My beadwork journey is a rather unconventional one that started at the end of 2020. Amidst the unprecedented times due to the pandemic, I turned to find new ways to reconnect with my culture and people as well as find an outlet to healthily cope with the stress of it all. It was through this search that I actually found a sense of community in spaces created on social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram. I was excited to discover so many communities sharing their experiences of reconnection, strength, and resiliency amidst unprecedented times. 

In these online communities I gained so much knowledge and inspiration in such a way that it pushed me full steam ahead into my beadwork journey. Since I was not able to safely meet with my aunties to learn how to bead during the pandemic, I turned to online tutorials shared through these virtual spaces in the meantime. These virtual spaces also helped me find community in times of isolation. I started joining online beading groups, lives, and chat groups where other people like myself could spend time together and share resources. The online tutorials and communities helped provide a foundation for my beading knowledge while I waited patiently to safely meet in person with my family to learn from them even more!

After several messages, pictures, and video chats sent back and forth between me and my family, I ultimately gained the confidence to share my work more publicly. Thanks to the unwavering support from my parents, aunties, cousins, and friends I finally fulfilled my dream to open my own small online shop that you are visiting today!

Over the past couple of years, I have been able to share my art in ways that little Angela couldn’t have imagined thanks to my friends’ and family’s support as well as YOURS! The most exciting part is that my family that initially encouraged me also allowed me to encourage them to share their art more publicly by incorporating their work into our shop as well. My mom, auntie, and cousin have now joined me on this journey to bring handcrafted items for you! Their work is highlighted in our “Featured Artist” section of the shop. Be sure to check it out!

I cannot begin to put into words how thankful I am and I truly believe that beading is medicine. It has allowed me to reconnect with my people and even our ancestors that have crossed before us. Beading brings people and communities together in unique ways. It has even brought you and I, dear reader, together in this space right here right now if you think about! I hope to cultivate a space on this website and in this space where we can all share and create amongst our peoples and Indigenous allies. To show that we as Natives are still very much here and will continue on the traditions of our ancestors.

If you have gotten this far in this letter - Ʉra/Mvto (Thank you) for stopping by and supporting my art! I appreciate you so very much and hope we can connect again soon.