Today we’d like to introduce you to Evahn Smith.
Hi Evahn, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My story is really a story of growth, redemption, and perseverance.
I became a mother at 16 years old, and the truth is, I wasn’t ready. At 18, I lost custody of my daughter because I was making poor decisions and not taking motherhood as seriously as I should have. I would leave for days at a time, leaving my daughter with my mother and not telling anyone where I was. Looking back, I can honestly say I was still trying to figure out who I was while being responsible for another human being.
Losing custody of my daughter was one of the hardest experiences of my life, but it became a turning point. It forced me to take a hard look at myself and the direction my life was headed.
Over the next ten years, I worked to become the woman and mother my children deserved. During that time, I became the mother of two more children, learned valuable life lessons, matured, and began building stability for my family. After ten years, I regained custody of my daughter. That moment meant everything to me because it represented not only getting my child back, but also how much I had grown as a person.
Today, I’m a mother of four, and while motherhood didn’t come naturally to me in the beginning, it has become one of my greatest blessings and accomplishments. I’ve learned that your past mistakes do not have to define your future if you’re willing to do the work to change.
Professionally, I’ve spent more than 20 years building my career and have worked for my current employer for over 14 years. Along the way, I became a Notary Public and pursued several entrepreneurial ventures. Whether through crafting, community events, workshops, ministry work, or launching new businesses, I’ve always looked for ways to create opportunities for myself and others.
When people see what I’m doing today, they may see the businesses, the leadership roles, and the accomplishments. What they don’t always see is the journey it took to get here. My story isn’t about being perfect. It’s about getting back up, learning from mistakes, trusting God through the process, and continuing to move forward.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that where you start in life does not have to determine where you finish.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
One of the biggest struggles in my life, besides being a mother as been an internal one.
I grew up in church, so faith was always part of my foundation. But getting pregnant at 16 as the preacher’s niece, church people were the most judgmental. As I got older, especially once I was old enough to make my own choices, I walked away from church. I didn’t feel connected to God anymore, and I started searching for meaning in other places. In my 20s and 30s, I explored different beliefs and tried to find fulfillment in things I thought would fill the gap I was feeling inside, like African Spirituality.
At the same time, I was still navigating real-life struggles… being a young mother, dealing with the consequences of my earlier decisions, and trying to figure out who I was outside of everything I had been taught. There were seasons where I felt spiritually lost and just going through the motions of life, trying to hold everything together on my own.
The pandemic became a turning point for me. Like many people, everything slowed down, and I had time to really reflect on my life, my choices, and where I was headed. That’s when I started finding my way back to Jesus—slowly, honestly, and without pressure. It wasn’t an overnight change, but more of a gradual return to what I had always known deep down.
Since then, my faith has been rebuilding piece by piece. It’s not about perfection or having everything figured out—it’s about relationship, growth, and learning how to trust God again through every part of my life, including the parts I’m not proud of.
Looking back, I can see how even my wandering seasons were part of my journey. They shaped me, humbled me, and ultimately brought me back to a place of grounding and purpose that I didn’t even realize I was missing.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m an artist and a creative at heart. I make handmade crafts of all kinds, whatever I’m inspired to create in the moment. My work always carries an Afrocentric influence because that’s who I am. I love being Black, I love our culture, and I love expressing that through everything I create.
My main business is Brownskin Things. I started it during one of the hardest seasons of my life. My youngest child’s father left, and suddenly I found myself responsible for all the bills and taking care of three children on my own. I was already working a full-time job, but I needed another way to bring in income. Getting a second traditional job wasn’t realistic for me at the time, so I leaned into something I had always known how to do.
I thought back to the skills my grandmother taught me, she was a professional seamstress and honestly the first DIY creative I ever knew. As a child, I learned how to sew and make things with my hands from her. She taught her daughters and granddaughters. So I took that foundation and decided to try my hand at creating again. I opened an Etsy shop and started by making earrings out of cardboard. I didn’t sell any at first, but I kept going anyway. I kept creating, kept improving, and slowly I found my lane.
What started as survival eventually became purpose.
Today, Brownskin Things has grown far beyond what I imagined. My work has been commissioned by the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., where I created custom Malcolm X necklaces for his birthday celebration. My pieces have also been featured on television, including Hulu’s Wu-Tang Clan: An American Saga, and I’ve created custom medallions for artists like Nas and many others.
My 90s Africa medallions are what I’m most known for, but I don’t like to limit myself to just being a jewelry artist. I create home decor, accessories, hats, and a wide range of handmade pieces. I’m a creator first…..if I feel it, I make it.
What I’m most proud of isn’t just the recognition or the names attached to my work. It’s the fact that something that started in a very difficult season turned into a source of stability, expression, and opportunity, not just for me, but for my family. I was able to give my daughter her first job at 14. That’s a flex I’m proud of.
What sets me apart is that my work is personal. It comes from lived experience, culture, and resilience. Every piece carries a story, and every story is rooted in where I’ve been and what I’ve overcome.
How do you think about luck?
I dont believe in luck. I believe that all things work together for my good. The fact that something that started in a very difficult season turned into a source of stability, expression, and opportunity, not just for me, but for my family is proof of that. 10 years ago i was raising my children in the projects that’s no longer my story.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://brownskinthings.com
- Other: https://linktr.ee/brownskinthings
