For Alisa Kokorovic (‘26), jewelry-making started primarily as a hobby. However, when she wore her handmade jewelry out, people would take notice, complimenting her on how beautiful her jewelry was. This, along with her desire to do something more business-oriented, led to the birth of Alisa’s Signature Kreations in September of 2023. Through her business, Kokorovic sells jewelry, mostly necklaces, made from upcycled materials and gemstones to create her own one-of-a-kind pieces. Kokorovic also sells her artwork under the same branding at vendor events. Since the start of her business, Kokorovic has launched both a website and an Instagram page for her business while also taking advantage of some of the local vending opportunities within Burlington.
Alisa’s Artistic Process
During her jewelry creation process, Kokorovic draws inspiration from a variety of sources and channels them into a monthly mood board that focuses on different styles of necklace layouts, colors, and the overall vibe she wants to create with her jewelry.
“However, when I really sit down at the table… it’s all intuitive, and I’m really a master of freestyling…” Kokorovic said when speaking about her creative process for jewelry. “It’s really freeing just to be like a free spirit with it, which is super fun.”
Although Kokorovic believes her major, Graphic Design and Visual Communication, is extremely influential in many of the decisions and choices she makes in her life, she feels that her jewelry creation for her business is removed from her graphic design work. This is because she believes that her jewelry creations are a purer form of self-expression compared to the thought process she undergoes when creating graphic design pieces.
“With Graphic Design, I think about my audience a lot…[with jewelry] I make stuff that I think I would want to wear and stuff that I think I want to see other people wear,” stated Kokorovic.
Alisa’s Approach to Business
Although her business is only less than a year old, Kokorovic has experienced her own fair share of struggles when it came to creating her own business. She cited the administrative tasks and occasional creative burnouts as some of the biggest challenges she’s had to overcome during the first year of Alisa’s Signature Kreations. Kokorovic has also gained a wealth of knowledge since starting her business and has advice worth giving to other college students aiming to start their own businesses.
“Start small. Get inventory of the things you like. Take good photos,” were some of the main points Kokorovic mentioned as objectives for other student businesses to focus on to help set themselves up for success.
“Don’t feel like you’re working for the man when you’re working for yourself,” is another key takeaway Kokorovic has after her time as a student business owner.
People interested in Kokorovic journey as a business owner and her business, Alisa’s Signature Kreations can follow her @alisasignaturekreations on Instagram or check out her website Alisa’s Signature Kreations (alisasignaturekreations.com).
