By Grace McCunn
For most college students, balancing school work, maintaining a social life and earning money can be overwhelming. But Josie Schauls, a Des Moines native double-majoring in art education and fine arts with a minor in art history, was ready for more.
The UNI junior turned to art as an entrepreneur. Most of her free time is spent linking small metal rings, one after another, transforming strands of steel into pieces of jewelry, to embody the art of armor and protection.
What started as a small hobby in her senior year of high school has become a growing business and a reflection of her ever-loving passion for chain-mail art.
“In high school, I made this chain-mail top for prom and thought it was really cool,” Josie recalled. “But it was a lot of work creating larger-scale pieces. So, I started making smaller ones, like bracelets and earrings. I loved the idea of chain mail being empowering and protecting.”
Chain-mail jewelry, with its intricate metal links and medieval roots, is not a common starting point for many budding artists. But Josie saw something more profound in it, a balance between toughness and beauty that mirrored the way she approached both her art and her identity. From her jewelry to her sculptures, a sense of empowerment has remained the focal point of her art.
At first, her creations were purely personal. For starters, she made a chain-mail top for herself, but as she continued to master the process, she decided to share her art with others as a small business owner. “I’ve always had an entrepreneurial mindset,” said Josie. “I’ve always been selling something, and it’s always been art.”
That’s why she founded The Steel Sorceress, with the motto “Handmade armor for the modern world.”
“I wanted it to ring and also to relate to the material I was using,” she said of her company’s name.
She designs, crafts, markets, and sells all the jewelry herself, an impressive achievement for any artist, let alone a full-time student. Her pieces range from chunky, punk-inspired earrings to dainty, simpler chain-mail bracelets, all meticulously woven into different patterns.
Currently, her bestseller is the Persian Weave Bracelet, also known as the Claudia Bracelet — a simple yet striking piece. “My simpler pieces are pretty popular right now,” Josie said. Depending on the weave pattern, it can take anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour and a half to create a piece.
Josie’s business isn’t separated from her studies — it’s just an extension of them. Last year, she joined John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center, which supports local innovators, and there she found a home for her jewelry venture. Her art classes have expanded her knowledge of specific designs, materials and patterns. She has continuously grown as an artist and a business woman.
“My art classes influence my business. I used to separate them, but I now realize they coexist together,” she said.
Having the mindset that her fine arts studies can influence her business, and vice versa, can be challenging to grasp at a young age, but Josie finds time, patience and serenity in her art.
She has now expanded her once two-dimensional jewelry collection into three-dimensional sculptures that are being put on display for thousands of people to enjoy. Her favorite piece so far, although not a jewelry piece, is her sculpture “Blooming in Utero, Protecting en Utero.” This piece was displayed in the Rod Library at the University of Northern Iowa from June to early October 2025. It depicts two uteruses: one with chain mail at the bottom and the other with a plant growing from it on top. I asked why this specific piece tugged at her heartstrings the most.
“I wanted to use that idea of chain mail as a way of showing protection, and the other upside-down uterus with a plant coming out of it signifies that we have choices,” she said. “I think about this piece a lot.”
During her time at UNI, Josie’s professors have helped her find opportunities to display her art pieces and grow her portfolio. Over the summer, Josie had her first major sculpture, “Relief, Release,” displayed in front of the art center in Clear Lake, Iowa. She learned how to weld, which was challenging, but the result was so rewarding for her and the community in Clear Lake.
She learned how to weld, which was challenging, but the result was rewarding.
“That was really cool because I never thought I’d be into sculpture because I’ve only had access to the 2D supplies and so when I came to college, I learned how to weld which I never thought I’d be able to weld my own piece. So knowing how to do that was really empowerful, and it really makes me see that this is something that I could do.” This piece will be displayed in Clear Lake until next spring.
While many jewelry makers prefer lighter materials such as aluminum for comfort and flexibility, Josie gravitates toward steel. “My favorite element is steel,” she said. “There are benefits to working with aluminum, but it’s not as durable as steel.” That preference for durability shows how much she cares about her art and its symbolism. She has yet to stray from this material and plans to continue learning more from it.
As college graduation approaches, Josie is keeping all of her options open. She is determined to become a high school art teacher, but is considering graduate school while continuing to expand her business. “I am debating whether to attend graduate school,” she said. “But, I continue to do my business because it’s super fun and it gets my name out there. And now that I’m getting into large-scale pieces, I’ve found that I can also go down that route, if I would like to.”
Regardless of the path she chooses, Josie’s work, whether in the classroom, a gallery, or an online shop, will continue to reflect her commitment to empowerment and creative freedom.
That sense of empowerment and protection has remained the thread connecting all of Josie’s work, from her jewelry to her sculptures, to her studies. In every creative medium she touches, there’s a message of strength, protection and transformation.
For a closer look at her creations, you can find Josie’s latest collection and updates on her Instagram page, @thesteelsorceress, where each post links back to the passion and purpose that started it all.
Her best advice for young artists is simple, yet powerful: “Do what you want to do,” she said. “I don’t like when people tell me what to do with my art and my business. Do what works for you, and you don’t always have to follow the strict rules that companies talk to you about.”
