No doubt about it, fashion and music have an almost symbiotic connection. Tastemakers like Gwen Stefani make it look so easy, right? However, with the hit-and-misses of musical fashion designers like Kayne West, finding a way to successfully meld the two together is not an easy feat.

That’s what makes former fashion accessories designer Krista Retto such a fascinating subject. She’s flawlessly applied her talents in marketing and advertising into successful jewelry-making career, and then reinvented herself again (of course using all the skills she’s mastered) to create a music company.

She’s the co-founder of the Big House Companies, comprised of a music publishing house (Big House Publishing) and a indie record label (BHi Music Group), that has found a way to harness all of her past experiences into one all-encompassing career.

Ready to reinvent yourself? Krista gives some insight into how it’s done. Read and learn after the jump. BhpNewYork.com

Jacqueline Colette Prosper, yummicoco.com

1) Tell us how you got into jewelry making.

I fell haphazardly into the world of jewelry. I went to Senegal, West Africa for music (out of pure love) and, while there, also discovered the beauty of gems and jewelry-making. When 9/11 hit, I stepped out of my corporate life and volunteered for months at the World Trade Center site, came home each night and made jewelry to steady myself. I had lost more than 30 people that I knew and I was more than rattled. Out of sheer luck, a few months later, a model friend of mine wore a piece I had made to a jet-set party.

The short of it is that a fashion designer asked her who made the necklace and, before I knew it, my jewelry was being featured on runways. I quickly taught myself proper beading techniques, how to cut stones, and metal-smithing. I opened a showroom and built a strong client base of “everyday” women and had my celebrity clients for whom I made custom pieces, then the market went crazy. Metal prices suddenly soared and because I was creating one-of-a-kind pieces my prices instantly became unaffordable for a good majority of my clients. When the market turned I had to make a choice for my business: go into mass production to supplement my work for celebrity clientele, or sell off the business. I didn’t want to be just another mass manufacturer.

2) Walk us through transitioning from a career in fashion into a music executive one.

At that time, my partner Christian and I were both facing market concerns in our respective businesses and, as a couple, we contemplated what we really wanted to do with our lives. We both had experience in the music industry before but left out of disenchantment with “the industry.” We both wanted to go back into music but we wanted to do it our way, in a way that was both stable and focused on today’s market. We saw the trend of emerging talent and indie companies biting off bigger and bigger pieces of the marketplace, so we spent a year studying the industry before we took the leap.

My background is in marketing, which I also employed heavily in fashion, and has served me well in the music industry. Marketing, after all, starts with a true love of whatever the product is and is most successful that way. I LOVE our artists and our catalog so it’s an easy task for me. It has also helped to have prior experience in both advertising and music. On the advert side I still had relationships, so this was the foundation for making our way into sync placements for our artist’s work. I have always been somehow connected and involved in music-I practically grew up in recording studios because my family members were in music. I have danced my whole life and as I got older I produced music events, was a band manager, I did what is called “frontman” or performance training. I have choreographed and I have played drums and flute since I was a kid.

3) Now as a music executive, what do you miss about your career in fashion?

I totally miss jewelry design. I have a special affection for/understanding of women. I saw what my jewelry did for women, not in a superficial sense but on a really deep spiritual level, and I delivered my pieces with that focus and intensity. I miss that communion. I also miss banging the hell out of a piece of metal, I’m high-energy and it’s a great release! Also, being a visual person, using my hands to make what I see in my head, watching it come to life, wow! That was awesome!

But I have to admit, I don’t think I’ve ever been this satisfied in my work life. I get to use ALL my skills between these two companies and it fills all of my soul. Music is in me, it always has been. It has permeated every aspect of my life, even when it wasn’t obvious. For example, I could not design a piece unless music was playing in the background. Looking back, I now see how I would picture a woman, hear a sound and select some music to design to. Professionally, I get to use my business strategy as a founder, marketing, advertising, and licensing skills, while on the creative side I get to employ both my visual mind and creative ear. I sleep like three hours a night trying to build these companies and literally pop out of bed each morning ready to take it all on. I don’t regret any part of my career path, but I do feel like I have finally found my life’s work since music touches emotion directly, both for me and for the people who will hear (and see) our artists. Maybe best of all, I get to work every day with my oh-so-awesome future husband and our business partners who have become family.

Jacqueline Colette Prosper, yummicoco.com

[All Photos Courtesy of Krista Retto/BHi Music Group]