Meet Elizabeth Lewis | Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Elizabeth Lewis and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Elizabeth, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I have a gnarly metal allergy, nickel in particular. It is so bad I could only wear a few select pieces of jewelry, and those were expensive to purchase. Sometimes jewelry is the best way to express oneself, and I was bummed that I couldnt. My husband was working in construction and saving scrap copper to recycle, and it gave me an idea. I did some research and found out that copper pipe is pure copper and contains zero allergens. So I started playing around. Eventually that led me to electroplating.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I use salvaged scrap copper pipe and real plants to make wearable art that honors nature and our connection to the natural world with an emphasis on sustainability and zero waste. Through my work I am able to help people remember how much they love plants and people.

I was very excited to have been invited by Lotus Land, a historical botanical garden in Montecito, CA, to make art pieces from the plants in their gardens to sell in their gift shop.

I got where I am by making tons of mistakes and learning through trouble shooting. I am self taught with the help of Youtube, persistence and the support of my family. I try not to take failure personally or as a reason to quit, but instead I see each problem as a challenge to overcome. It was not easy. I hardly graduated high school, (it just wasn’t interesting at the time), so when I started metal smithing and then decided I wanted to learn to copper plate, I dove deep into research to teach myself this high level chemistry. And Ive been learning more as I go everyday for the last 8 years.
My biggest lesson is to be humble and remember when I wanted to be where I currently am. Also to celebrate every new success. Sometimes when youve been working hard to reach a goal and you finally get there, its tempting to cross it off the list and go onto the next item. But I think its important to stop and acknowledge that win before moving on.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I am a nature fanatic, so we would have to hit the Santa Barbara Botanic gardens, along with lotus land and the natural history museum. Playing on the beach is always fun, especially at low tide. We would tide pool and check out all the neat critters.
If they feel like doing some shopping, I would take them to some of my favorite shops, Idyll Mercantile and Lazy Eye in particular, and then grab a dirty chai and play some arcade games at Old Town Coffee.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would love to acknowledge Women’s Economic Ventures. I took their Smart Entrepreneurial Training class in 2017 and they taught me many of the things I needed to know about running a business, the financials, marketing plans, finding your target market, etc. I also became part of a community of women that support each other and it was a really great experience both for my business and my self confidence. I’ve taken multiple classes with them since, and I enjoy attending networking events and alumni panels with new WEV students.

I would also like to give some credit to my husband, who has always been super supportive no matter what the idea or how many times I fail. I truly couldn’t do it without him.

Website: www.simplewealthart.com

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