When I say I’m passionate about supporting small creative businesses, I mean it.
Like, really mean it.
Is it personal? Well, yes. As an artist who’s had my own journey through peaks and valleys of success, I know what it’s like to go through years of putting yourself out there.. and not always receiving the notice or prosperity you hope for.
The small creative business path is one fraught with challenges and obstacles, and no matter how hard somebody is working nor how refined their craft, it can be years before they are able to make a decent living doing what they love most.
After a year of complete overhaul to our way of living, shopping, and consuming.. our dollars have been funneled in new ways and with new focuses. Many of us have had to choose paths of survival during this financially stressful time, but there has also been a swelling of support from communities towards their local creatives and small businesses.. which has highlighted the necessity that community visionaries hold in our midst.
And It’s with this in mind that I can’t help but feel a drive to shine a spotlight on some creatives in my world that both have their following, yet I know could stand to receive even greater notice and success. It’s my hope that I can use my platform to highlight the names of just a few creative businesses who’ve touched my life, and could serve as magical hidden gem gifts for your loved ones this Holiday season.
So below I give my small selection of artists, creatives, entrepreneurs, and creatives to support this Holiday Season.
Featuring:
Jewelry
Ritual Objects And Goods
Visual Art And Sculpture
Apparel
Edibles
Jewelry
Black Quartz Pendant - Sacred Cloud Gifts
Sacred Cloud Gifts
https://www.etsy.com/shop/SacredCloudGifts
A local Colorado artist (Sara) specializing in original handcrafted adornments. She has a penchant for incorporating inspiration from rich cultural heritages. Crystals & handmade crystal jewelry, home décor, tribal jewelry & treasures from around the world.
Galaxy Mala - "Galaxy" Tiger Eye (dyed) - Peacock Arts
Peacock Arts - Malas By Ky Gabriel
https://www.peacockartsjewelry.com/
Ky Gabriel is an artist, an Intuitive and a spiritual guide and counselor as well as a henna artist. She teaches spiritual practice through mala making and japa meditation using malas (prayer beads) with an emphasis on the power of intention and mantras. She also works with clients and groups as a counselor and guide. Ky is available as a speaker and presenter at events and retreats.
Custom Colors: Scales Collection - Erica Lyn Schmidt
Inner Magpie Jewelry - Erica Lyn Schmidt
https://www.ericalynschmidt.com
Erica is a painter and sculptor with a rich and varied artistic past. Her journey began in the field of scientific illustration, and gradually made it’s way into the realm of imaginative realism. Her work explores the charm and whimsy of animals and characters who delight in their own little worlds, and she aim to bring that joy to those who experience her work. She has a bright and brimming jewelry shop full of original sculpted creations, as well as a myriad of gorgeous art prints available.
Carved Deer Antler Sterling Silver Necklace - The Sacred Dimension
The Sacred Dimension - Cassandra Bonner
https://www.thesacreddimension.com/
Cassandra’s jewelry truly speaks as medicine; as sacred objects that imbue healing properties to their wearer. This quality came to be part of her work after a spiritual awakening in Mojave in 2011, where she experienced the embodied realization that everything has it’s own energy. Since then, she’s been working with crystals and studying the healing arts.. and.. creating jewelry. Her shop is teeming with original jewelry designs, and has gift options to satisfy even the most magical person on your gift list.
Deep Autumn Forest jewel toned ombré weavings - Alice Maxine
Alice Maxine - Weavings to Adorn, Uplift + Invoke Wonder
https://www.etsy.com/shop/dreamayadesign
Alice Maxine is a bead weaver, and brings medicine to all that she creates. Her beaded creations are alive with the spirits of the nature, creatures, and visions that inspire them. To wear a set of her earrings is to adorn yourself with the soul and magic of the earth itself.
Lynx Medicine Bracelet - Jesse Lycan
Sacred Rites Jewelry - Jesse Lycan
https://www.sacredritesjewelry.com
Jessie Lycan is a Denver, CO based metalsmith, lapidary artist, and werewolf. Stemming from her love & fascination of ancient civilizations & cultures, mythology, mysticism, folklore & forces beyond the physical, she creates psychological alchemy through the fabrication & use of naturally forming stones & metal.
Ritual Objects And Goods
Various Ritual Objects - Jenna Berger
Magic Made Manifest - Ritual Fans By Jenna Berger
https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/MagicMadeManifest
Jenna is a crafter of original ritual fans. Forged from a magical relationship to the medicinal essence of each person she creates a fan for, Jenna’s ability to personalize each piece to it’s unique carrier is unparalleled.
Medicine Baskets - Francesca Oldani
Medicine Baskets And Shamanic Tools - Francesca Oldani
https://www.medicinebaskets.com
Francesca’s baskets share a story, each carrying tender threads of wisdom, compassion, and hope. Each basket is a gift, handcrafted with great love, composed of natural fibers, pine needles, bark, feathers, fur, thread, and minerals, woven to blend strong medicine for your nourishment.
Jurassic Trident - Daniel Hansen
Root Flute - Original Sacred Flutes By Daniel Hansen
https://www.rootflute.com/
Starting in 2005, Hansen traveled all over the Americas and parts of Asia, absorbing local cultures and traditions, initially searching for unique flutes that were functional pieces of art. He never found what he imagined to exist, so he began creating his own instruments after a crash course in bamboo harvesting in the jungles of Kauai in 2009. Thus began the quest for collecting ancient and unusual materials ranging from bamboo, crystals, and fossils, to elk antler sheds and exotic woods. Hansen harvested these materials to create his one-of-a-kind instruments as he traveled through Mexico, Guatemala, Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, India, Bali, Hawaii, Alaska, and more.
Ritual Incenses and Oils - Sword And Rose Occult Shop
The Sword And Rose Occult Shop - Ritual Incenses and Oils
https://www.theswordandrose.net
Those who know, know. This tucked-away occult shop in the heart of San Francisco has long been beloved by mystics, seekers, and sincere practitioners of spiritual ritual from all over the world. Though Randy David, the founder (and true mystic) of the shop has now passed away, the shop’s following remains as strong as ever. Though Randy was known for his uncannily tuned-in readings, and eccentric flair.. his ritual incenses and oils are unparalleled in their depth and power. The shop will ship incenses and oils to buyers nationwide, and if you are unsure what to purchase? Well, maybe call in and ask one of the store’s potent guides which incense would be best for you to work with..
Visual Art And Sculpture
Minos - Aria Fawn
She Paints With Blood - Aria Fawn
https://www.shepaintswithblood.com/
Aria Fawn is a self taught watercolor artist working full time out of her home studio. Though born in the Otherworlds, she was mostly raised in Colorado where she still resides. Her dark surrealism art is inspired by dreams, nature and nostalgia as well as all the furry, scaly and crawling beasts she lives with. Her shop features a plethora of whimsical print options in a variation of sizes, as well as a few originals from time to time.
“Tita” - Luis Tamani
Luis Tamani
https://www.luis-tamani.com
Luis is a Peruvian artist from the Amazonian rainforest.
His artwork transmits a shamanic relationship between lifeforms that is indigenous to the lands of his origination. His paintings are packed with sacred geometry, magic, and transcendent beauty. On his website, he offers both original commissions and high quality giclee reproductions of his work.
Original Drawing by Erik Solem
BLACKMOONPRINTSHOP - Erik Solem
https://www.etsy.com/shop/BLACKMOONPRINTSHOP
Erik is a Colorado-based ink artist with a penchant for the witchy, the seductive, the dark, and the elegant. He’s worked tirelessly to illustrate a rich world of beautiful black and white drawings, and they all feel of an authentic witchcraft aesthetic. His black and white prints bring a perfect touch of spiritual underworld to any sacred space in your home.
Witchy Kitty - Alison Grayson
Alison Grayson
https://www.alisongraysonart.com/
Alison uses a dentist drill to co-create sacred adornment on the skulls and bones of various creatures. Her work pulls energy from multiple realms, with many pieces combining the painting of an entity with the power of carved skulls. As a clairsentient, Alison believes her responsibility is to listen and honor, not to dictate. Each design is unplanned and unique to the creation's's voice, with the elements being carved or painted as they reveal themselves. She has a beautiful online shop bursting with pins, prints, and jewelry for the buying.
“The Unicorn And The Toad” - Ila Rose
Ila Rose
https://www.ilaroseart.com
ila rose is a painter, based out of Eugene, Oregon.
Rose is inspired and humbled by those who have formed close relationships with the earth. Instances of this human-environment interconnection are rich with shared symbolism. These symbols, which echo throughout time and space, have instinctively landed themselves in ila's art. She finds her work guides her, rather than the other way around. Science is important and fascinating to rose, who also honors the magic that lingers in that which is unknown and unprovable. With the painter's tools, ila rose explores the limits of what we know, and challenges the viewer to forge bravely on, into the unchartered realms of infinite possibility.
“Wounded Healer” - Emily Kell
Emily The Funky Priestess - Emily Kell
http://emilykell.com
Emily is a visionary artist who’s work embraces mysticism, ancient cultures, and feminism. Her often-female figures invoke a deep sense of the divine feminine, and her original channeled poetry often plays into her compositions. Her art aims to articulate a sense of awe and beauty, and to ask all of those important questions, with an understanding that the answers are infinite. She offers a myriad of prints and merchandise options in her Etsy store.
Ellen Jewett
https://www.ellenjewettsculpture.com
Ellen’s surrealist animal sculptures are truly entirely borne of her own visionary world. Each one an incredibly intricate and mind-bendingly creative combination of elements and storytelling. Her sculptural techniques are shrouded in mystery, as she abstains from all materials (clay, paints, glazes, finishes and mediums) that have known toxic properties. This intention has sent her on a journey of unique material combination and invention. Her original sculptures come available from time to time for those collectors who’ve joined her mailing list, and she also sells affordable photo prints of them in her Etsy store.
Panoptes Beast Wall Hanging - Melita Curphy
Miss Monster - The Art of Melita Curphy
http://missmonster.com
Melita is a monster-and-mythos inspired fabricator, sculpter, molder, doll-maker, and mask-maker. With an impressive resume including work for Guillermo Del Toro and Wizards of The Coast, Melita creates beasts that boast a unique magic all their own. Her shop contains masks, sculptures, and collectibles aplenty for any discerning creature collector out there.
Apparel
Sweater Warmer Dress - Elven Forest Creations
Elven Forest Creations
https://elvenforest.com
Elven Forest is a small team of Boulder, Colorado-based creatives who handmake each one of their clothing orders from scratch. They offer custom, sustainably made clothing that not only fits you perfectly, but also represents some of the magic you have inside. Their clothing is unique, magical, style-forward without losing substance, and will help you achieve that woodland fae look you’ve been coveting.
Recent Leather Creations - Nativus Art
Nativus Art
https://www.etsy.com/shop/NativusArt
A small collective of female artists, based in Portugal creating original and exclusive handmade clothing, jewelry, and art crafts. They display a true original quality to techniques, design, and crafting skill, and the essence of heart-and-soul can be felt in each of their creations. Their Etsy features an ever-shifting collection of recent craftings, from belts to tops to jewelry.
Cypress Top- Blue Lotus Apparel
Blue Lotus Apparel
https://www.etsy.com/shop/bluelotusapparel
Blue Lotus Apparel is a brand of Eco-performance knitwear and accessories based in British Columbia, Canada. Each and every piece is 100% hand made and one-of-a-kind. As a company, they are inspired to provide hand made clothing and accessories made of natural and recycled fibers that compliment active and alternative lifestyles. Fabrics and notions are bought locally when available, hang tags and cards are printed on recycled paper, and all of our “scrap” fabrics are up-cycled, reducing production waste.
Labradorite Utility Belt - El Gato Montes
El Gato Montes - Leather Designs
https://elgatomontes.com/
Santiago began his leather journey working 10 years ago in Latian America. Inspired by the long miles of travel and life on the road. He founded Gato Montes in 2014 to create unique handcrafted wearable art: predominantly in the medium of leather, with some metal and stone work. Each piece goes through a long handmade journey, beginning with painstaking design work, stone selection, material acquisition and the actual creation of each piece. El Gato Montes seeks to end the mass consumerism of the global marketplace by creating beautiful, ancestral works that are built to last into the next generation.
Hemp Nomad Pullover - Sew Much Love
Sew Much Love - Kaiya Waler
https://www.sewmuchloveclothing.com
Sew Much Love boasts a shop full of original, hand-made apparel that swathes the wandering soul in comfort and originality. Kaiya Waler, owner and creator, takes traditional and ancient patterns and modifies them to feel alive and fresh. She uses these subtle patterns and combines them with soft eco-friendly fabrics in muted earthy hues, the result is something between whimsical and everyday wear that leaves an everlasting impression.
Edibles
Supah Stah Chocolate Superfood Bars
Supah Stah Chocolate Superfood Bars
https://supahstah.com/
Erika Wright began making these chocolate superfood bars for her husband and herself, out of necessity for a chocolate bar that was both tasty, organic, and nutritious. Before they knew it, they were eating them for breakfast, before yoga or a run. The results were obvious and instant. They found the bars to be energizing and delicious, and Erika wanted to offer the wholesome goodness to the rest of the world. Erika started making them for friends and clients and the rest is history. These tasty, wholesome chocolate treats make the perfect choice for the chocoholic in your life.