We were lucky to catch up with George recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, George thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Do you wish you had started sooner?

I feel slightly torn on this question. Simply because of the joy, opportunities and friends my creative journey has brought me, I will probably always wish that I had started down this path sooner. On the other hand, I firmly believe that everything in this moment was built from every moment and decision I’ve lived through before now and I couldn’t have possibly ended up where I am now surrounded by the people I am had it not been for everything that’s come before.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

Hi friends, I’m George! I’ve called Colorado my home for the past 7 years, though I am originally from Florida near the beach. I create UV reactive art, uniquely handcrafted jewelry, thrift & upcycle clothes into funky high fashion, and sell it all at shows and events full time for the past 3 years. I enjoy connecting with my fellow weird humans through art, music and dance.

I was fortunately allowed the time and space to explore my creativity during the pandemic. Creating jewelry for me began as a way to pass time, learn something new and challenging, calm a lot of my anxiety, as well as try and create some income in a time of financial insecurity.

In March of 2020 I attended a music festival in Florida called Okeechobee Music Festival and I randomly met this guy standing in line to buy food and he was holding a case of jewelry he made; incredible wire wrapped rings made of sterling silver and opals. We walked around and talked while I tried many of them on until I found the perfect one. I returned to Colorado after the trip to find the pandemic had shut the world down and there were no jobs available; I sat in my house staring at my new ring and I was inspired. I ended up connecting with the artist I bought that original ring from and we have since become good friends. Please check out his incredible work on Instagram at @spitzdesigns – big shoutout to you my friend, thanks for being my original muse!

For a few months I relied on online sales, and I was able to sustain myself until the world opened back up and I was able to start my vending journey at a few local spots a few times a month. During my first year in business I met so many incredible people; artists, friends, musicians and performers and the list has just grown. I feel so lucky to be involved in the creative community in Denver, everyone is very supportive.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I’ve been allowed true freedom in my life in so many ways because of art and it’s such a beautiful experience. I feel an overwhelming sense of accomplishment and gratitude when I have an idea or an inspiration and I’m able to create that in real life through whatever medium I’m working with at the time, it’s a really special feeling. I get to meet tons of incredible and unique people through all the events I do, I love being in a space filled with other creatives. It’s so fun to see what people are capable of conjuring up. I love going to work every single time that I do, being part of the creative community is the the most rewarding thing I’ve ever been fortunate to be a part of. I setup shop around 4-7 times a week at different events, venues, shows and a majority of them include live music so I am always grateful to be surrounded by favorite music and artists while I’m “working”.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

There are so many ways to support the creative community, but the easiest and the least expensive way – word of mouth. If you see something you like, tell your friends about it, share it on social media, follow our pages (all of them) invite your friends to like all of our pages. Bought something cute? Take a photo, share it to your socials and tag us! These are all free things that just take a second to do but really help with small business exposure. Just a few new people seeing our stuff around can mean new sales and repeat customers, they just have to know about us! Another super easy way to support is to buy from local artists instead of big department stores. Are you decorating a space? Instead of heading to a big name store, find a local artist whose style you like and buy some art directly from them, or hire a local muralist to spice up your walls. If you’ve got a brick&mortar location, consider allowing vendors to setup occasionally during busy times if there’s space, you can hold events for this too. I am so lucky to make a living because kind local business owners allow me to setup a few times a week and because of that I get to literally live my dream life.

Contact Info:

• Website: sacredgemandtree.com
• Instagram: @sacredgemandtree
• Facebook: @sacredgemandtree
• Other: tiktok.com/sacredgemandtree