Today we’d like to introduce you to Heidi Lowe
Hi Heidi, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I started making beaded jewelry when I was 13 years old. I would take the screens from the windows in our house and decorate them with ribbons, add my bio and company logo, “Cosmic Creations.” I hung the earrings on the screen and brought them to boutiques in town, and they would buy the entire display. I thought I had hit it big, and then they would re-order! From that point on, I was hooked. I continued making jewelry in high school. I made my first silver band when the teacher sent me to the back to hammer on a big piece of silver, thinking I would get bored and tired. Four class periods later, I was as excited as ever, and he helped me see the ring to completion. I had already been accepted to Maine College of Art and knew my major would be Jewelry and Metalsmithing.
Bio: Heidi Lowe owns and operates her own gallery, Heidi Lowe Gallery, where she teaches, makes jewelry and shows her work and other artists. She received her BFA in Metals and Jewelry from Maine College of Art in Portland, Maine. A year later she went to graduate school at the State University of New York, New Paltz where she earned her MFA. Her next steps lead her to NYC where her gallery experience began as an assistant to the director at a prominent contemporary art gallery in Chelsea.
After her time in New York, Lowe moved back to Delaware 2006 and opened Heidi Lowe Gallery which exhibits contemporary art jewelry. The gallery also functions as a teaching and studio space. The jewelry that she creates draws on intuition, nature and the history of metalsmithing. Her work is shown within her gallery as well as in numerous exhibitions at other galleries in the United States. Lowe also taught jewelry design as an adjunct professor at Towson University for eight years and currently teaches workshops at colleges and craft centers around the country. She is also a certified business and life coach for creative entrepreneurs and students throughout the US and Canada.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I had to learn to be a good business person. I was determined. I read, asked questions, and took classes, and finally, I have some understanding. I now teach a class, Abundance for Creatives, on how to live in abundance and do coaching with creative business owners.
Another challenge is to balance my creative needs with the needs of the business. It’s something I keep refining.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I do many things: make, teach, coach, and own a gallery. That is probably only for some, but I brought the parts together to make a life I love. My style has deep connections to a lineage of metalsmiths with a contemporary spin. I start with words to focus my direction so I can research the subject and processes, and then I draw the design and work out my process in my head. From there, I can start the making of the actual piece. Usually, the pieces come out very close to the drawing.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
It’s working with people going through some change in life. I never expected to like commissions, but I love having intimate connections with clients in vulnerable moments, such as losing a parent, getting married, getting divorced, or getting through an illness. These are such pivotal moments; bringing them into physical form and helping with the healing makes my heart sing.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://heidilowegallery.com/
- Instagram: heidilowegallery
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeidiLoweGallery
Image Credits
Maria DeForrest