Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Adam Brown. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Adam, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

When I was 5 years old and getting ready to graduate from kindergarten, we were given a little sheet of paper with some questions about what we wanted to do when we grew up. One of those questions was “what are your dream jobs”, and amongst some of the sillier kid answers I had written I want to be an author. So I think I’ve always know that I wanted to do something creative professionally.

I was really lucky, too, that the desire to create was encouraged by some amazing people throughout my life. My English teacher in seventh grade pushed me to embrace my inner artist in all its forms. My eighth grade homeroom/science teacher always read my short stories. My middle school and high school band directors never accepted less than they believed I was capable of. My parents were supportive of my creative endeavors and my wife has always been my biggest fan. And as I got more and more into the tie dye I’ve become recognized for, those people closest to me were the reasons I started really putting myself out there.

My perceived likelihood of becoming a professional creative surged and waned over the years, and the creation I was most drawn too shifted several times – but the fact that that is what I really wanted never went away.

Adam, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My first step to opening Wizards and Lizards Studio with my little brother and our dad started with Druid and the Bard – my tie dye company that I ran with my wife. As a tie dye artist, my specialty is in creating recognizable symbols and icons in tie dye. Tie dye is something I have always had a passion for and when the opportunity to start my own business came about during the pandemic I jumped in head first.

After some time of making sales online and at local craft fairs, I banded together with my little brother’s business of making candles and bath and body products, and my dad’s business of custom wood signs, to open Wizards and Lizards in the Oviedo Mall. There, we make everything we sell, and we sell everything we make. Our main creations are our tie dye, candles, and wood art, but we do so much more. We’re a family who loves to make things and loves helping others make things.

We’ve become known locally as a place of unique, hand-made creations – and as a place who will take whatever artistic vision you might have and try to make it a reality. We are currently building a picture taking set for one customer (that I can’t say too much about yet but am very excited for). We’re doing life-sized, 3d printed toy soldiers and some prop building for another. We teach tie dye and make your own candle classes as well as host birthday parties in the shop. And there’s so much more we do it would be impossible to make it all fit here. Like I said, we just love to make stuff and it makes us incredibly giddy when we’re able to take someone’s creative dreams and make it real for them. Any desire from a custom tie dye to making your game room look like a dungeons and Dragons tavern – we want to make it happen!

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

In my opinion the best way to support an artist you like, is to show that support. And you can do that a few ways.

The most obvious way is financially. While all artists appreciate being appreciated; praise, unfortunately, doesn’t pay the bills. If you find something you really like and that speaks to you, if you can afford it, you should buy it. A lot of time and effort and supplies go into learning and making art of any kind, and if you want an artist to keep creating they have to be able to support it financially.

The next best thing you can do is to interact with their social accounts. Social media is the new marketing, and the more people who see and interact with something, the more people who are able to see and interact with something. We live in an age of algorithms and likes. Following an artist, liking or bookmarking their posts, sending their videos to a friend, reposting – etc… etc… – helps the creator get in front of more eyes. It sucks, but if nobody knows you, nobody knows you. So if you find an artist who makes things you enjoy, let people know.

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

For me, being able to create something that has meaning for a customer is the most rewarding part of being an artist. Don’t get me wrong, I love the fact that I am able to own my own store. I am so appreciative of being able to come in every day and do something new, make things with my hands, experiment with whatever new art has piqued my interest. But the thing that really keeps me invested in my art is the happiness and appreciation of my customers. I love requests for things of meaning in tie dye – a banana for a little boy who loves the fruit, a Yu-Gi-Oh card back spiral for a gamer in a local tournament, a pair of “among us” guys for a mom and child who play together. When people have a vision for something and I get to make it, their excitement and happiness is the best feeling in the world.

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.WizardsandLizardsStudio.com
• Instagram: @wizardsandlizardsstudio
• Facebook: Wizards and Lizards Studio
• Tiktok – @wizardsandlizardsstudio