We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Eva Carrillo. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Eva below.

Eva, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

I am a primarily self-taught designer and have making jewelry since 2000. It wasn’t until 2015 that I was able to take my first metalsmith, jewelry making class. Learning how to work with metals is a really great skill to have. I fell in love with the craft and wished I had taken classes sooner. I think the biggest obstacles I’ve had to face is finding time for my craft, working full time, being a single parent and making time to create jewelry is quite the juggling act. Covid also had an impact on my craft. My studio class closed in 2020. They re-opened the studio class last year, however it’s limited and fills up rather quickly. I don’t allow those circumstances get in the way of learning new skills and creating beautiful pieces of jewelry.

Eva, 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 name is Eva Luz and I am the Chief Visionary Officer for Edgy Chola Designs. I create one-of-a-kind statement jewelry for the fearless individual. I have been designing jewelry for the past 22 years. My strongest influence comes from my Mexican heritage and love for Meso-American history and culture, I use a combination of new/vintage beads and semi-precious stones, sterling silver and copper. My jewelry styles range from simple cuffs to fun and intricate bead and chain work.

I love incorporating interesting materials into my work such as bones and beetle wings. I believe that my ability to create these interesting conversational pieces sets me apart from a lot designers. I love creating wearable art. I’m especially proud of the progression that my work has gone through. Everything I create is as individual as the person wearing the piece.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist/creative is when someone falls in love with a piece of my jewelry. I put so much of my heart into what I make, each piece is like one of my babies. I love to believe that my jewelry calls to the right person. I truly enjoy seeing how people react and connect to my work. It’s extremely gratifying seeing people wear my jewelry. I always invite customers to send me photos of them wearing my jewelry.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I think that life is always going to throw you curve balls. I’ve had many moments where I had to pivot my creative journey due to different aspects of my life. changing. I’ve moved to and from different cities, I became a mother, and ultimately a single mother. Regardless of some of these big life changes, I still incorporated jewelry making into my life. I chose to never give up on my passions and learned to be adaptable to whatever came my way.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.edgycholadesigns.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/edgycholadesigns
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/edgychola/shop
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/edgycholadesign