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

Lee, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

Offering to build out / work in a metalsmith studio at a Portuguese art residency with less than a year of professional jewelry experience under my belt is definitely one of the riskiest moves I’ve ever made.

Very long story short, I was working as an apprentice jeweler at a Jared’s repair shop in 2021. Thankful as I was for the opportunity, it wasn’t long before I became restless and began dreaming of traveling again. I wanted to find a way to blend my love of adventure and silversmithing, so I reached out to a handful of art residencies across Europe in hopes they had a metal shop. To my shock, one in particular expressed the desire to build one, so I said, “hey, I know a gal…” and just like that, they invited me for a work/trade arrangement.

I quit my job, put my entire life in a storage unit, and flew to a country I’d never been for a residency I wasn’t entirely sure existed, since everything seemed way too good to be true. One plane, train, and taxi later, I ended up in a remote village comprised of 800 people whose language I hadn’t learned nearly enough of to so much as buy food, with the sole mission of sourcing supplies on an inconceivably tight budget.

And it was the best leap of faith I’ve made to date. Not only did I accomplish what seemed nearly impossible, those three months in Portugal kickstarted a year of creative growth and international travel, from a studio in Bali where I cast my first collection, to a jewelry museum in Greece where the studio space was part of the exhibit.

All this to say, you never know until you ask.

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.

I began passively dabbling in jewelry when I was 17 or so, starting with lace chokers (where my OG Tumblr girlies at) then copper, crystals, bones, beads, eventually leading to experiments with electroplating before the final pivot and dedication to silver when I was 28. Over the years, Nineties Flower Child evolved into Stone and Marrow, an official small business as of 2024!

I am proud to have taken my art to the next level despite the many uncertainties being a small business owner brings, but the next step (arguably the most daunting one) is embracing content creation in order to reach the right audience. (That said, if you dig handmade, southwest-inspired silver jewelry and 60s-80s vintage, follow @stoneandmarrow!)

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I’m in the process of unlearning the misconception that creative success is inherently correlated to financial success. It’s really easy to focus on money—especially when you have very little of it flowing in—and forget all the reasons you’re making art in the first place. I know if I experiment and execute ideas that fuel my creativity, my work will eventually speak for itself and the payoff will follow. I have to believe that, otherwise if I focus on making what I think will sell, I won’t even want to broach my bench that day.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I went to college in Santa Fe for creative writing, started Blood Tree Literature, a mixed-media literary magazine, self-published a book and was published in other online magazines in my early twenties. But after college, I dove into several unrelated disciplines (wire wrapping, alchemy, embroidery) in a subconscious act of avoidance.

Simply put, I couldn’t envision myself in the literature world, giving seminars, Q and As, panels, readings, etc, because that’s not the community I belong in, though I have so much love and respect for it.

I’m sure I’ll circle back to writing one day, but at this point in my life, getting my hands dirty and creating something tangible is more my speed.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.stoneandmarrow.com
• Instagram: thedriftingsmithh, stoneandmarrow

Image Credits

Black and white images were taken by Stanislas Bonjean Lilla (@stanislasbonjeanlilla on instagram)