We were lucky to catch up with Lotus Ruiz recently and have shared our conversation below.
Lotus, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?
I created my small business/brand in August of 2020, at the peak of a difficult time for everyone world wide. I was in college at the time taking classes remotely, majoring in Chemistry. As many of us did, I spent so much time alone and as the world came to a halt around me, I began to reflect. I realized I was really dissatisfied with the direction my life/career was going. I felt stuck, without direction, and alone. I wanted an outlet to express myself artistically as it had brought me happiness as a child. Growing up, I went to performing and visual arts schools because my mom wanted to foster my passion for music and acting. However, when I got to college i thought it was time for me to be “serious about my future” and becoming an artist “wasn’t a real possibility”. I returned to my roots of crafting and expressing myself through jewelry making that summer and created the happiness I wanted to see and feel in the world. I was certainly not “cured” of my mental health battles but it created hope for me. I decided to name my business Happy Art Haus because I want my brand to be a home for other queer/first gen/bipoc who are also seeking happiness. Happy Art Haus is a place to love colors, for silly but high quality jewelry, sweet confections, and a above all — a space for all identities.
Lotus, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
My small business is completely led and created by myself — Lotus Ruiz. I officially started selling handmade jewelry in the fall of 2020 and expanded to making faux cake accessories in spring of 2021. I started my craft with making earrings out of epoxy resin, which led me to beading, then felting, to making faux cake jewelry boxes, and to making pompoms. I always striving for areas of improvement and expansion with Happy Art Haus. I have since started baking (real) cakes, vending in person, and hosting my own events. I like to think of my business as more of a space — ever changing and evolving. Happy Art Haus is a space for everyone who loves colors, trinkets, crafting, and love to love. I provide services like custom cakes and custom jewelry but I also hope that my supporters/customers can feel free to express themselves and love themselves and others through my brand.
What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?
My best source of new clients has been vending and general word of mouth. I love to vend in person and sell my handmade goods because it sends a message about who I am as a person and business owner. I hope that customers and fellow creatives can feel the love and care that goes into every item on my vending table when I go to events and typically, people do respond to my work. My work often attracts children, women, and queer men because of the connection to color and child-like expressions. Many have described my work as “nostalgic” and “a place for the inner child”. It’s really difficult to get my intentions across effectively on a screen so I definitely struggle with social media and thrive in person but I have gotten really great feedback from my customers on my Instagram that have led to more orders as well.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
What’s helped me build a good reputation within my community/market is professionalism and human connection. Arriving to events you’re vending early, offering help to other vendors, and being open to feedback are key factors in creating a good reputation. It’s important for me to always practice professionalism and equally as important — centering the human spirit. It’s incredibly rewarding to talk to fellow business owners and customers at any event that I go to and get to know their stories; whether that’s through a good joke, sharing stories about our crafts, or telling each other about our day. When we humanize each other and acknowledge each other as more than just a business, we begin to create good bonds and reputations for ourselves.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: happyarthaus
- Other: https://linktr.ee/happyarthaus