Tell us a little bit about who you are and what you do:
I'm a Detroit-born, Los Angeles–based jewelry designer and metalsmith. I have always been inspired by my family's lineage of artists and crafters. For as long as I can remember, I have been drawn to making things with my hands, from drawing, to painting, to ceramics. I have been making and crafting jewelry for 20 years, though the styles have changed from the seed beads and fimo clay I started with. In addition to the work I share at Jackalope, I also make and sell my paintings!
Let us know more about your business name - how did you come up with it?
Hanna.LA is a combination of first the obvious, my name is Hanna and I'm based in LA. In addition to that, on a more personal note, one of my childhood nicknames was "Hannala", so it's a play on that too :)
What is your signature style / item? How did it become so?
My creations are made with high-quality precious stones, crystals and sterling silver and gold. All of the gemstones and crystals that I use are carefully hand-selected (by me!) and often sourced directly from the mines themselves from all over the world including Mexico, Africa, Madagascar and Brazil. Each one has it's own unique healing properties and I encourage people to use their intuition in finding the piece that speaks to them!
What makes your business unique to the industry?
I'm not just an artist but also am a healer. I have worked in the healing arts for over 15 years and I infuse all of my work with grounding, healing and protective energy and know that that energy carries through to my customers.
What's been your biggest roadblock when it comes to business and how have you been able to overcome?
The biggest roadblock has been this last year during the pandemic! Since all of the shows were cancelled and most of the in-person shopping shut down, it was hard to pull through but thank goodness, I'm still here!
How has your business had to adapt amidst the Covid-19 Pandemic? What are you doing to navigate the situation?
I'm focusing more on selling online on my instagram page and using this time to brew up some new inspiration for jewelry designs! It truly has been a transformative year!
What is your favorite part of what you do?
I absolutely love the process of working with my hands--- it's grounding and therapeutic. But one of my absolute favorite parts of my process is hunting down and intuitively selecting the most gorgeous gemstones and crystals from all over the world!
What is your *must do* local activity?
My favorite thing to do is go for a hike in the surrounding mountains with my dogs and then grab a delicious Belle's Bagel sandwich with a friend!
Where to find Hanna.LA Handmade
Local Undercover Shop: https://shop.localundercover.com/pages/seller-profile/hannala-handmade
Website: www.hannalahandmade.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hannaLAhandmade
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Hanna.LAHandmade