Life & Work with Francis Bonilla

Today we’d like to introduce you to Francis Bonilla.

Hi Francis, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
By Francis Frank came about in 2008 as a side hustle while I was working as a barista at a local coffee shop and working in the music industry. When the recession hit, I lost both jobs and decided to pursue my passion in crafting. In the beginning, it was all about feather jewelry and crystals. It was a hit and took off faster than I could imagine… after being ripped off by a couple of major department stores, I decided that I needed to get into hand fabrication. Being part of Apache Indian and Mexican, I’ve always been drawn to pull from my culture and always had a love for turquoise jewelry. I decided to take a two-year metal fabrication course at Pasadena City College and fell in love all over again with the art of creating with my hands. There was a lot of trial and error in the beginning, hustle every weekend vending at pop-ups from East LA, Arts District, Hollywood to Joshua Tree. Forever staying true to my own aesthetic and passions. Fast forward to 14 years later By Francis Frank is now creating one of a kind pieces for the masses and some celebrities.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There was so many trials and tribulations that I had overcome. I have mentioned in the beginning we had a recession and my day job was no longer there. Putting all my eggs in one basket was terrifying yet so rewarding. Now it’s 2021 and we’re in the middle of a global pandemic. All of my shows that I had planned for the past year has been canceled everything had to get moved to back online only which is really hard to do considering what is going on in the world but through all of this, I continue to strive and create for a living and I’m very thankful for that.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
What are the things that I love to do is pull from old worlds and have them translate into my works. I’m kind of known for having a 1970s aesthetic with my jewelry, a lot of my stones are from the 60s and 70s colorful and vibrant. Using rare materials such as Rosarita and Turquoise from mines that are no longer active. I’m known with my hoop earrings and eye catching statement rings. What sets me apart from most, I guess, is just being me I don’t really conform to other people’s ideologies, I don’t really follow trends too much I just kind of create what I feel.

Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
One of the most important lessons that I’ve learned along my journey is you get what you put into your work. There was years where I struggled to keep afloat, there was times when I felt like nobody cared about what I was creating…but at the end of the day if you just stay true to yourself and keep on going, all of that hard work will pay off.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.byfrancisfrank.com
• Instagram: www.Instagram.com/byfrancisfrank
• Facebook: www.Facebook.com/byfrancisfrank