Life & Work with Amanda Lockrow of Culver City

Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Lockrow.

Hi Amanda, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My story began when my freshman advisor asked me in our first meeting why I wasn’t in the Fine Arts School. I always wanted to go to college for art, but I thought I needed to do something more practical. But sitting there with her, I knew I didn’t have a good reason to give her or myself. So we decided I would put together my portfolio and transfer in. I am so grateful to my advisor and to my high school art teachers, who planted the seeds that would grow into my metalsmithing and jewelry passion. I am grateful to my college teachers who saw potential in my work. Through taking sculpture, ceramics, fibers, and glass classes, I found my way to the metals studio and fell in love.

I have been making jewelry now for 20+ years and can’t wait to see what the next 20 hold. I hope to find time to work in a larger scale again and to work on some of the ideas I have swirling around and in my sketchbooks.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Is there ever a smooth road? I’ve been doing this for so long, I have seen things shift and change in so many ways. The past 5 years have presented me with lots of struggles. The majority of my business before covid was wholesale to boutiques and gift shops around the world. So much of that went away for me, and I’ve had to be much more flexible and open to changing and pivoting.

One of the biggest challenges is deciding where to put my energy and time. Between wholesale, online, and in person events, it’s a lot to juggle. As an artist at my core, I would love to just be dreaming and making all the time. I think my biggest struggle is finding a balance between the business and creative sides of my work that doesn’t stifle my creativity. Remembering to build in creative time, to have play time to create, and to be inspired. To take breaks and recharge.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I specialize in making joyful and intentional jewelry in sterling silver and 14K gold. I am a metalsmith who is absolutely obsessed with crystals and stones. I can totally nerd out on playing with a new tool, learning a new technique, or learning about a new stone and how it formed and what its properties are.

Besides having a BFA in metals I am also a Reiki practioner and meditation teacher. My handmade pieces have a soul and hold so much joy and love in every piece. I think that’s what I’m known for. My clients will put on a piece and feel like it’s always been there or it was just what they needed.

I think I’m most proud of just the fact that I’m still in business and love what I do so much. I’m still inspired to create new designs and learn new skills. When I stop being curious and a student, I think that’s when I’ll know it’s time to do something else.

What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I hope we shift towards a lighter footprint in every way we can. There are ways to source metals, stones, and all our raw materials more responsibly, and I hope the industry and our clients will value those choices. I hope we see less greenwashing and more transparency. That we all shop more intentionally and move away from fast fashion jewelry and clothing. That we support artists and brands that care about our planet, our home. I hope we shift more towards learning to repair and rework beautiful, well-made things instead of just casting things away into a landfill.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://amandaklockrow.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amandaklockrow/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@amandaklockrow

Image Credits
STK Photography
Danette Mitchell