Daily Inspiration: Meet Kayla Ortiz

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kayla Ortiz.

Kayla, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?

Hi, I want to start by thanking you for this exciting opportunity and exposure! My name is Kayla Ortiz, I am a self-taught silversmith, and I’m thrilled to share my story with your readers. In full transparency, initially, I struggled with answering these questions because I attempted to reduce the grittiness of my struggle to stabilize a new business and skill in the added uncertainty of a pandemic.

I came to recognize the importance of staying authentic to myself and the many others out there who are hustling daily and choosing to embrace it as we chase our dreams. This narrative may be somewhat familiar for new businesses within the last two years. For me, it all started with finally landing my dream job as a Kayak Guide in Alaska! AHH! Unfortunately, the many months I spent full of excitement and careful planning wasn’t enough to combat the virus, and a week before I was to fly out, my season got canceled.

Outside of this new opportunity, tourism and hospitality were my dominant fields of occupation and I quickly became acquainted with how much of my field was wiped out at that moment. Dealing with the unknown, I began to brainstorm options that would accommodate my strengths, interests, and hobbies. I landed on something completely fresh and invigorating; silversmithing! Being an expensive trade to get into, I took a huge leap of faith in those uncertain times and invested a portion of my savings to acquire a setup full of essentials.

I started out by following videos on YouTube and utilizing a relative Facebook group for support as I began to trial and error my way through some basic design approaches. I quickly fell head over heels in love with this challenging (and sometimes unforgiving) new passion of mine! As I proceeded forward in growing my business and skillset, I offered $75 pieces for two weeks to friends and family. This allowed me to invest in more tools and slowly grow my audience as well.

I am humbled to say that I attained 30 orders within two weeks, and those took me a total of 2 months to fill. I then began to sell at the Las Cruces local farmer’s market and apply to any and every show within my vicinity. I got accepted to my first big show in Austin, TX. This was a well-known traveling show called The Renegade Craft Fair that has a loyal following and it has seemed to have opened up some new doors for my art down the line.

Today, I am proud to say that I have been practicing my trade for a total of 10 months now and an official business for 4 of those months. I have found my purpose within this newfound passion and I am elated to see where the wind guides me next. The rest is history in the making as I chase my dream and formulate it into a reality!

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?

Running your own business can be very mentally and physically exhausting. It requires a considerable amount of time and energy and the list of things to do will never end. I know my priorities have strongly shifted and some other of my other loves have taken a back seat.

2021 was the most challenging year of my life thus far. Between the learning curve of melting pieces down by heating them up for too long, or breaking stones as I set them, the personal trials outside of the new endeavor I faced were also evident and out of my control. I abruptly had to leave my housing situation while in Alaska which led me to move five times within the year losing what little stability I had.

These transitions brought me back to my hometown in Southern NM. Fortunately, as I reestablished a new routine, I kept the business successfully operating due to the ongoing emotional support and endless inspiration of those I have both near and far.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?

TURQUOISE. I definitely specialize in turquoise and my first passion was minerals. Hence my literal name; Minerals bound in silver. As of now, I am trying to hone in on my own expression now that I have mastered the basics of silversmithing. Which is somewhat intimidating but truly bliss as I go through that self-discovery.

Being a New Mexico native, I proudly say my pieces have a southwestern tone and I am eager to grow further as an artist and for my pieces to be instantly recognizable. My most popular items are currently my turquoise ear cuffs and ear crawlers. Although, I am most proud of the cuffs and men’s rings I have created. They have been my more technical and challenging pieces that really stretched my capabilities.

I think what sets me apart from other smiths is my desire to do everything completely from scratch. I would love to get to a place where I am even able to create my own lapidary materials and cast some fun design elements to add to my pieces rather than buying pre-made additions (which I currently don’t apply within my pieces).

What’s next?

Lots of big dreams in the works! I recently relocated to Santa Fe, NM, one of the most well known places for prestige arts in the world!! As I begin to expand my network and clientele, I find the opportunity to feel inspired in such a beautiful place with such beautiful talent completely exhilarating instead of engaging on how intimidating this can be.

I am hopeful to meet a skilled, patient silversmith who would be willing to teach me the many things I could not acquire in a classroom setting and how to further refine my work. There is still so much for me to learn and I would warmly welcome anyone willing to share their time, knowledge, and expertise with me. I would also love to nurture my online presence more so I could work from anywhere.

The dream would be to work hard all month, have so much exposure that when I release a collection it sells out, and be lost somewhere in the mountains of course.

Pricing:

• Silver Ear Crawlers (Single) $20 (Pair) $30 Stamped Silver Cuffs $50
• Rings $160
• Turquoise Ear Cuffs $150 Turquoise Ear Pins $150
• Cuffs with Mineral $150-$300 Turquoise Ear Crawlers (Single) $250 (Pair) $400
• Customs begin at $180