Tell me about yourself and how Wonder Pipes came into existence.
I’ve been a ceramics artist my whole life and obtained a BFA in Ceramics from US Seattle before starting Wonder Pipes.
I used to make everything out of porcelain: lighting, sculptures, planters and abstract fine art, and I was showing my work in galleries during and just following University. Then one day in 2017, my special Aunt Mona Lisa (who I lived with as a child) encouraged me to go into the emerging cannabis industry. She was a cherry grower and had transformed her agricultural land into a cannabis grow upon legalization, as she loves weed and it’s more profitable. She educated me on the possibilities of the new industry and its support for female entrepreneurs. She made the doorway feel like a canvas that I could paint however I wanted and suggested I apply my fine art background to it. I knew that I wanted to live in nature and not rely on cities and galleries for exhibiting/selling my work anymore. I dreamt of being freely independent, of living in the forest and selling my creations online globally.
Inspired by psychedelia, nature and wonder, I decided to create Wonder Pipes and launched the brand on Instagram on Jan 1, 2018 with my first Unicorn Pipe Collection. I’ve been doing it full-time since April of that year! It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made and I couldn’t be happier with my contribution to this world. I feel so happy every day that I get to create with my favorite material on earth: Earth itself. I’m definitely fortunate to be in this sweet spot of my generation with these unprecedented opportunities to build whatever we can imagine.
You said you originally learned ceramics from your grandmother. Do you remember the first thing you made with her? What kind of art did she create?
My grandmother created a collection of Native American figures that were so detailed and exquisite. She designed and created everything on them: jewelry, regalia, outfits, feathers, beading and other authentic adornments to the porcelain bodies. While spending summers with her in her studio in Queen Valley, Arizona, we made these figures and frequently took road trips to the Navajo and Apache reservations to do research. She made traditional outfits from genuine leather with beadwork and purchased genuine stones for their jewelry directly from the Natives. The figures were about two feet tall and all sold immediately upon her finishing them. She never kept one.
The first thing I remember her teaching me was how to apply make-up to porcelain faces using an airbrushing technique and tiny brushes for their eyelashes. I’m realizing as I write this how full circle it is as I apply make-up to my flower pipes with faces and eyelashes to my unicorns with the same brushes that she taught me with. I think we’re often equipped with all the skills we need for our destiny even if we don’t realize it…sometimes the answer is right beneath you.
What’s an average workday look like for you?
Every day is different and new and exciting! It’s just me running everything; being a young entrepreneur, I’m always seeking out ways of how I can run my business better. Frequent tasks outside of design and creation include photography, website design, customer communications and shipping.
Right now I’m focused on designing matching lighters for my Smoking Sets, creating brand new custom Wonder packaging and adding surprise Birthday gifts for my top collectors to show my appreciation for the amazing loyalty they’ve shown me in my first three years of business. I’m so grateful for them because without them I wouldn’t still be here doing what I love.
What makes Wonder Pipes superior to other pipes?
The benefits of Wonder Pipes include:
100% sustainable, natural and eco-friendly
Colors that will last forever without fading or darkening
Increased durability (due to the high firing temperature of porcelain)
Unique textures for a tactile experience (I carve surfaces on some pieces so you can feel textures with your hands while you smoke)
Cooling of smoke for smoother hits (We historically used ceramic vessels before refrigerators to store our beverages and this material has the same effect on smoke!)
Do you think that selling cannabis-related products has presented more of a challenge than if you were to sell other types of products?
Definitely. My website has been closed down numerous times by various hosting companies and I’ve had to start all over at least three times from scratch with different website hosts and a new set of design tools. In the beginning, I couldn’t find a payment processor. My Paypal accounts were shut down so I’ve also had to source new credit card processors but now it’s all running smoothly. I’m really looking forward to the normalization of the industry.
What advice would you give someone new to the cannabis industry?
The cannabis industry is a wonderful environment for women entrepreneurs. It has more women leaders than any other industry and I felt so much support right from the start. It really feels like we’re working together for something we believe in and we all have aligned goals, so working collaboratively toward them makes sense.
My advice would be to reach out to other brands for collaborations, especially if you’re a woman wanting to work with other women-owned cannabis brands. You can get creative and have fun with it!
What does the future of Wonder Pipes look like to you?
Honestly, it’s really fun to watch it grow because I also don’t know what’s next. I just move with the waves of the ocean, feel guided every step of the way and am always learning a lot.
How has the pandemic affected your business?
Staying home during the pandemic had a positive effect on my designs. During the initial 2020 quarantine, I made a new habit of drawing in bed every morning right when I woke up for three months straight. What developed in that time is the Flower Power Pipe Collection of flowers with faces and cute bodies that I released later that year. I noticed that they kept getting better and better the more I focused on them and I’m really happy with how they turned out in the end. I believe every challenge can be a blessing in disguise if you look at it that way, so I made the most of it. It’s hard to tell how it has affected the business end of things but I can say I’m just happy to still be here doing what I’m doing and growing my business.
SHOP: shopwonderpipes.com
INSTAGRAM: @wonderpipes