Madeline Ellis — People to Watch 2018

When making is in your bones, there isn’t much you can do about it. Nothing—no full-time job, no person, no other responsibility—can stop you from creating with your hands. The urge to craft slithers into your soul, takes hold of you and never lets go. At least, that’s how Madeline Ellis describes her experience. She turned making jewelry into a full-time job, and became a supportive voice in her community, encouraging other makers to follow their dreams. As one of the founders of the popular Mid City Makers Market and the owner of thriving jewelry business Mimosa Handcrafted, Ellis has become a force in the Baton Rouge creative scene—and beyond. mimosahandcrafted.com and midcitymakers.market

5 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT HER

1. When Ellis couldn’t find what she was looking for, she’d make it herself. The 36-year-old has been making jewelry since grade school.

2. She quit her full-time architecture job to become a full-time maker. “I was like ‘What am I doing? I went to school all those years for this, I’m still paying student loans on this degree, and now I’m going to go and try to make jewelry.’” She never looked back, though.

3. She celebrates 10 years of Mimosa Handcrafted this year. Ellis had been making her own jewelry for years when her husband, Dawson, convinced her to get an LLC and start selling it in January 2008. Since then, she’s successfully run the business, selling the popular cast bronze, silver and gold south Louisiana-themed jewelry.

4. She launched Mid City Makers Market with her husband andfriends. Alongside Paul Claxton, Justin Lemoine and her husband, Dawson, Ellis started the market as a small trunk show about a year ago. It quickly blossomed into an event attracting large crowds. The group is only getting started—they want to expand the market, including a Southern Makers Market that Claxton is working to launch.

5. She uses her experience to decorate her home. The Ellis household is full of hand-me-downs from grandparents and pieces with long histories. It’s no wonder the home has been featured by local and national publications including Houzz.

Click here to read about the rest of the People To Watch in 2018.

This article was originally published in theJanuary 2018 issue of 225 Magazine.