Greetings my name is Ben Chown Chief, creative officer for Sacredgeopinecones. I started Sacredgeopinecones in 2017 after being inspired by a well-known artisan from a small shop in South Lake Tahoe. A week later while house-boating on lake Shasta, I grabbed my backpack and set out on a mission to find the knobcone pinecone I didn’t know they were so difficult to find, and I just so happened to be at the right place at the right time when my obsession manifested right before my eyes! I stumbled across 50 to 100 of the correct pinecones. That is the moment SacredGeoPinecones was born. I didn’t know at the time but this discovery after that small purchase in Lake Tahoe led me to the ability to release a creative energy that’s been dancing inside me that I never knew existed. I’ve never thought myself artistic or creative I’ve always been that guy that makes you smile makes you laugh and is just comfortable to be around. The beauty in my artwork is its ability to allow people to connect, because I know it’s not just a pendant, it is a talking point which gives you the ability to connect with each person that who sees it. Human connection is important to me and that’s what Sacredgeopinecones is to me; human connection, energy and healing, which makes way for love and light. I’ve struggled with addiction for the majority of my life and these art pieces are direct representation of my process of recovery. The pinecone starts hard, dirty, sharp and stuck. Through a process of patience, perseverance, care, and consideration I am able to take what was once alone and destined for a menial existence and transform it into something beautiful, full of life and exciting, just like my life is when I’m clean and able to live life on life’s terms working a program of recovery and being the best Ben I can be!
I look forward to connecting with you, hearing your story, and hope that Sacredgeopinecones mean as much to you as they have meant to me.
~ Ben