Interview with Satya Wimbish, artist and owner
Q: How did you get involved in this business?
A: I knew I wanted to start a business in high school and the ideas went through various stages. At some point, seeing all of the home rehab shows gave me the idea that I could use “trash” and make art out of it. It wasn’t really a new concept for me. A lot of my artwork that I did on my own was made out of unconventional items like napkins and furnace filters. It just hit me that I could also extend it to things like furniture and the jewelry I already made, and make that my business. I started off Dumpster diving at my old apartment to get old furniture and throw some art on it.
Q: What distinguishes you from other businesses in your category?
A: While we have pre-made products available for purchase, we do take custom orders and our artistic creation is not limited to canvas. We specialize in creating artwork on and out of functional items such as furniture, purses, shoes, etc. Originality and personalization are key to our business concept. If you have mementos that you’d like to keep, we can incorporate them it into the artwork. Trash As Art offers you the option to choose an artist you would like to have complete your artwork. We each have different styles, so this helps make our services one-stop shop because we can cover everything from the traditional, impressionistic styles to completely abstract.
Q: What do you like best about your line of work?
A: I enjoy the freedom of creation within my business. I get to create artwork for people, and Trash As Art has opened up doors for me to be more active in the community. I often get new ideas that I am able to apply directly to the business from events that I volunteer at and by way of helping other artists directly. My work is the reason I became involved in this area and have been able to help with many events that bring the arts to our community and reach others visiting the district.
Q: What is your business’ biggest challenge?
A: The biggest challenge I have had as a business owner was learning and understanding the importance of marketing and branding. I took business for creatives and art gallery management classes at the Community College of Aurora, which helped me to develop the skills I needed to put together and execute a marketing plan.
Q: Something people might be surprised to learn about you or your business:
A: I’m terrified of heights but I love doing things that require me to be up high, like hiking in the mountains. I did my first fourteener last year, and will do another one this summer.
Profile
Business: Trash As Art
Address: work sold at the Collection, 9801 E. Colfax Ave., #120
Hours: 1-5 p.m. Saturday
Founded: 2009
Contact: 720-251-4573, ,
Employees: 1
