Elly Bovarnick shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Hi Elly, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: What is a normal day like for you right now?
A “normal” day is a little bit different of late for me as I’ve recently started grad school alongside my art business. I’m on a pretty regimented schedule these days of waking up early to get to the gym before school, class all day, then once I get home I get started on the business tasks and finish any homework before dinner and hopefully a walk before bed. It’s not so glamorous, but so far it seems to be working.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Elly Bovarnick, of Elly Bovarnick Studios. I am an interdisciplinary artist and designer with the majority of my work now centered around Jewish textile work. I specialize in custom tallitot (Jewish prayer shawls) that are vibrant, colorful, with unique organic patterns. I sell both finished products and do a lot of commissions. I love being able to create unique wearable works of art that have spiritual significance. They are pieces that people will have for the rest of their lives and it’s an honor to be a part of it. While my main focus is tallitot, I have also been working on a new type of tefillin (Jewish prayer wrap) that is made of fabric. It’s never been done before and is a really cool way to bring in modernity and femininity to the Jewish tradition.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
Not a specific moment, but generally travel and living abroad has really shaped my perception of the world. I gained a lot of aesthetic inspiration from every single trip, but living in Granada, Spain was the most powerful art wise. Granada is the Spanish word for pomegranate, which is a motif I use consistently in my work. I have never seen so many unique pomegranate designs before or since as I did while living there. That made a huge impact on my work that is still evident in my style despite having lived there for just a year about three years ago.
What fear has held you back the most in your life?
A subconscious fear of failure most likely. Not sure exactly where it comes from, whether it’s the pressures of American society or eldest daughter syndrome, or something else entirely. It’s hard to take risks if you’re afraid of failure, but I have no regrets about taking the risk to open the business and get started.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What’s a cultural value you protect at all costs?
Creativity. Americans are always trying to make things better, more efficient, nicer looking. In our persistence for ease, we are actually extremely creative and I really admire that about our culture. We might work too hard and our portions our too big, but we make up for it with our creativity.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. What are you doing today that won’t pay off for 7–10 years?
Quite literally, graduate school. I am in rabbinical school to become a rabbi, which is a five year journey. Even at the beginning of this education, I already feel that it’s paid off, but there will be a huge change at the end of five years. I’m excited to see where it takes me and where I land in the next 5-10 years. I hope to continue incorporating Jewish education and art while finding new ways they can work together.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ellybovarnick.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellybovarnick
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/ellybovarnick
