Emerald Triangle Resiliency Pivots Into Fragile Beauty

The resilience of the cannabis culture in the Emerald Triangle is legendary. “Cannabis legalization” has taken a serious toll on the legacy growers and communities throughout the Emerald Triangle region. Some are having to walk away, and some are able to lean into their resiliency and pivot with the plant’s grace.

Ember and Willo Sernovitz are the husband and wife team of Eureka’s Soulshine Arts studio. They are two Emerald Triangle OGs that have pivoted. After decades of navigating the illegalities of the drug war, the hurdles of legalization, and overcoming enormous personal obstacles, this couple pivoted into a business around their glass art. Ember discovered her passion for glass in the early 80s, developing a unique style representing her strong connection to nature. Willo has now been teaching glassblowing since 1994. You can see his passion for light and color in the way he uses color to create dimension and depth. They both create beautiful one-of-a-kind smoking pieces but have also expanded into custom lighting, chandeliers, vases, bowls, and memorial art glass pieces. Creating a more diverse customer base gives the couple more stability, and more options to navigate the uncertain landscape.

Covid impacted people globally. Many local businesses had to shut down but Soulshine pivoted again. Prior to the pandemic most of their time was spent teaching live in-person classes and hosting workshops in their studio. When the pandemic hit they pivoted to developing a YouTube channel with thousands of followers that quickly fueled online sales. Twice a week they create one-of-a-kind pieces while interacting with followers across the globe. Willo’s outrageous stories and humor make a great counterbalance to Ember’s loving, almost motherly presence. Together they make an unstoppable force that audiences relate to.

Their key to survival is not all virtual. The Sernovitzs bring live people together and empower the community in different ways. Ember and Willo love to collaborate on art glass pieces, both with each other and with other glass artists. And they invite other artists into their studio to gather and share resources. “The Soulshine Family Shakedown and Harvest Ball” event gathers glass artists and fans from around the country to Humboldt County, the heart of the notorious Emerald Triangle. With the unmistakable vibe of a Grateful Dead lot party, the event is four days of spectacular glass-blowing collaborations, demonstrations, livestreams, prizes, and fun. This past year it was held during a local Arts Alive attracting the diversity of the whole local community.

Ember and Willo are not only using their resilience to navigate the new legal landscape, but they are doing so with grace. Cannabis matriarch Pebbles Trippet was recognized for her life of activism at the 2022 California State Fair. Ember and Willo generously designed, created, and donated the awards. It was a beautiful peace pipe representing Pebbles’ lifetime in activism.

Willo and Ember are beautiful examples of a cannabis OG’s strength and resiliency. They share the experience of resiliency through a fragile medium of beauty and glass, living the core values that kept the legacy going for so many decades: resilience, collaboration, and grace.

Follow their Facebook page at facebook.com/soulshinearts

They go live most every Tuesday and Friday at around 4:20 PM, PDT. You can tell them the Skunk Family sent you!

The feature photo is of the pipe Soulshine Arts designed for the CA State Fair 2022 award to Pebble Trippet. Photo credit: Patrick Rutherford