Life & Work with Brian Hirdman

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brian Hirdman

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My art is centered around real crystals sourced from around the world, and my journey with them began long before I started wire wrapping. Growing up, my mom always had crystals around the house, but it wasn’t until my first Burning Man experience in 2011 that I truly connected with them.
2011 was a pivotal year for me. After the suicide of my stepfather the previous year, I was searching for new ways to channel my creativity. At Burning Man, I met a woman who had a wire-wrapped pendant featuring crystals and gemstones from an unknown artist. I was captivated by its intricate design, textures, and movement. By the end of the night, I was determined to create something similar, perhaps even better.
Soon after, I bought wire and basic tools from Michaels, and began experimenting. I didn’t know how to set stones or even how to find small enough crystals to work with. In early 2012, a road trip with friends took us to Tucson, Arizona, during the renowned Tucson Gem Show. There, I bought a box of 24 palm-sized crystals, and my wire wrapping experimentation took off. It was basic, but it was the start of my journey.
By 2015, I was growing bored of traditional wire wrapping techniques but knew there was potential to evolve. After scouring the internet for inspiration, I found the website metalworkers.org, which opened up a whole new world of wire art. The site featured everything from sculptures to jewelry, and it reignited my passion. I spent the next several years teaching myself to create intricate, detailed wire wraps from pictures on this website. I started my Instagram later that year and discovered a community of wire wrappers dedicated to their craft. But even as I admired their work, I noticed that the photos only showed the front of their pieces. Not knowing any better and under the assumption that everyone’s jewelry looked good on the back too, I focused on creating wirewrapped jewelry that was beautiful from every angle.
By 2016, I finally saw the back of a detailed wire wrap in person while working at the Tucson Gem Show, and I was very disappointed. The front was absolutely gorgeous, but the back was a rats nest of tangled wire and looked very uncomfortable to wear. It was at that moment that I made a commitment: my pieces would not only look beautiful from the front but from every angle. This attention to detail became my signature, and it’s what I’m known for in the wire wrapping community.

In late 2017, I began incorporating crystals into my woodworking, allowing my creativity to run wild. This led to a fantasy-inspired style where crystal clusters seemed to naturally emerge from the wood. I crafted wands, wizard staffs, trees, and sculptures—each piece appearing as if crystals were growing out of the wood, though of course, that’s not something that can happen in nature.
In 2018, I had the idea to integrate lighting into my sculptural work. I spent hundreds of hours teaching myself how to work with electrical and LED systems, and since then, my sculptures have evolved significantly. My goal now is to create large-scale installations that blend seamlessly into landscapes or home architecture, combining natural wood, crystals, and programmable LED lights. The next step is finding the right clients with the vision—and the budgets—to bring these ambitious projects to life.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
You know, I don’t think any road is ever truly smooth. We all encounter bumps, blockages, and obstacles along the way. Some of us may get more fortunate breaks than others, but if the roads were all easy, the journey would lose its meaning.
The road to mastery is never a straight line. In fact, it is the bumps, the twists, the unexpected detours, and maybe even the crashes that make the journey truly worthwhile. Without the challenges, the growth wouldn’t be as profound, and the discoveries wouldn’t be as sweet. If I had to pick one defining challenge, it would be the loss of my stepfather. His death shook me to my core, especially considering how much I had resented him growing up. But as I entered my twenties, I began to see the lessons he had imparted over the years—lessons I had once rejected. Before he passed, I took the time to thank him for everything he taught me. We became close, even best friends, just before he chose his new path.
When I found his body, life presented me with two paths: one would lead to a life of sorrow and stagnation, the other to a new sense of purpose. I chose the latter. It was the very next year that I began my journey into regenerative landscaping, wire-wrapped jewelry, and art.
It was in the wake of my stepfather’s death, helping my mother heal, that I realized struggle isn’t inevitable—it’s a choice. How we perceive the challenges we face defines our journey. When we shift our perspective, obstacles transform from barriers into opportunities for growth, transformation, and deeper creativity. Since then, I’ve tried to approach every struggle with that mindset, using it as fuel to create something beautiful. Of course, that’s not always easy, especially in the darkest of times. But, as I see it, when you’re at rock bottom, you’re standing on sacred ground—a place where you have the power to carve out a new path and become a new version of yourself… if you choose too.
It’s all about perspective, you see. I’ve come to embrace my bumpy, winding road, full of potholes and strange detours. It’s made me a better driver, heck, even a better human. But best of all, struggle street has help me make some incredible art, and that in essence is who I am.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a multifaceted artist and regenerative landscaper. Landscaping is a major creative outlet for me and, while it’s also my career, it’s all about channeling ideas into reality. That’s what truly excites me—the process of transformation.
As a regenerative landscaper, I’ve spent most of my career honing in on soil. Long before my stepfather’s passing, I spent thousands of hours researching how to grow food and what makes plants thrive. I quickly realized that everything begins with healthy soil, so that became my focus. Through unconventional methods—using old, rotten wood and bulk organic waste—I’ve developed ways to build soil that improves over time, rather than depleting. This approach has shaped my success, allowing me to turn waste into wealth by creating fertile soil that helps plants and the surrounding ecosystem thrive. It’s an incredibly rewarding process, as it not only saves my clients money but also contributes to sustainability. One of my proudest achievements is transforming a parking lot into a thriving edible garden. For years, I faced resistance, even hatred for 4-5 years for building this garden. Especially since the lot was near a popular soccer field in my hometown. But over time, it became a vital space for teaching people how to grow their own food in a climate where no one believes they can grow food.
As an artist, I specialize in creating fine jewelry and sculptures using wire and crystals. Wire wrapping is one of the oldest forms of jewelry-making, but in the last 30 years, it has evolved into a dynamic medium for artistic expression. What I love most about this craft is its boundless potential—there are nearly endless ways to twist wires together to express a vision. I’m particularly passionate about making my pieces beautiful from every angle, which is rare in the wire wrapping world. There’s a point in the process where wires stick out in all directions, and I challenge myself to incorporate these wire ends into the design, without relying on fire, soldering, or laser tools. This is the most difficult part of the process, but also the most rewarding. I incorporate techniques from the late 1800s, blending them with modern artistic expressions to create unique, intricate pieces. I believe what truly distinguishes me from the thousands of other wire wrappers is my dedication to ensuring that every side of a piece is just as beautiful as the front. It’s this meticulous attention to detail and craftsmanship that defines my art.
Over the past 7 years, I’ve been blending my landscaping, wire work, and woodworking together in ways I never thought possible. Right now, I’m most proud of the fact that I’ve taught myself a handful of skills that I now utilize regularly, and each one has become a vital tool in my creative arsenal. It took a really long time to get here, but you know, it’s all about that journey, right? My vision right now is to create interior and exterior architecture like no one has ever seen before—integrating crystals, wood, and cutting-edge technology seamlessly into living spaces so that they feel natural, organic and intentional. Imagine stepping into a room where the walls feel like trees and glow softly with embedded crystals or a garden where theres a waterfall that cascades down a glowing crystal cluster. I haven’t seen art like this anywhere in the world, and that’s what excites me most—to keep pushing boundaries and redefining what’s possible in this realm

How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
The easiest way to collaborate with me is to just ask.
My Instagram handles are:
@craftyfingas
@tree_born_art
@natures_gardener

Or email me at: brianhirdman@gmail.com

Im always open to new ideas and projects as my co-creative projects usually push me beyond what I think I’m capable of

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Craftyfingas.com
• Instagram: @craftyfingas