WILD ABOUT WILD TONIC Written by Christina Barrueta Photographed by Luke Irvin “Every day we can wake up and live an artful life,” says Holly Lyman, and she practices what she preaches. Her journey as fermenter and founder of Wild Tonic jun kombucha began in Alaska, in a log cabin her father built. “We lived in a communal-type living situation with a lot of artists and hippies,” she recounts. “My grandmother was an artist and fermenter, but I didn’t realize the impact on me until later>” She shares how her grandmother would make wine out of dandelions and blueberries that Lyman helped harvest. “My family lived in harmony with nature and showed a tremendous amount of respect for it,
and as I grew up that imprinted on me.” In the ensuing years, Holly would attend the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design and manage the studio of renowned glass artist William Morris. She also worked in encaustic, an ancient art of painting with pigmented beeswax. During this time, she discovered Sandor Katz’s book, The Art of Fermentation, and developed a hobby which became a passion and new creative outlet. “I experimented with making milk and water kef irs and fermenting beers, and became fascinated with the idea that there was a whole living world within 12