What started when his father watching a YouTube video and discovering the art of handpan, became a deep dive into craftsmanship, sound, and creativity—with zero shortcuts and a lot of soul. Today, through his brand Amarel Handpan, Gerardo sculpts steel into soul-stirring instruments, blending patience, intuition, and deep intention in every piece. Get to know more about his journey in this conversation.
Name: Gerardo G. Lerma Venegas
Instagram: @amarelhandpan
Website: www.amarelhandpan.com
Title: Handpan Maker
City you live in: Merida, Yucatan.
Most recent city visited… Madrid.
A typical day in my life includes… Some exercise, yoga, a few cups of coffee throughout the day, a lot of music and the joy of my furry friends (I have 5 dogs and a possum).
I was born in… Mexico City.
When I was younger, I wanted to be… a Chef, when I was a little boy I used to enjoy watching both my grandmothers cook, it was so amusing to see them making all the food. They used to let me help with easy things, that made me want to cook forever. When it finally came the moment, I started culinary school and then I found out that it wasn’t really for me. Instead I got a degree in Tourism, nowadays I barely cook.
My first job was… as receptionist in a Hotel Boutique, here in Merida.
My favorite thing about traveling is… The whole thing. For me traveling starts the moment I think about the next destination, I like to check all the options, all the sightseeings, the food I can have in each place. I enjoy so much arranging everything, all the transportation, accommodation and tours; so basically I get a really good idea of what I am going to see. Of course the climax of it all is to see in real life what was just an image on the computer, to find the real smell and taste of the dishes I googled, to walk through the streets I marked on my GPS… the fact of creating memories.
If I could change anything in the world, it would be… So many things, really, but I believe that if people were more empathetic with every living being and with the planet, that would be the spark that would ignite a real change in the world.
The perfect day would be… Every day is perfect, we are alive, isn’t that perfect enough?
My favorite place I’ve visited… Iceland, is just astonishing and peaceful, it seems from another world.
My top 3 bucket list destinations: Faroe Islands, Russia and Japan.
My life… is perfect as it is.
How did Amarel Handpan start? It all started with my father watching a video on Youtube, he was amazed by the sound of the handpan, he wanted so bad to buy one, but the process of getting one was long and complicated, so he thought it was better to make his own instrument… of course at the end, the path he followed was longer and more complicated, but worthier.
What makes Amarel Handpan different from other handpand makers? We take pride in how we make our instruments, we start from zero, we get the flat sheets of steel, we sink the shells and do the whole process. I would say that we don’t make only instruments, we make handcrafts… singing sculptures.
What is your brand philosophy? To be in a constant improvement, to find that perfect sound that touches people’s hearts and souls. And most important, to always stay humble, because each instrument has part of our energy and we want that every time that someone plays one Amarel, that person could feel the love and dedication we put in the conception of the instrument.
What Is the main purpose of Amarel Handpan? To make instruments that help people express themselves.
What has been the biggest challenge of Amarel Handpan? The start was the biggest challenge we didn’t have enough information, we didn’t have the appropriate tools and even worst, we didn’t know any handpan in real life, only on videos. We worked by trial and error for a while, sharing our results with other makers from around the world, and in that exchange of knowledge we got some light and from that moment a lot of improvements.
