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Dear Reader,

I'm so excited to share this month's interview with Elizabeth Kirsteatter. I've followed Elizabeth on Instagram for a while now and have loved watching her work and business grow. She creates stationery, stickers, and sells her patterns through her Spoonflower shop. I really love Elizabeth's answer to question one, so many people tell us how to work, but what Elizabeth's answer told me was you can do it your way, and that's the right way for you.

Like most artists, I am multifaceted. However, my primary focus in my business is stickers, stationery design, and surface pattern design. With my main art practice, I tend to work in intense bursts of creativity. I am always sketching and gathering ideas, and then when inspiration strikes, or I just have a deadline coming up, I sit down to create for several days and put all unessential things aside to create multiple pieces. Then I will typically not create any finished pieces again for a month or so. I also create in many other ways, my favorite of which are gardening and sewing. My love for quilting and apparel sewing is what originally sparked my interest in surface pattern design.

Most of my inspiration comes from the world around me, especially nature. I love to be outside, and I am an avid gardener. Botanicals, and florals in particular, are some of my favorite subjects to draw. I also have a deep appreciation for animals. I spend as much time outside as possible and love to go exploring with my kids.

I also draw inspiration from reading and tabletop gaming, particularly from the magical worlds of fantasy settings. Elements of whimsy and magic often influence my artwork.

My creative process varies, but generally, I see an idea in the world around me, quickly sketch it or write it down, and then revisit it for more sketching and the final piece later when I have time.

One of my most memorable projects was my Idyllic Meadows pattern collection. I feel like it really impacted my life in a big way. I had just discovered surface pattern design and I had just given birth to my first daughter. I was struggling with postpartum depression; felt isolated, uncomfortable in my body, and extremely overtired and fatigued, as well as overwhelmed by day-to-day living and financial pressures. It was probably the hardest time in my life. I coped with it the way I knew how: with art. It was my first complete pattern collection and had a huge impact on how my style has developed since. My artistic and personal aesthetic changed a lot when I had my daughter - they were shifting from a more masculine, moodier aesthetic to embracing more soft pinks and florals and a more feminine and delicate style. Idyllic Meadows, especially my Flora pattern, really shaped that for me, and a lot of my artwork since reflects that collection. I feel like that was the moment I really found “my style.”

Stick to what you love and not what you think people want. Obviously, there's a balance there, but in general, your people will find you if you just keep putting yourself out there. Don’t worry too much about having a cohesive style at the beginning. Just create and create and create and your style will start to emerge. Put yourself out there and take risks - never say “I’m not good enough for that opportunity.” Just try it. Most of the time the worst that will happen is people will say no. Pitch your work. Send lots of emails and make lots of phone calls. It is scary, but it works a lot better than just waiting around for people to find you. Stick to your gut and do what you love. Don’t let fear of failure or practicality get in the way of relentlessly pursuing your dreams. You got this!

I engage with the surface pattern community primarily online, and I have a network of fellow artists both online and in person. I love Instagram, but have also gotten a lot of value and great connections from Facebook and Threads. I was a part of the Creative Studio Collective for a little bit and that was very value packed, but I am currently taking a break from that community due to financial reasons. Running a booth at local markets is one of my favorite places to both connect with other artists, creatives, and business owners and also connect with customers.

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Warmly,

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