I’m glad to have with me here the first man on our Textile Art Business Interviews. Joe Cunningham is a multi-faceted artist. He’s a musician, a quilt artist and a writer and multiple times published author. It’s my pleasure to welcome Joe Cunningham to the blog today.
We discuss:
- How Joe Cunningham got started in quilting and writing
- Why writing is part of a quilting career
- The gender question in quilting (Is quiltland a woman’s world)
- The importance of quiltmaking as a viable way of making a living
Short on time, but still want to check out the interview? Grab the free PDF Joe Cunningham’s Interview. And enjoy at your convenience.
CN: Hi Joe, welcome to the blog and to this edition of Textile Art Business Interview.
JC: Thanks! I am happy to be here.
How Joe Cunningham Got Started in Quilting and Writing
CN: I’ve heard your story about how you played guitar at gigs to make a living. And how one of your gigs got you started with quilting. Can you tell the story for the benefit of those who haven’t heard it?
JC: In 1979 I had returned to my hometown, Flint, after a year at college studying English. I had made my living as a guitar player for ten years and I wanted to become a writer. I was 26.
One night a woman named Gwen Marston introduced herself to me when I was on a break between sets and said she wanted to hire me to play guitar with her on some folk gigs.
Over at her house for rehearsals, I saw some boxes full of quilts and asked to see them. They turned out to have been made and collected by Mary Schafer, a great (if unknown) quilt maker from a town nearby.
Gwen had received a grant to document Mary’s collection and to write a short biography of Mary for the catalogue. She told me she was enjoying the project but dreading the writing, so I offered to write the catalogue for her.
This meant I had to learn about quilts, to interview Mary and to eventually learn to quilt myself. Soon, Gwen and I were making quilts together, studying quilt history and eventually writing books and articles together. We worked together through the eighties. Since 1992 I have worked solo. Now I live in San Francisco, where I have my studio.
Writing is Part of A Career in Quilt Business
CN: That’s very interesting. It explains not only how you got started in quilting but in writing as well. Mary Schafer may not have been well-known, but that book about Mary Schafer’s quilts will make sure she’s never forgotten.
You’ve authored many books, 11 in total. I want you to speak to your motivation for writing so many books. What are you trying to achieve with your writing?
JC: To me writing has always seemed like a single part of a career in the quilt business. (Writing is point #3 in my free ebook “Win @ Work & Play”)
To get serious work you have to become known in the business.
To make serious work you have to be able to articulate what you are doing and why.
And to study the history of quilts is to discover a beautiful realm you want to share with others.
So, writing is just something that accomplishes all that. You just have to do everything you can think of. This interview is part of staying visible in the world. Teaching, talking, writing, making-everything you can do helps everything else.
CN: I love your answer, Joe. I really do. “You’ve got to do everything to stay visible in the quilt world.” What does it take to write a book and on average, how long did it take for you to write your books?
JC: For a Dover book of patterns it is like a glorified magazine article, a week of hard work. For a scholarly work, it is more like a year-long project.
What it Takes to Write a Book
JC: What does it take? Well, you need to be able to write reasonable prose. You need to be writing about something that you know a lot about.
Also, you need to have the time and space, or you need to figure out how to make the time and space. You need to be realistic about it. So that when you finish the most important project of your career, you are not disappointed when the rest of the world barely notices.
Realistic Expectations From Becoming An Author
CN: When you say, “you need to be realistic. You don’t want to be disappointed when the rest of the world barely notices your newly published book”. What do you mean by that?
JC: I mean that the most important thing you will have done, or at least among the most important things in your life, will be this book that you are getting published.
The exhilarating feeling of seeing your name in print is bound to be one of the high points in your whole career. And naturally, you will work as hard as you can to make it a complete success.
But the majority of books that are ever published are like the majority of movies or music albums ever made: the world barely notices.
When I say to “be realistic” I mean to watch out for the temptation to feel you have been treated unfairly by the world if your book is not a bestseller. In my opinion,
you should write books to contribute to the store of knowledge in the world, and you should not feel let down if the world barely notices.
How to Make Time for Things Other Than Making / Creating
CN: You just talked about making time and space. You’re not just a prolific writer, but a talented quilt artist too. In addition, you’re teaching and giving talks and lectures. How do you make time for it all?
JC: I always try to remember that I am not in the business of production, I am trying to make something true. So sometimes, when I am on the road a lot, or during the years when my two sons were small and needed a lot of my time, I had to really focus on that idea, to remember that each quilt was going to take as long as it took.
Another thing to remember is that this has been my job since 1979, and you can get a lot done if you get to go to your studio every day.
CN: Many creative people feel that if you spend time on other ventures like writing, teaching, and selling, you’ll sacrifice the quality of the work you create. I don’t see any indication of that in your work. What do you have to say to that?
JC: I think it all goes together, that every little thing you do helps everything else in your career. (By the way, Mickey Lawler literally says the same thing in my interview with her). There are many ways to go about making a living in quilts, and everyone has to find a way for themselves. I don’t think we can make general statements about what will work for us all. All I know is that this is the path that has made sense to me.
The Question of Gender in The Quilt World
CN: Good point!!! Let’s talk about your book on men in quilting. What impact do you think it’s had on the few men quilters and the mostly women quilters who probably didn’t know about the existence of their male friends?
JC: I don’t think it has had much impact on women who make quilts. For men, I hoped it would let them know they were not alone out there, but the Internet has probably had more impact than my book. I hear from time to time that people have enjoyed the book, but almost never do they say they like it for the subject matter-they just like the quilts and patterns.
CN: In your book “Men and the Art of Quiltmaking“, this is what you wrote about being a man in the quilting world, “ I just assumed I was in a vanguard for what would eventually become a vast movement. Oh, how wrong I was. Men still occupy only a tiny corner of quiltland”. How do you feel about being only one of a few men quilters and do you see the trend ever changing in the future? Like women becoming doctors and engineers? Or will quiltland always be a woman’s world?
JC: The thing about American quilt making is this: it is a realm constructed by women to make gifts for people. So, the fact that it was and is a woman’s world is built into the very DNA of the definition of it.
Yes, gender roles have loosened up considerably since I was a boy, but we have a long way to go before we have any kind of gender blindness in our culture.
The Importance of Quiltmaking as a Viable Way of Making a Living
It is especially true in quilts. I knew when I started that I was entering a women’s world and that I would be a guest there, not a native.
It would never occur to me to think that men would ever be more than a small percentage of the quilt world. That percentage might be growing as the possibilities for making a living at it grow. But I do think the quilt world will always be dominated by the women who created it.
CN: I totally agree with you, Joe. I believe that is true for both men and women. If we could find a clear path to make a living in quilting, there will be more people who will choose that as their careers. Since they already love making quilts. But instead, most people have resigned themselves to making quilts as a hobby.
About Joe Cunningham’s Art Quilts
CN: Let’s talk a little about your own art quilts. I love your work. Your work is large and abstract. While speaking about your work, you once said this … “To me what a quilt looks like is the last thing that I’m interested in. I just find out what it looks like by making it.” What did you mean by that statement?
JC: Well, a number of things. I am not interested in seeing things I have seen before, and I find it easier to surprise myself if I am working directly with the cloth, instead of a drawing.
Also, I start with an idea, a subject, and I want to make a quilt on that subject, that will be true to it no matter what I end up doing along the way. I don’t worry about what it looks like, only what it is.
CN: Finally Joe, there are two segments I include in every interview because readers really enjoy these segments.
The first is this: “What are your five favorite tools, supplies and resources”? Secondly,
What are 6 tips to help someone successfully write books about art quilts?
Joe Cunningham’s Five Faves
- My 60” X 60” work table with a cutting mat surface. I have to make a look long cuts in my work and I could not make them without this.
- My Rowenta Precision Pro Steam iron. It has a large water tank that connects to the iron through a hose, so I never run out of steam.
- My Handi Quilter Fusion with a ProStitcher attachment. This system allows me to quilt anything in the universe.
- “American Quilts: The Democratic Art” by Robert Shaw. My favorite telling of the story of quilts in this country.
- A package of 100 rotary cutter blades I bought on the internet someplace. I get a lot less despondent now when I wear one out.
Joe Cunningham’s Six Tips for Publishing Books About Art Quilts
- Write what you want, so your enthusiasm is real.
- Get to know anyone you possibly can in the publishing business.
- Get the best photographer in town.
- Study art history as well as quilt history, so you know what you are talking about.
- Develop a marketing plan. All publishers will want to know what you are going to do to promote your book.
- Persist.
CN: Joe, thanks so much for taking the time to do this interview. It was a wonderful interview. I really appreciate hearing your point of views. Many of them resonated with me.
JC: Clara, the pleasure is all mine.
Interview Highlights and Quotes
- To get serious work you have to become known in the business. To make serious work you have to be able to articulate what you are doing and why.
- I always try to remember that I am not in the business of production, I am trying to make something true.
- You need to be writing about something that you know a lot about.
- Write books to contribute to the store of knowledge in the world
- You can get a lot done if you get to go to your studio every day.
In conclusion, here’s how to find out more about Joe’s teaching, lectures, and workshops. And this is where gallerists and curators who want to see his work should visit.
Warmest Regards,
In this week’s interview, I’ve got with me, Cheryl Rezendes. Cheryl is a fabric surface design artist, an author, and a teacher. The multi-talented Cheryl and I will be discussing:
- The unlikely story of how she landed her book deal and what’s involved in writing a book.
- Why she switched from successfully working in a different artistic medium to textiles
- How she built her art business even though art school doesn’t teach you to make money from your art
- Why she creates fabric surface design instead of buying commercially available fabrics
Let’s dive in.
CN: Hi Cheryl and welcome to the Clara Nartey Blog for this edition of Textile Art Business Interview
CR: Hi Clara. Thanks so much for having me!
The Journey to Becoming a Fabric Surface Design Artist
CN: Cheryl, here on the blog we always love to hear the story of an artist’s creative journey. So, can you briefly share your story with us? How did you get into fabric surface design?
CR: I kind of came into the world of textile art and fabric surface design through a back door. I really have two stories that came together about 18 years ago.
The first story is that straight out of high school and actually a year before I had even graduated I went to the school of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston with a focus on painting and printmaking. I was there for their full 4-year diploma program.
In those days, art schools rarely prepared you for the world of making a living after graduation. So, like everyone else I was a bit stumped.
CN: Cheryl, sadly I don’t think that fact has changed very much. The “Starving Artist” meme prevails. There are still many artists (textile artists included) who don’t know how to make a living from their art. But I digress. Please continue….
CR: The second story begins when I was a little girl. I grew up with my Mom sewing on her little Singer Feather Light sewing machine on the dining room table every night after dinner.
She made elegant evening gowns, everyday dresses, fancy pillow cases and curtains as well as beautiful dresses for me. She also recovered shoes, handbags, and hats.
When I was in my early teens she became an interior designer. So, my world at home was filled with textiles of all kinds!
The Decision to Choose Textiles Over Other Art Mediums
She liked to say that I learned how to sew by watching the discarded pieces of fabric as they fell to the floor while she was cutting out her next project.
So, it was a natural for me to make my living after graduating from art school by sewing. I was a stitcher in a designer workhouse and much later developed my own business making custom clothing with a specialty in restoring antique wedding gowns. All this while still pursuing my own artwork.
Shortly after my oldest son was born, it became clear that I couldn’t do it all. With my husband’s support and some financial backing from my Dad, we decided to give me a year to focus on just child rearing and painting.
I moved all the sewing equipment out of my studio – the industrial sewing machines and even the thread – and actually sold most of it! I then had a really productive year putting together a great body of work and had a successful run with my paper collages getting into galleries etc.
There was only one problem.
I found that I missed fabric! I missed it simply running through my hands. And I missed sewing! I was really shocked.
About the same time, I discovered digital printing on fabric. I started printing images of my paper collages onto fabric. Then painting and embellishing them with thread, embroidery, and beads. From there I began employing all the skills I had developed as a painter/printmaker to fabric. The rest is history as they say.
Out of Many Fabric Surface Design Techniques, The Simplest Ones Endure
CN: Oh wow. What a story. For many people, once they work in textiles they find it hard not to return to this art medium. There’s something about the tactile nature of fabrics that appeals to fiber artists.
You talked about how you discovered digital printing on fabric. I know you employ a lot of different fabric surface design techniques. Which ones do you regularly use?
CR: You know, the truth is that in the end, I love the simplest ones the best.
Monotype printing with a Gelli plate, direct painting, stenciling, and stamping.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ll pull out a silk screen when need be and will love it when I finally haul out all the batik equipment for a week of batiking with soy wax and paint.
But it’s the immediate, simple things I love the best. A couple of years back I bought a Cameo Silhouette machine to cut my own stencil designs. It really transformed what I was doing.
Why Do You Need Fabric Surface Design When Commercial Fabrics Abound?
CN: So, for those who don’t know what a Silhouette Machine is. It’s an electronic cutting machine that you connect to your computer just like a printer. And then you can create anything on your computer and then cut it out on paper, fabric or vinyl.
The question some people will ask is why do you have to go to all the trouble to make you own fabric surface designs? After all, there are so many commercial fabric designs available for sale, why not purchase those?
CR: Clara, the answer to that question is different for everybody. Because my background and training is in fine art painting and print making I always see the beginning of an art piece (even a fiber one) as a blank canvas or a fresh piece of white paper.
I don’t use commercial imagery in my work simply because they aren’t mine. They don’t speak from my heart. Because they haven’t challenged what I see and how I see it. And because they don’t allow me to grow as an artist.
The discovery of image making and developing, and the anguish and struggle that go with the process of discovery aren’t there.
But to get at the meat of who I am as an artist, nothing beats making my own imagery.
A Place for Commercially Designed Fabrics
CN: What do you do with the fabrics you create? Do you sell them or use them to make decorative items for sale or they’re just for teaching purposes?
CR: I make art quilts. Quilts that hang on the wall as fine art.
CN: In addition to teaching your fabric surface design techniques, you’ve also written a book on fabric surface design. Why did you decide to write a book on the topic?
CR: I actually didn’t decide. I had the great fortune in that my publisher came to me.
The Unlikely Story Behind Cheryl’s Fabric Surface Design Book Deal
I had just opened up a studio in the town near my home. It had a large classroom space and became my foray into teaching surface design.
I had a group of eight students who stayed with me through the first 22 weeks I was open. We met every Tuesday evening.
One of the students later became my editor at Storey Publishing. Apparently, they had already had the idea that they wanted to publish a book on surface design.
One of their authors, Gail Callahan also took the class and had encouraged them to get to know me. Of course, if I had known they were auditioning me for the part, I would have totally stumbled.
CN: That’s wonderful. Your teaching led to you writing a book. Not too many people get book deals this way. What information did you need to provide to the publishers for your book? I figure you needed a book concept, and maybe an outline. Can you elaborate a little more on what you need to present to a publisher for a book deal?
CR: Well, even though they asked me to consider writing the book, I still had to go through the proper channels of having my concept accepted by the president and the financial department of the publishing company.
What You Need to Present to a Publisher for a Book Deal
So, I had to write a sample chapter and the table of contents. I had to write a detailed review of all the other books on the market that were in my category including what I liked and disliked about each book and what mine would offer to the market that was different than the others.
Because you see, they don’t want to publish a book on a subject that is brand spanking new. It needs to be part of a well proven and sought-after subject but with something new to offer.
CN: That’s a very important point, Cheryl. A lot of people are afraid of competition. But the presence of competition shows that there’s a market for your product or service which is important for the success of any business venture. If there aren’t enough people interested in what you’re doing the likelihood of success is slim. Please continue …
CR: Absolutely!… I also had to have photos to illustrate the sample chapter as well as other aspects of the book.
And then the editor had to consider the table of contents and my sample chapter to come up with a schedule of what it would cost to produce the book.
Then the financial department runs their numbers to figure out what it would have to sell for and how viable that retail cost would be in the area of its subject and of course how long it would take for them to make back their production costs.
So, it really takes a lot of time, thought and energy even before your manuscript is accepted.
The Exacting Demands of Writing a Book
CN: Can you delve a little deeper into what exactly it takes to write a book?
CR: It takes a great deal of time and stamina. The book took a total of three years from signing the contract to publishing. Six months of those three years it sat on my editor’s desk waiting for review and for the editing process to begin.
CN: Who would have thought it took that long to publish a book!!! Let’s step back for a moment. So, after you signed the contract for your fabric surface design book, what were the publisher’s specific expectations of you?
CR: It was kind of crazy actually. I had had other writing gigs. I had a weekly art column in my local newspaper for seven years along with some freelance writing for a few other fiber art magazines.
So, I was used to working closely with my editor. But in this case, I signed a contract that I would have the first draft of the manuscript on my editor’s desk one year to date.
Then they said goodbye – see you in a year! I was aghast.
About a month into the project I panicked and asked my editor to take a look at what I had done so far. I had questions – Was the format understandable? Did she like my written voice? I had thought what if after a year’s worth of hard work and research they took a look at everything and said, “Nah, that’s not what we had in mind. Maybe you should try again.” Yikes!
But she was happy and said to just keep going. I now know that these editors are super busy – working on several books at a time that include editing and photo shoots. They just can’t hold your hand along the way. If they like your table of contents and your sample chapter they figure you are good to go. Any problems they’ll tackle when the editing process begins.
Cheryl, I must say, panic and self-doubt plagues us all, especially when we’re working on something that’s “important” to us. I know it too well because I experience it often.
Making Time for a Creative Life & Writing a Book
CN: How did you juggle writing a book with creating new fabric surface designs? I bet you had to make some sacrifices and rearrange your life to focus on completing the manuscript. Can you speak to that?
CR: Not just writing a book and handling the other aspects of my art business but family life as well.
You know, all that is involved with the roles of being a Mom, wife, and daughter. There were many sacrifices for the whole family and lots of writing in the middle of the night.
I even had to write through our summer vacation in Maine. It was kind of funny because we always had a family rule that there were no computers or devices allowed during this precious week by the ocean.
And there I sat at a rickety old card table on the patio that faced the ocean and wrote the color chapter. It took the whole week!
The Rewards of Becoming a Published Author
CN: I imagine the sacrifice was all worth it, though. What effect did becoming a published author of a fabric surface design book have on your business?
CR: Plain and simple, it gave me credibility as a professional artist and as a teacher.
CN: If you had to do it all over again would you write a book? And why?
CR: Yup. There is nothing like it. I learned so much about myself and about the subject I was writing about.
Truth be told, some of the techniques in my book I had actually never even tried before.
So, I had to research them. Talk with other artists about them, talk with the manufacturers about the materials used to create those techniques and practice, practice, practice.
I am inherently a shy person. The whole process propelled me forward. I had to break free.
CN: I am too (a shy person). But the process was definitely a positive experience for you as I’d imagined, which is fantastic.
On behalf of my readers, what are your five favorite things? Readers love to experiment with the same things their favorite artists use.
Cheryl’s Five Favorites
- Living in the woods and thus being surrounded by nature 24/7.
- My art journals
- My camera for recording all that I see
- Spray bottles from the Container Store for spraying paint on fabric. I couldn’t live without them!
- My Cameo Silhouette (along with Photoshop to clean up my hand drawings and of course my computer, because the Silhouette doesn’t work without one.)
Cheryl’s Tips for Successfully Writing a Textile Art (Fabric Surface Design) Book
- Understand from the beginning that it is really hard work and that you will be very tired for a long time.
- You must schedule time every week to work on your book, whether it is writing or research or you will not meet your deadline.
- You absolutely cannot leave the writing to the last minute. There just won’t be enough time.
- Once your manuscript is handed in, you have to be available to the editor’s and photographer’s busy schedules for editing, rewriting and the photo shoot.
- Be flexible but don’t be afraid to stick to your principles because if time is running out they may try to skimp on photos, the index or any other thing left to the end.
- Have fun!! And be proud of yourself.
Final Thoughts From Cheryl
CN: Even though art school didn’t prepare you to make a living from your art, you’ve obviously made it work for you. How did you do it?
CR: I cobbled together a living with teaching, selling art and wearable one of kind clothing and scarves through galleries and high-end shows. Such as the paradise city art shows and the Baltimore wholesale craft show.
CN: Cheryl, so sorry to hear about the health issues in your family. It’s been proven that art is good for therapy. And I’m glad you’re still finding time to make your art. As you rightly said, “Art is Life“.
I know you’ve started a new series of art pieces that reflect this stage in your life and that is keeping you “focused, grounded and sane” in the midst of all these life changes.
Keep being the awesome person you are.
Thanks for appearing on the blog and talking to us about how you wrote and published your fabric surface design book
CR: My pleasure indeed!
To learn more about Cheryl’s business offerings, art journals and blog visit her online at her website.
Interview Quotes and Highlights
- To get to the meat of who you are as an artist, nothing beats making your own imagery – The discovery of image making and developing, and the anguish and struggle that go with the process of discovery.
- There were many sacrifices for the whole family and lots of writing in the middle of the night. You must schedule time every week to work on your book.
- I am inherently a shy person. The whole process (of writing a book) propelled me forward. I had to break free.
- I love the simplest (fabric surface design techniques) the best
- Writing a book gave me credibility as a professional artist and as a teacher.
Your Turn
What did you find most interesting about this interview? Share your comments below.
Warmest Regards,
PS: You may be interested in some more great Textile Art Business Interviews
Mickey Lawler, the famous fabric painter, artist, and educator, gave us so much insight into her business in part 1 of her interview. But believe it or not, that was just the beginning.
In the second part of my interview with Mickey Lawler, she gives us more in-depth discussion into her struggle with deciding on whether to go back to a “regular job” or pursue a creative career and the mindset that got her to start her business. We also talk about teaching, writing books and where inspiration comes from. Mickey then shares her five favorite tools and resources with us.
This second part is just as packed with good info as the first part.
So, let’s get right to the interview.
CN: How did you decide to make a career out of your textile work?
ML: Right after I sold the shop (read part 1 of the interview), I had an interesting experience. I had been an English teacher in high school before I got into all of this.
So, Dan (my husband), was like why don’t you go back to teaching so we could both have decent vacations and retirements. But I really didn’t want to go back to teaching. I’d been subbing at this school to help pay my daughter’s tuition and I’d applied for a full-time job.
So that summer, while at the Cape, I’d go to the beach and think about “do I want to go back to teaching or do I want to do Skydyes”? And I still remember. I got the sense that the answer would be shown to me.
What I asked of whatever forces in the universe you’d want to call it is “You know me. What will make me happiest – teaching or doing Skydyes?”
I came home after the summer and there was a letter from the school system saying “sorry, we hired someone else”. And I was so happy. That was the answer I was looking for.
Then I said my goal was I have to make money from this business to pay my daughter’s tuition.
CN: So, you had an incentive that pushed you to make this business work. It wasn’t just a hobby. It needed to generate an income.
ML: Yes!! Yes!! Plus, I had enough experience from the shop to know what not to do. One day, I saw a new sign downtown – Entrepreneurial Counselling. Well, this fellow talked to me for a while. He said his favorite clients were those who weren’t successful in business before and knew why. He set me off with a charge account so I could take charge cards. So, I really got off on the right footing there. He helped tremendously. And it just snowballed after that.
CN: So how did you get into teaching?
ML: Well, I’d taught at the shop. But I didn’t teach fabric painting. I always taught quilt making. I started lecturing and people said, “would you consider teaching a class in fabric painting?”. Dan was a little hesitant when I run it by him. He said, “if you teach people fabric painting will they want to buy your painted fabrics”? I said,”they will”. I said, “let’s give it a shot”. Because I loved teaching. Since I was little I loved teaching.
By teaching and vending, I got in touch with a lot of people who asked would you consider teaching our group. So then for many years, I had a lot of teaching engagements. And I still teach. It’s one of these things where you meet these people and meet these people. And it just kinda all happens.
CN: So, you find that one part of the business supports others.
ML: Yes, Absolutely. They’re all interconnected. And of course, with vending, you’re out there with the public. And especially in Houston, you meet people from all over… That’s where I met the person from C&T Publishing when I was thinking of writing a book. That was another time when Dan said if you write a book everybody is going to do it.
But I said well, how many people are out there? How many people do I need?
And so it’s worked out really well. I loved writing the first book. That was probably 1990 or 1991, I think.
CN: How did you get the publisher? Did you approach them with your book idea?
ML: I approached Patchwork Place in Houston. And they said they were really interested in that because it was very new – to do any kind of fabric painting and stuff- you know.
Then Yvonne Porcella came by the booth and I told her and she said “No, you’re going to go with C&T Publishing. C’mmon, I’ll introduce you. So we went over to their booth and talked to the people. I loved working for C&T at that time.
The book really did make a good amount of money. It was in print for 10 years, which is incredibly a long time.
Then they kept pushing me to write a second book. The second book was hard. Someone told me the second book is always hard. To try to come up with something new and different, still about painting was hard. But we ended up doing it.
They said can you do a book about what to do with this fabric now that I’ve painted it. So half the book is on how to paint fabric with new additions. Because I learned a lot of new things in between. And the second part is actual patterns for quilts I made. That book is called “Sky Quilts” and the first one is “Skydyes”.
CN: The second book was hard to write, huh? Were you worried about people’s expectations? Did the fact that your first book had been so successful make you feel people would be looking for you to top your first book?
ML: Yeah, there’s a little of that in there too. I don’t think I worried about it too much. But there was that. I guess it was just what more can I write that I hadn’t already written about fabric painting?
So, I played around with a lot of things during the year I was writing the second book. How do you paint this, how do you paint that? Fabric painting isn’t anything like painting on paper.
The paint goes here and there and the fabric absorbs it. I tell my students –
On my very best days of painting, I only have about 80% control over what happens. And that’s really a lot. But it’s the 20% I live for.
What’s going to happen when I put this color next to the other color. How is this configuration going to work out? And that’s what keeps me going.
Once in a while, I hit the doldrums and I say there’s no inspiration. There’s nothing new to paint. Then I just make myself do it. Then probably throw away that piece (laughing).
CN: So, there are times you find you have no inspiration but you still make yourself go paint?
ML: Of course, it’s like any kind of art, like writing or any other form of art. Sometimes you just hit a wall.
CN: I’ve written about that. Many people wait for inspiration and I write that you don’t have to wait for inspiration. You won’t always be inspired. You’ve just got to do it.
ML: I agree. I think it’s the work that leads to the inspiration. And sometimes that’s really hard.
CN: I want to follow-up on something you said earlier. Your husband was worried that if you taught how to paint, who’d buy your fabrics. And again, when you wanted to write the books, who’d buy your fabrics if you told them everything in your books.
I find that many creatives struggle with this very question of sharing their work, whether it be sharing their techniques or business tips. They have the same worries. If you teach people all you know, who’ll be interested in what you create?
How did that work out for you? Do you think writing and teaching enhanced your business or not?
ML: It enhanced my business!!! It didn’t cut into my business at all. What happened is that by teaching and probably writing too, people began to realize that wow, there’s a lot that goes into it. Do I really want to do this myself, invest in all the paints? But then there’s an appreciation of the actual work.
It made me an expert. And more people come up to me and ask, “You’re Mickey Lawler?” My daughter tells her son, you know your grandmother is a rock star in the quilt world.
There was excitement at being recognized at first. But I didn’t set out to become famous. I loved that other people love my fabrics. I love particularly that they use it as a tool. That I’m producing a tool for their creativity. And that to me is just amazing. I get a great deal of satisfaction out of that, especially when people send me photos of their work. That happens ever so often.
CN: I love that. Doing these things make you an expert
At this point, Mickey invited me to come see her studio.
In Mickey Lawler’s Studio
For a celebrity fabric painter, who’s been into fabric painting for more than 30 years, I expected to find cupboards upon cupboards full of fabrics in Mickey’s studio. I was pleasantly surprised when I got there.
She’s got just two narrow cupboards each with three shelves of fabric and another shelf in a different cabinet. That was it!!
When I did ask why she doesn’t have a large fabric stash like everyone else? This was her response.
“I have more than enough to last me a lifetime.”
She also has a small selection of commercial fabrics.
I was also surprised to see that Mickey had licensed some of her designs to fabric companies like Free Spirit Fabrics.
Also, one of Mickey’s daughters- Terry- is into fabric painting. And some of her designs were licensed to Free Spirit Fabrics too.
All in all, Mickey’s business encompasses 5 of the 7 income streams for making money in textile art that textile artists use to start or grow their businesses.
Mickey Lawler’s Revenue Streams
- Teaching workshops – both face-to-face and online
- Selling her original works (vending at shows)
- Accepting Commissions
- Licensing & Prints
- Building Authority – Publishing books
I know we all love to use what the celebrity artists use. So I asked Mickey to share with us her five favorite tools and resources. And here they are.
Mickey Lawler’s Fabric Painting Faves
- My many paint bottles (see photo below) that I use for mixing colors. (affiliate link)
- Three Dog Night CD’s that get me painting on dreary days. (affiliate link)
- That WOW moment when something unexpected and wonderful happens as the colors merge with a mind of their own.
- My looong hose with a mist setting to dampen my 5 yards of fabric outdoors. (affiliate link)
- The fabric I’ve used for years is a 100% Cotton Broadcloth Supreme #453 from Testfabrics
Plus, one extra fave:
And, most of all, the perfect day for painting – about 80 degrees, low humidity, brilliant sunshine, and cool breezes. Ahhh!
Mickey Lawler’s Services & Business Offerings
Learn more about Mickey’s business offerings
- Skydye Fabrics and Workshops
- Skydye Book (affiliate link)
- Sky Quilts Book (affiliate link)
It was great talking to Mickey Lawler. As a creative person, I really love interacting with other creatives. Although I’m an introvert, I get really lit up and energized when I meet and chat with other creatives.
For all creatives, our journeys are really similar and it’s good to feed off each other’s energies and learn from one another. And so, I decided to do these business interviews to provide value to you, my reader. I hope you’ve enjoyed the interview and learned as much as I have.
Interview Quotes & Highlights
- Sharing your knowledge benefits your business. “Writing and teaching enhanced my business!!! It didn’t cut into my business at all. It made me an expert
- “I think it’s the work that leads to the inspiration. And sometimes that’s really hard”.
- “The second book was hard [to write]. Someone told me the second book is always hard.”
- The different segments of your business are interconnected. One part of your business will support the growth of the other parts.
Your Turn
What was the most surprising thing you learned about building a textile art business in this interview?
Warmest Regards,
PS: Read my other business interviews.
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