Sewing:

My grandmother Margaret showed me around the sewing machine when I was very young. She taught me how to use patterns, but never stopped me when I wanted to go off the beaten path. Being allowed the creative freedom to try things and to simply have fun eventually became the basis for my business as an adult. Making my own patterns is part of the process that is challenging and gratifying for me, and the unconventional approach that I was allowed as a child still carries over into my work.

I went to the University of Texas in Austin and received a degree in photojournalism after playing around a few years in fine art. I love photography, but never made it a full time career. While working various jobs and freelancing several years for The Austin Chronicle, I continued to sew as a hobby. For fun I ended up outfitting local musicians in funky outfits, including fur and vinyl hats. Demand eventually sparked an interest in having a little side business making costumey hats. Hat making was fun, and I gained some very useful experience setting up for festivals, parties, and even dabbling in wholesale, but eventually my interest waned and fizzled out completely. Hat making was not my calling.

I seriously don't remember the first purse I made, or how I found myself in business again, but I think it's because it happened so gradually. I sewed purses for years and sold to several local businesses as a way to make money to travel. It was all for fun. The demand increased until it became clear I had to make a decision about how much time and energy I wanted to put into my purse making. It was sort of taking over my life.That's when I realized my hobby was also my "thing" and that perhaps I could make a go at it as a real business.

In September 2004, I opened a website and it has become my main venue for selling the bolsas. And then there's the...

Photography:

In the last moments of December, 2011, I found myself feeling burned out. Bad. Sewing is joyful business for me, but to do it every day all day for months and months can take down even the most passionate designer. I needed a break. But for someone who is energized by creating, a break means diving into another project, not a siesta. Inspired by images from an old professor, my interest in my own photography was sparked again and off I went. Weeks later, I found myself with film in my camera, a renewed membership to a darkroom, and fulfillment beyond words. Find my work here: lizpotterphotography.com

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