We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Susan Schofield a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Susan thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I think the first time I realized I wanted to pursue art-making as a career path was in my early teens. As a kid I would resort to drawing and painting as a coping mechanism to soothe my very obsessive overthinking. I knew I loved the calm that fell over me when creating, however, it wasn’t until a high school teacher referred to me as an “artist” that it dawned on me that i could possibly BE ONE professionally.

Susan, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

After completing Art School I found it difficult to continue to make work while supporting myself in the bar and restaurant industry. For a person who is easily depleted by overstimulation, It was nearly impossible to find the energy to continue to make art between shifts. With a career in fine art feeling well out of my reach I decided to turn to my second passion, vintage clothing. I’ve always found that the treasure hunt in a second hand store seems to hit similar pleasure centers as the art making process. I decided to open a small vintage shop. I’d spend hours merchandising that store, making tiny installations in the jewelry cases, delighting in arranging and rearraging the ever changing window displays. It was there that I began to teach myself to sew. At first doing simple alterations, and then some re-purposing textiles and up-cycling. This is the winding path that led me to leather work. I started deconstructing leather and suede jackets, skirts and pants and began making handbags, belts and guitar straps. This was the birth of my current business “INHERITED LEATHER”.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

Making just enough money to get by is okay for some people as long as they are doing what they enjoy. It’s hard for some folks to understand that the freedom to create is more rewarding to many of us as the freedom money can buy others.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I think i had to unlearn that there is a right way and a wrong way to do things. I am not a seamstress or garment maker and I am not a traditional leather worker I am a self taught something or other and it somehow just works sometimes.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Inheritedleather.com
• Instagram: @leather23
• Facebook: Inherited Leather & Sue Schofield