We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Clay Wendel a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Clay, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.
Well that depends on which medium we’re talking about. When it comes to Chainstitch embroidery, I learned mostly by experimenting, trial & a lot of error, studying the work of people I admire & a bit of advice along the way from folks who’ve been at it longer who I look up to & respect in regards to their work/abilities. I wouldn’t like to think about the learning process in terms of what might have expedited it, it’s constantly evolving. Also, there’s value to be gained by being comfortable with learning processes in general. Nothing great comes quick at first so I feel like if you’re rushing something your focus is probably not in the right place. The learning process, in my opinion, doesn’t end if you’re actively pursuing something creative, it just progresses into different avenues.
If we’re talking about tattooing, that’s an endless pursuit in terms of learning, but I’m just an apprentice still, I imagine I’ll be learning for as long as I’m able to practice it. There’s plenty of tattooers better qualified to speak on that art form so we’ll leave those insights to them.
Persistence & dedication are probably the most important skills besides the obvious things. A bit of talent & curiosity doesn’t hurt either, but most things can be learned if you want something enough. I’ve been fortunate to be surrounded by some great people who haven’t let days where I’m discouraged keep me down. People like my wife Darla Wendel, who’s an excellent artist & my mentor Mike McAskill, along with a couple killer tattooers/illustrators, Jim Warf & Brian Foster. I’m lucky enough to work with all of them so I’m around at least one of them daily. Who you keep as company is critical for your growth. If I had to put a pin in any one thing that impedes learning, it’s definitely self doubt. Doubt can really throw up some big walls for you.
Clay, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I’ve worn a lot of hats over the years & I’ve always aimed to be proficient at whatever I’m pursuing. My wife would probably say I can get obsessive about these things. I kind of live in a state of tunnel vision for the things that I love. About five or so years back I had to deal with some health issues that started out of nowhere. Two open heart surgeries later I decided not to go back to traditional jobs like I’d pursued in the past. I’ve always been business minded & creative so after those surgeries I decided to do what makes me happy, keeps my interest, & basically switch up everything I had previously known. I used my recovery time to teach myself how to Chainstitch & improve my drawing. For those who don’t know what Chainstitch is, it’s a form of embroidery thats done by using a very specific hand operated manual sewing machine. Mike, my mentor, offered to apprentice me at some point during that time, so that’s how I got into my apprenticeship with the shop. I’d been friends with & getting worked on by all three of those guys I mentioned before, for something like 15+ years. When it was offered to me I wasn’t sure about it, but at the end of the day it was a rare opportunity & a gift that doesn’t come around often the way it did for me so I ended up jumping in.
With the Chainstitch embroidery I make patches, banners, custom garments & design work. It’s always something new & never gets dull. I think my attention to detail & patience for the intricate things are a couple of aspects that make what I do stand out. With that said, there’s a number of amazing artists who’ve been doing it longer & whose work pushes me to keep progressing. I’m by no means at the top of the game, far from it, just stoked to be playing at the end of the day. Always trying to outdo whatever it was I did last.
If there was something I’d want potential clients/followers/fans to know about what I do is that it’s labor intensive, more so than people would imagine. Also that I love every aspect of what goes into the process, I really care about the finished product. I truly do believe if you’re not aiming to put out the best possible work, whatever that might mean for you, then why bother starting something in the first place. I take that to heart & really pour as much of my abilities into my work as possible. Hopefully that effort shows through in the outcome of whatever piece I’m working on. People would do well to remember that old adage, ‘Good work isn’t cheap, cheap work isn’t good‘.
We’d love to hear your thoughts on NFTs. (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)
Boring. Those are for the birds.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
Society could best support artists by backing up their admiration with their purchasing power, when it’s possible to do so, rather than searching for knock-offs, looking for discounts, minimizing the work etc. The amount of time that goes into something, the learning & experience required to be exceptional at a trade or craft, that’s all stuff that goes unseen but absolutely adds to the value artists put on their work.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @threadtripper
- Other: Email:
thethreadtripper@gmail.comShop:
Elizabeth Street Tattoo
Riverside, CA
