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

Hi Jessie, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I was interested in art from a very early age. My mom was an art teacher, so she was always cultivating my creative side. She taught me how to sew on her old Singer sewing machine. I was making little sewing projects, which expanded into some embroidery and then weaving. I took art classes at a local art gallery.

I was given a small tapestry frame loom for Christmas one year and started weaving little pieces with fuzzy knitting yarn from the craft store. Once I was in high school, I really discovered textile art in a Fiber Arts class taught by Adrienne Butvinik. I learned surface design processes like silk painting and batik using pigment dyes. Every holiday Christmas list became dedicated to trying new supplies. I was silk painting in my bedroom and steaming fabrics on the kitchen stove.

After high school I went on to study Fiber Science & Apparel Design at Cornell University. While at Cornell, I focused my major in Apparel Design, but maintained a love for the art of textiles. The textile was always at the center for me. In 2007, I spent the summer working as a Fiber’s studio assistant at Peters Valley Craft Center in Layton, New Jersey. I learned more in depth dyeing techniques from artists such as Jean Cacicedo, Sissi Siska, and Kerr Grabowski. Learning to use real dyes really opened up a whole new world for me. I was fascinated with the effects I could achieve when dyeing and discharging wool and silk in particular.

I came back into weaving several years later. I bought a larger frame loom, then a rigid heddle loom and finally found a used Macomber floor loom in 2021. I had a theoretical knowledge of weaving from taking textile classes during college, but had no formal instruction on how to weave. I taught myself to warp my floor loom by watching YouTube videos over and over again. I learned by working through the process.

Jessie, 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 graduating from college, I started working in the fashion industry in New York City. Initially I focused on fabric research & development and eventually expanded into color and print design. In 2020, my position became remote and I suddenly had much more time to work on artwork in my home studio. After a few months my company decided to eliminate our design team. I loved working from home with no commute. It really brought a whole new life to me having more time to devote to what I loved — making. Instead of looking to get back into the corporate fashion industry, I decided to devote my full time energy to my own business. This was something that I always wanted to do, but I didn’t want to give up the security of full time work. Since that decision was made for me, I decided that it was my chance to really launch a business of my own.

Currently there are two sides to my business. First, I specialize in seamless artwork for applications like fabric or wallpaper and offer print and color development services to clients around the world. I’m able to leverage the industry experience I gained over 10 years working in the fashion industry to help clients create original print artwork and color stories. I also have a variety of clients who I help to work their existing artwork in production ready repeats, or digitize vintage artwork into digital files for printing. In addition, I offer color development services that include creating color concepts, color palettes, or recoloring artwork.

The second part of my business is the art practice side where I’m continually developing my own woven artwork and working on commissions for residential and commercial spaces. I love this harmony in the way I work. Being able to do both hand work and digital work is a great balance.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

On the art side, I think the most rewarding aspect is when I see someone connect with something I’ve made and find their own meaning in it. I love it when someone brings my work into their home. It’s truly an honor when I’m able to see a photo of my work in someone’s space.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I touched on this earlier, but I think the biggest pivot in my business/career life was going out on my own. I think pursuing that independence in your career can be really scary. I always loved the idea of working for myself, but in practice giving up the security of full time stability is a big leap. I’m not sure I would have made that decision myself for quite a while. But once the decision was made for me, I took the chance and ran with it. While working from home gives me more balance, I also need to maintain my own motivation.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jessiebloomstudio.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jESSIEBLOOMSTUDIO/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jessiebloomstudio
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessiebloom/

Image Credits
Images by Jessie Bloom