Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Amelia Franz Mills. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Amelia, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

Embroidery has always been an escape into a whimsical world for me. Inspiring me to stitch flora and fauna that tells a story. A dear friend of mine, Virgo Moon, who is a creative in drag came to me with an exciting idea. To transform a vintage dress into a metaphor. I created an anatomical heart, antlers with vines to communicate growth, wearing your heart on your sleeve, and strength. These themes were strong in Virgo Moon’s story in drag and becoming her character on stage, finding her originality and a voice in drag. Embroidering this story on a stage piece was not only meaningful to Virgo, but to me as well. I felt so honored to create this piece and pour my love and creative twist onto it. Being able to transfer a story with string is something that gives me great joy. This was my first large piece that has been seen on stage, online, and in the world. I am forever grateful for the friends and clients that trust me to tell their stories through string.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am Mel, a multimedia artist who specializes in thread painting. I started embroidering in high school when pins and patches were all the rage. I used my friendship bracelet string, a piece of scrap fabric, a needle, and started personalizing my backpack. This small project took me so many hours, yet the craft has stayed with me since. I am self taught in embroidery through trial and error. Patience, practice, and time have been my greatest influence getting me to where I am today. I started my Etsy shop, Ethereal Terraria, in college with low hopes. I slowly started to sell my one of a kind pieces that I up-cycled from vintage or thrifted clothing pieces. This led me to embroidering earrings, tapestries, hoop art, and many other embroidered works. My work lately is leaning into larger projects like tapestries, dresses, and mix media. Experimenting with paints and beading into my thread paintings.

My purpose in embroidery is to tell a story. Whether that be from the world around me or a place I would rather be. I also love to tell their stories of those who want to be heard or hold a memory through fabric and string.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

In my eyes, the best thing society can do to empower artists is to support your local artists in any way you can. Whether this be buying their art, sharing it or talking about it. Creative people have so much power in the way they see the world. And if more people chose to see what they see and relate to their works I believe it can create a more beautiful world full of art.

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

The most rewarding part of being a creative is how excited I get to learn something new. I am a lifelong learner, and I always try to take the time to learn new skills to build my creative rapport. I find there is so much more to learn from different art types that are different than the ones I do every day. Some of my favorite things to do are take classes in my community and share various crafts with other artists. I deeply love the art world and sharing the joy in making with others around me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://etsy.com/shop/etherealterraria
• Instagram: @ethereal_terraria

Image Credits

Images from Amelia Franz