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

Allison , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I learned embroidery when I was trying to find a way to be unique in middle school. I started to embroider animals onto my jeans and it really took off from there as I found embroidery to be the best way to express myself creatively. I spent time in college as a photography major but was always called back to embroidery.

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 have been drawn to art as a form a visual expression since a young age. As a shy person, it has always been easier to use art to convey emotion, tell a story, or communicate a feeling. I am interested in trying new things so as I finished my time as a photography student in college, I gravitated towards textile work since it was something I knew that I could really put my own spin on. There is a long history of textile embroidery in this country, especially as a means of demonstrating skill, but I liked that there were ways I could bring my ideas with textiles into contemporary art.

I often tried to incorporate music into my work as an artist, either by creating digital music to accompany my photographs or later embroidering song lyrics onto my textiles. Most recently, I have started to DJ at different venues to further explore my interest in music but also use music to retrieve childhood memories and intermingle some ideas of nostalgia that I employ in my artwork and expand upon it further with sound.

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

I think so much of supporting artists is showing up and getting outside of your comfort zone. If you hear of a new museum that has opened, check it out. Is there a new music venue with a jazz night? Go see who is playing and if you like the music. We can’t really make art or music in a bubble, we need to have engagement to keep us motivated.

It would be wonderful if supporting artists involved buying art or hiring new talent but at the very least, it’s important to stay informed with what is going on in your area and stay engaged.

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

Early on in my art career, when I studied photography, I learned that you’re only as good as your next image. That really stuck with me. This idea that you always need to keep moving and keep hustling is important as an artist but there also need to be time for self reflection and introspection. If you don’t take the time to look back and reexamine what you’ve done you’ll get burned out.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.allisonmanch.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/manchdressing/