We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Elizabeth Odiorne. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Elizabeth below.

Elizabeth, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?

There is no work as fulfilling as being able to create in my studio. I am so thankful to be a working artist, I wouldn’t change my path for anything. Being an artist comes with its financial challenges, and it takes courage to invest in your passions, but I am a believer that hard work pays off. As I’m sure many artists experience, having a consistent income is a necessity, so I try to find work in a creative field. I have been fortunate to have had positions in art and design and I find that is important for me to keep feeding my creativity. Having the ability to work in the arts alongside other creatives keeps me inspired while also getting the opportunity to work with other local artists by promoting their work. My most recent roles include working as an art consultant and as a public art project manager, both roles have given me the amazing opportunity of introducing a variety of people to fine art while curating corporate and public spaces.

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 found my passion in Fiber Arts while in college at Arizona State University. Creating art with fabrics, dyes, stitching, and printing were mediums I had never considered and certainly not widely seen at that time in traditional gallery settings. I had incredibly inspiring instructors who opened my eyes to endless ways of using fibers as my artistic medium and I have been determined to pass these age-old techniques to others.

I have been working in textiles since 2009 and have had many wonderful opportunities to teach studio art courses around the country from the distinguished Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Tennessee to the Arizona Fiber Arts Retreat in Prescott, Arizona. I have had the privilege of apprenticeship and working alongside one of the best screen-printed textiles artists in the US, Clare Verstegen, and because of those experiences I have mastered screen printing on fabric. The materials I use are industry grade, which offers me the opportunity to expand my artwork to take on different applications. I primarily create textiles meant for galleries as wall hangings, but I have also collaborated with clothing designers and furniture makers. It’s a unique approach having my artwork take on new life as functional pieces and I look forward to more of those opportunities.

While developing my printed textiles, there is an intense amount of planning, calculation and creative problem solving. I have taken these skills with me into different jobs and situations, I believe that these skills give me a distinctive viewpoint and I credit this to my artwork.

I look forward to creating more in my studio as I am about to venture into a new body of work. I love creating commission pieces for different clientele, both private and corporate collectors. I look forward to enthusiastically teaching my techniques to others and continuously connecting with other fiber artists.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding part of being an artist is the physical act of making. I am in my own world when I am developing and working on a new textile. I love the creative problem-solving aspect and it’s exciting to watch my ideas and sketches develop and sometimes change as I am working. While I am working on one piece, I am usually sketching the next couple of pieces to incorporate ideas that spur in the creative moment. My inspiration is constantly being rejuvenated while working in my studio.

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

I have had to reevaluate what I define as “success”. I have an academic background and, once I graduated with my Master’s Degree, I fully intended to pursue my dream of being a Studio Art Professor. While I still value that dream, my path has led me in different directions. My understanding of the word “success” has changed to encompass more than career goals. Success to me includes the traditional sense of working hard and progressing forward in my career, but it also means to persevere in the face of obstacles that inevitably come my way and learn from those experiences. Success is the well-being of my family and taking the time to appreciate and celebrate the wins.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.elizabethodiorne.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/eo_textiles
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-odiorne