We recently connected with Ellen Bruxvoort | FIBROUS and have shared our conversation below.

Ellen, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

I took FIBROUS full-time in 2017 after building it alongside my part-time job for two years. At the time, I had a feeling I probably could have gone full-time far sooner than I did, but I also believe in the appropriateness of my timeline and that milestones always come to fruition exactly when they are ready. I think for many people considering a corporate to creative transition, it’s a relatable and scary feeling to leave the safety of the steady paycheck world. But I set a goal that felt practical for me: make as much money with FIBROUS as I was making with my part-time job. I knew I could survive on my part-time pay, so if I could match that with FIBROUS, it felt like a tangible way to measure my ability to make that leap. That first self-employed tax year was bumpy, and I certainly learned some things the hard way. But a fellow creative gave me some invaluable advice to “hire your weaknesses” and it became a series of trial and error to figure out what exactly those weaknesses were. I now have an incredible CPA, streamlined book keeping, payroll, and automated tax payments. Perhaps if I had known these needs sooner, I could have avoided some stress and heartache, but just as a seed doesn’t bloom immediately after it’s planted, I feel that these milestones occurred with appropriate timing for FIBROUS.

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

In 2013, I was in my third year of undergrad studying graphic design and advertising at UT when I got in a bicycle accident that left me with a concussion and broken collar bone. I oddly credit those few months of healing as an event that helped me realize a new path — I knew I was meant be a creative, but I needed to be working with my hands. I wasn’t getting that at school, so I quit and moved to Hawaii to work on an organic cacao farm. This was incredible in nearly every way and helped me clarify that realization, but farming wasn’t my calling either. When I moved back to Austin, surrounded by creatives and small businesses alike, I found myself asking — “what’s my thing?” Lost in a daze, I was staring at a pillow one day and the idea of weaving peaked my interest. There were very few modern resources on weaving at the time, but I managed to build a small frame loom, gather up some cheap yarn, and fumble my way through the first wall hanging. It was terrible, but I felt the spark. Over the course of the next year, I spent every spare moment learning and problem solving and weaving up a collection of pieces to open my Etsy shop. I sold my first piece for $45 and eventually pursued vending at pop-ups, which allowed me to observe how strangers interacted with my work and helped me articulate how to talk about it in real time. Over the next couple years, I worked part time while I explored new styles, new applications, created my own website, got my first wholesale account, built a social media following, and just kinda kept finding joy. In 2017, I went full time making art and fiber jewelry for shops and individuals all around the world. And at the beginning of 2020, I found myself in a good problem, but a problem nonetheless. I was stuck in the cycle of production — constantly fulfilling wholesale orders that kept my hands forever busy making the same designs over and over with no real downtime to feel creative again. I was toying with burnout. So I took a big risk when the pandemic hit and decided to look at what was bringing me joy and what I wanted to leave behind. I pivoted my whole business away from jewelry and back towards art. Today, I weave small batches of one-of-a-kind pieces and make custom rope installations for corporate and residential clients. It’s the weirdest, coolest job I could have never imagined for myself and I feel so lucky to get to show up for work everyday and make unique things with my hands — as I was always meant to do.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

I think we as individuals largely underestimate the influence we have to create success for others. Support doesn’t always have to mean purchases or financial contribution — it can be as simple as sharing a post or forwarding an email or even recommending a business to a friend. Subscribe to that newsletter, engage with their social media content, go to those pop-ups and events, write a review when you buy from a small business. When communities engage with creatives both online and in person, it shows that they are a priority and thus part of our collective culture. There are a lot of different ways to show up. Of course, getting hired to make and share work is always the end goal for a creative. But there are so many more steps required for artists to get there — things that you and I can help with — all of which are needed to balance a thriving artist ecosystem.

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

I’ve always kinda joked that being creatively self-employed means you have to be a serial problem solver. Rising to challenges may have been something I formerly did out of necessity, but now it’s something that fuels me, gives me purpose and motivation. As many of us were reminded in quarantine, one of the most rewarding parts of slowly, tediously, and carefully placing jigsaw puzzle pieces together is that moment when you finally get to step back and admire your work. Building a small business can often feel like a haze of hurdles until one day, at some point, you look back at the life you’ve built — something that a lot of other people want or might be too afraid to pursue — and you did that. You’re DOING that. Being a creative has so many challenges that often feel like an uphill battle: Taxes? Insurance? Pricing? Contracts? Legal? We often aren’t prepared for these challenges until they arise (and we may fall or fail in the meantime), but all the more reason to feel proud of yourself for figuring it out. Personally, this is my greatest reward: seeing and feeling my growth. That, and waking up everyday without an alarm.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.fibrous.co
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/fibrous.co
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/fibrous

Image Credits
My portrait and the photo of my hands tying a knot are both by Katie Jameson Photography. All other photos by me.