We recently connected with Erica Dykes and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Erica , thanks for joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I actually knew from a very young age that I wanted to pursue art professionally. When I was little, I always told my mom I wanted to be an artist when I grew up.

We had a cupboard in the house with bins full of craft supplies. There was this store in my hometown called the Creative Zone, that supplied really cool crafting kits. It was my favorite place to go.

My mom put me in some after-school painting classes and I would imagine my future artwork being in the little gallery store in our local mall. I honestly was never the best at painting or drawing, I just really loved creating things.

I remember one time looking at the artwork in that little gallery store, and expressing to someone important to me that I wanted to be an artist when I grew up, and they looked at me and said “artists don’t make any money.”

That statement really stuck with me and made me feel as though a life as an artist wasn’t worth persuing. As I moved through junior high and high school I stopped taking art classes and focused on math and science instead.

I graduated high-school in 2007 and took some years off school to experience life outside of my hometown of Terrace, BC. It wasn’t until 2010 that I moved to Kelowna, BC to study Water Quality and Environmental Engineering.

I honestly didn’t put too much thought into my choice. I was at a point in my life where I felt like I had to do something, was passionate about environmentalism, and liked the idea of working outside.

In the summer of 2011 I attended my first Shambhala Music and Arts Festival and that’s when everything changed. After being immersed in a creative wonderland and seeing all the vendors with their incredible handmade goods, I found myself dreaming of being an artist again.

I started out making my own costumes and outfits for festivals and theme parties. The more I got into it, the more I realized that writing lab reports for the rest of my life wasn’t going to cut it.

I dropped out of my engineering program after the Spring of 2012 and started Fashion Design School in the Fall.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a self employed clothing designer, creating for my brand, Love Tree Clothing, from my home studio in Peachland,BC

I started LTC in 2018 selling just a hoodie and a dress at a local market in my area. I’ve since grown and am fortunate enough to be selling my designs internationally online.

Each garment is handmade and hand dyed by me, from natural and sustainable fibers. My main focus is always on quality over quantity, with the health of the Earth in mind.

I create clothing that is unique, flattering and most of all comfortable. A great design is nothing if it doesn’t feel good on your body.

I believe in slow fashion and sustainable practices. Your clothing should be bought with intention and something that emulates your own personal style instead of current trends. Choosing items that are true to you, will help keep them in your wardrobe for a lifetime, rather than ending up in a donation bin or a landfill.

I hope to inspire others to think consciously about where their clothing comes from. We need to recognize that cheap fast fashion always comes with a price and the cost is high when it comes to exploiting workers and the environment.

Buying ethically and sustainably made clothing means you are helping to create a happier and healthier planet.

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

Moving through the process of imagination to creation, overcoming the moments of struggle and self doubt, witnessing your own personal growth, and being recognized and well recieved by your audience is definitely the most rewarding.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I feel like my whole entrepreneurial journey so far has been learning to pivot.

My first major pivot was when the pandemic happened in 2020. I was still serving part time then, just two days a week, and was selling my clothing at local markets. I didn’t really have much of an online presence yet, and wasn’t focused on selling anything through my website.

In the first few months of 2020, I was gearing up for my spring trade shows and had secured a summer spot at one of the biggest farmers markets in my area.

Due to Covid, my spring trade shows and the farmers market were canceled and I also got laid off from my serving job.

When this all happened I had negative forty seven dollars in my bank account, and wouldn’t receive much of anything from employment insurance since I worked so little as a server at minimum wage.

There were no government benefits offered in the beginning, so I decided to run a sale through my website to help keep myself afloat. This definitely helped me to start gaining some traction online and I was overwhelmed with the support of my community.

Once the government benefits were released, I was able to collect the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit. Soon after I met and started working with Jana Boyko, who is an amazing conscious business coach.

Jana and I worked together for a course of three months. She helped me find clarity around what I needed to feel nourished and successful as an entrepreneur, and helped me create the structure I needed to release my first big online collection in October of 2020.

I had everything riding on the success of my release, since the CERB was ending and in person markets were still not going to be a thing. Much to my surprise I was able to sell out my collection in less than 48 hours.

It definitely hasn’t been an easy road since then, and there have been many more pivots along the way, but sometimes what we need is a little redirect to bring us toward something better.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lovetreeclothing.ca
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/love.tree.clothing?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==