We were lucky to catch up with Sophia Mitchell recently and have shared our conversation below.
Sophia, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?
They say when one door closes, another door opens. However, it is rare to have all doors closed and sealed for a year and that was my experience during Covid, frankly it was a frequent story among my Black female friends, many who held advanced degrees and positions but were let go during Mergers & Acquisitions as well as just the routine restructuring that happens when firms want to cut costs during times of uncertainty.
This disparity was highlighted more so as Covid really put a spotlight on the treatment of Black women across all industries and the health outcomes were just another kick in the gut. I watched family and friends die disproportionately because of systemic oppression that impacts health outcomes.
A light bulb went off and it was centered around “Design” When you really think about it and you can quote me on this, “Design is the birthplace of inequity.” Every system starts at the design phase, systemic oppression is designed to work a certain way and in reflecting on these strong ideas and feelings. Litbodies was born from not seeing what I really needed to see in a moment.
LitBodies is a design firm that questions design across all industry. We like to make it make sense and in doing so we elevate cultural works of art that the system wouldn’t deem worthy to showcase. We acknowledge how few minorities are represented in design whether interior or industrial.
You would think a Black woman bust on a pedestal would be easy to find, until you search for it and you realize that nothing in this category was made for you. This is why I created my Baddies. I put Black women and men on a pedestal because everyone else was afraid to do it and certainly more afraid to take a risk to sell a product this forward thinking for mass market.
I have always wanted a bust sculpture and I realized very quickly that most bust sculptures feature white male and females and it wasn’t at all surprising given the make up of art that is elevated throughout galleries and design firms across the world.
However, It won’t stop at busts for me, but that is a story I wanted to share. Home Decor is a huge category with tons of possibilities, culturally centered design is just another way to explore what’s possible when we give people with different experiences a seat at the table. I see things differently and I think about design as being accessible to all and equitable.
Who knows what the future holds, but for now I create freely and I hope all people find beauty in what comes out of the studio. We don’t make products to exclude, we make them to provide a space for dialog to come together to provoke thought and conversation and in some instances to just appreciate a specific POV.
People who own “Resurgence Baddie” use the term love to describe her and I have to say that’s the goal. Love what you invite into your mose sacred spaces. Love the skin you are in and come to love design that elevates, rather than discriminates.
Sophia, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I’m really excited about the future of LitBodies. We got off to a slow start and as with any start up in a space that is quite new we are learning how to be more intentional and in tune with our amazing followers.
We want to be financially sustainable and are looking for ways to bring good design to market, but not at gallery prices, although we respect the model, we know not enough minority artists get fed off the gallery model and one of our goals is to collaborate more with artists who don’t have representation and would actually want people from their communities to own their art.
Can you open up about how you funded your business?
LitBodies is self-funded, which isn’t always a good thing, but a reality for many Black women founders, like me. I am blessed that I had a great design out the gate that helped me scale. However it is always great to have options should you have slow months in business which comes with entrepreneurship. It helps to be scrappy, but product development is expensive and the reality is I am not backed by investors, there is no safety net and also very little room for error. That being said the tremendous joy I get from designing is priceless. Cashflow is always a concern, but in many ways I get a lot more than I put in, when I think about protecting my peace and doing what I love.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
If I had to give advice. I would say don’t go crazy,growth may not come fast, but consistency will eventually get you where you need to be. Don’t be afraid to take calculated risks. Setbacks are part of the course and that’s what makes the journey that much more rewarding. Bet on yourself sooner and often.
Contact Info:
- Website: Litbodies.com
- Instagram: @litbodieswaxart