Textile Designer
Brooklyn, NY
“I try to remind myself that every mistake made is a lesson learned and a step toward improving, and that perseverance is my greatest asset.”
What did you want to be when you were a child?
From the time I was very young I wanted to be a visual artist, like a painter or an illustrator. I spent much of my free time drawing and painting. Unlike a lot of architects I know, who knew what their calling was at a young age, very few people I’ve met in interiors, furniture, and textile design started out knowing that’s what they wanted to do. I believe it’s because architecture is an ancient, well-established, and revered field, while other parts of the industry are less accessible to the general population. Design and design-thinking are much more part of the American vocabulary now than they were when I was a student. In the end, I love being a designer and couldn’t imagine doing anything else.
What was the best piece of business advice you were given when you were starting out?
“Just start! Even if you’re only 60 percent there, just start.” If I hadn’t heard this, I’d probably still be planning my launch. I’m not a perfectionist, but I definitely like to be prepared and to always feel like I’ve given my work as much thought and effort as possible.
What is your favorite thing about your workspace?
The natural light, hands down. It’s why my husband and I chose this apartment and why I chose the room (over his futile protests) as my workspace. He’s a writer and works from home, and because I worked in an architecture firm for much of our relationship, he usually got to pick which space in all of our previous apartments he wanted for his office. Not this time. We decided to move out of our last place just as I was starting my business, which meant that for the first time, we would both be working from home. When we first saw our current apartment, and especially the room off the backyard, I knew I had found my headquarters. My studio space faces south and is the brightest room in the house. All that light brings the space to life and makes it easy to work and be creative. My interior design career was focused on workplace design, and I know how critical access to natural light is in fostering productivity, health, and well-being. I’m so fortunate to have this space.
What is the biggest sacrifice you’ve made in starting or running your business?
Leaving an office environment has been a bit of a sacrifice. The main thing I miss is collaborating with other designers and getting feedback from clients. Any design process is always more successful as a collaboration, so at times it’s difficult to work on my own. But I am constantly sending new work to friends and fellow designers to re-create that experience and get another perspective.
What does success mean to you?
Whether it’s the financial support that allows our partner artisans to grow their businesses and realize their dreams, the pride the Ethiopian community feels in seeing our products, our customers learning about Ethiopian culture through the brand, or inspiring a future entrepreneur, impacting people in a positive way is the standard by which I’ll judge our success.
If you were given $100 million, would you run your business any differently? How so?
Yes! I’d have a team. I’d bring in a chief financial officer and a chief marketing officer and scale up the business with dedicated production and design teams. I also think a lot about having my own weaving studio in Ethiopia. A windfall of capital would allow me to experiment more with new products and techniques. It would also allow me to have a greater impact in Ethiopia. But as wonderful as having loads of cash sounds, it’s also a huge responsibility, and I would want to be adequately prepared for an undertaking of that scale.
Name the biggest overall lesson you’ve learned in running a business.
Patience and agility. I’ve really had to learn to go with the flow. I am a huge planner, but things often don’t go according to plan. Sometimes a shipment gets stuck in customs, or the labels come in the wrong size, or they run out of medium gray yarn in all of Addis Ababa (this really happened). I have to be prepared to take the givens of any scenario, work with what I’ve got, and avoid having a meltdown!
In moments of self-doubt or adversity, how do you build yourself back up?
This is something I am still trying to navigate. I always try to step back and see the current moment as just that, a moment that will soon pass. I try to remind myself that every mistake made is a lesson learned and a step toward improving, and that perseverance is my greatest
asset. I’ve also been known to play my “girl power” playlist incredibly loudly. Beyoncé reminding me who runs the world is a great morale booster.
In your opinion, what are the top three things someone should consider before starting a business?
1. Vision—do you have a clear idea of what your business is, whom it serves, and the value it offers those clients? Define it until every detail is clear in your mind. Also, determine how you will define success.
2. Team—even if you are planning to go it alone, identify two or three go-to people who can help you build your business. You will need more help than you think!
3. Financial plan—even if you don’t create a full business plan, create a business narrative, and outline your budget for at least the first year. Determine what your ceiling is for how much of your own money you’re willing to invest in your business in case you go over what you’ve originally budgeted for, which you will.
Nobody tells you this, but it’s impossible to start a business and support yourself unless you (a) continue working full- or part-time, (b) have a financial support system or other income-generating scenario (e.g., property) in place, or (c) are independently wealthy.
I would have had a much tougher time starting Bolé Road Textiles if my husband weren’t around to keep the lights on. The rest was my savings.
What is your no-fail go-to when you need inspiration or to get out of a creative rut?
I actually have the exact opposite problem. I usually have way too many ideas, more than I could possibly explore in a reasonable time frame. I think both problems—no ideas and too many ideas—can be paralyzing. Constantly having to evaluate and edit for the best result is what great designers do. When working on interiors projects, I often would have ten options I explored on my own before narrowing those down to a few to show the client. I admire designers who are more decisive and have an inherent sense of the best option. I need to hone that skill. Luckily, textile design lends itself to iterating more than interior design does. If I want to have ten colorways and ten variations on a pattern, I can!
“The craft of stand-up is failing onstage, evaluating why you failed, and then preventing that in the future. It puts a positive value on failure—a skill that benefits any businessperson.”
What did you want to be when you were a child?
A priest.
What does success mean to you?
A giant billboard in Times Square with my face on it.
What is your favorite thing about your workspace?
The commute. My desk is at the foot of my bed.
If you were given $100 million, would you run your business any differently? How so?
I’d take a damn vacation. Downtime fuels good, innovative work, but it’s difficult to leave space for it when you’re self-employed and don’t work traditional hours. Any time can be work time. I’d like to think that if I had that big a pile of money, I’d hire on some help and recharge a bit, but I also know myself and I’d probably work the same hours but wear slightly nicer boots.
What is the biggest sacrifice you’ve made in your career/line of work?
Any sort of normalcy/dependability in schedule and income.
Has learning from a mistake ever led you to success?
The craft of stand-up is failing onstage, evaluating why you failed, and then preventing that particular failure in the future. It’s a great craft to hone because it puts a positive value on failure—a skill that benefits any businessperson.
Name a fear or professional challenge that keeps you up at night.
I don’t have anything really tangible that says I have “made it” in comedy—just my name and my memories and the things marked on my calendar. I worry that if I stop for a moment, everything I have created will go away.
In moments of self-doubt or adversity, how do you build yourself back up?
I listen to Queen.
Which of your traits are you most proud of?
Fortitude. I learned from my dad, a small-business owner, and my mom, who managed our household when I was young and then went back to work, that nothing in life comes easy. The first decade of a career in comedy is built on constant rejection, which is great practice for the larger rejections that come with greater success. It’s a career made in inches and I can’t believe I made it through.
What would you tell yourself ten to twenty years ago that you wish you knew then?
There is no formula for success—you just begin and then you continue. I’m often asked how to have a career in stand-up and the answer is confoundingly simple: Do the work. Over and over again, just do the work. After you build the courage to get onstage that first time, it’s all about repetition.
What’s the hardest thing about being your own boss that isn’t obvious?
Loneliness. I’m not only my own boss; I’m also the sole employee of my business. I work with a wonderful team of people, and often collaborate with my fiancée, whom I trust completely and am lucky enough to be able to speak with about all career concerns and issues, but at the end of the day, it’s just me.
Where were you when you came up with the idea for your business or discovered what you wanted to do?
I was in the den at my parents’ house. I’d just moved back to my hometown, Chicago, from Boston and was living with my parents and preparing to attend grad school for social work when I realized I wanted to do comedy full-time. I still attended about six months of grad school just to make sure, and yes, turns out I didn’t want to be a social worker.
What is your no-fail go-to when you need inspiration or to get out of a creative rut?
Exercise. I live at the base of a mountain in Los Angeles and try to get up there every day to hike, to clear my head of any cobwebs and step outside the necessary self-focus that comes with being self-employed, and remember the vastness and variety of the world.
What’s the first thing you do every morning to start your day on the right foot?
Begin answering e-mails immediately. Is that not healthy?
Name a woman (or women), past or present, whom you admire or look up to.
I really appreciate and love what fellow comic Maria Bamford has done with her talent and career. She basically created an entirely new genre of stand-up—she does highly personal material focused on the small details and gorgeously risky in delivery. She was the first touring comic I opened for on the road, and the way she was able to be utterly herself onstage made a headlining career seem both out of reach (because I couldn’t imagine getting to that level of honesty) and accessible (because I knew it would be rewarding to try).
What characteristic do you most admire in other creative women?
I love a proud woman, a gal who refuses to put herself last or minimize her achievements.
“Go where you want to grow.”
What is the biggest sacrifice you’ve made in starting or running your business?
I’m not sure I’ve given up anything that was important to me. I didn’t go to college, I have an autoimmune disorder, and then I transitioned fifteen years ago, so I had a hard time getting a job in the agency/design world. Starting my own studio, Puny Entertainment, was my only option if I wanted to do creative work. I didn’t notice any sacrifice—the world just told me what to do with one thousand microaggressions.
What does success mean to you?
Making an idea real is the only success that matters to me. I’d like to have my own show, but I don’t feel unsuccessful without one if I can keep doing pilots and other little things. Collaborating well feels like success.
Has learning from a mistake ever led you to success?
I can’t think of specific examples because it’s so routine. I make mistakes all the time. I apologize constantly. It’s the price of figuring things out.
Name a fear or professional challenge that keeps you up at night.
I have generalized anxiety, so anything can keep me up, but it usually has to do with the end of a project. When this ends, will I ever work again? Will I have to trade down, take marketing work I hate? Will I have a new script ready at the moment I meet the person who can buy it? I now know fear and anxiety aren’t worthwhile, so I work on getting to sleep.
In moments of self-doubt or adversity, how do you build yourself back up?
I’m way into “mindfulness,” even though I make fun of it, and go to therapy two to three days a week. I read self-help books and have all these little tricks to not be fatalistic. Like imagining tree branches growing through any negative scene playing in my head, from The Nerdist Way.
At what point in your life did you first learn about your field of work? What called you to it?
I did really well in high school math and was into computers. At twenty, I was working at a restaurant with these high school kids who were into computers and phone phreaking. They loaned me a computer and I realized I had a knack for programming. I ended up with a commercial space next to Vincent Stall, an amazing cartoonist and an art director at a large agency. He hired me to program Flash sites and I learned design with him sitting over my shoulder, telling me to kern and how to make things pixel perfect.
Name your greatest success (or something you’re most proud of) in your business experiences.
That’s Yo Gabba Gabba! for sure. Robert Schneider of the Apples in Stereo said, “Kids are the ultimate creative scene. They’re dancing, painting, singing, drawing more than anyone.” What was happening around Yo Gabba Gabba! felt like the creative center of the universe. Everyone was involved or wanted to be. All the bands, all the comics and actors, all the artists and designers, and the audience appreciated it so much. We’d make a short video or a game and get all this fan art. That first tour opening night, being with thousands of dancing toddlers—I don’t know if I’ll feel that again. We did sixty-something episodes and through two hundred accidents on the business side, it lived fast, died young. Everyone who worked on that show was like, “What do we do now?”
What resources would you recommend to someone starting a creative business?
Read everything you can about starting a business and pitching. Go to the library and get anything about it. There isn’t a magic book for everyone, so you kind of have to sift through a lot. Just the act of reading business or inspirational books can put you into a good mind-set.
Knowing what you know now, what would you have done differently when you were first starting out?
I would have moved to Los Angeles right away. As a trans person, I was terrified for my safety. When I saw Ricki Lake in Where the Day Takes You, I knew her life was my future. I’d like to have had less fear overall, but even today location matters. Go where you want to grow.
What does the world need more of? Less of?
More listening. More learning than dropping your hot take. More intersectionality. Less consumption; we don’t need to binge eat animals.
Which of your traits are you most proud of?
I’m autodidactic and can learn things on my own. I have that nerdy brain that will focus, and then time stops. It can focus on the wrong things, like binge watching TV or an addicting mobile game, but when I use that quality in the right way, it works for me.
What is your personal or professional motto?
Get in over your head. It’s Ira Glass’s, but I took it. “Get in over your head and steal from Ira Glass.”
What tool, object, or ritual could you not live without in your workday?
Flair pens. Graph paper. A shower and a nap.
Name a woman (or women), past or present, whom you admire or look up to.
Almost all the people I admire are women. I haven’t followed her in years but if I have to name one woman, I’d give so much credit and admiration to Ani DiFranco. Much of my personality and politics came from going to her shows and listening to her, almost exclusively, from age nineteen to twenty-four. She epitomizes empathy, spirit, business autonomy, a more liberal feminism, sexual freedom, and the value of travel.
What is your no-fail go-to when you need inspiration or to get out of a creative rut?
Work through it. Maybe go for a walk but not near stores or errands. “Looking for inspiration” is the kiss of death for me.
“The fact that I know I will survive and keep getting back up gets me through any rough patch.”
What did you want to be when you were a child?
Other than that brief period when I wanted to be Janet Jackson, I have wanted to be a writer since I was about five years old.
What is your favorite thing about your workspace?
My favorite thing about our studio is the amazing natural light. When all the windows are open, it often feels like we’re floating through the sky. It’s pretty dreamy.
What does success mean to you?
Success for me means loving and accepting myself and using my creativity to have a positive effect on the world around me.
Name the biggest overall lesson you’ve learned in running a business.
Know when to ask for or find help. Studio Mucci has experienced major growth in various stages and each time, to my own detriment, I waited until the last possible minute to ask for help. Help in the form of advice from lawyers or accountants. Help from friends and family, as well as hiring people to meet the needs of the business. It’s still hard. I think it goes along with the territory of transitioning from artist to entrepreneur, but I’m totally getting better at recognizing the needs of the business, especially when they are ones that I simply can’t fulfill alone.
In moments of self-doubt or adversity, how do you build yourself back up?
It’s not always easy, but one of my greatest qualities is definitely resilience. I have survived so much in my personal life—depression, bulimia, poverty—that I feel like I can handle anything. Sure, I have my moments when I need to cry in a bathroom or times when I feel completely insecure. But the fact that I know I will survive and keep getting back up gets me through any rough patch.
Knowing what you know now, what would you have done differently when you were first starting out?
I think I would have taken myself seriously a lot sooner. I didn’t really have any business experience before this, and when I started selling my designs and orders started to quickly roll in, I had no idea what I was doing. I thought it was okay to wing it and figure things out as I went. I’ve learned that even a little bit of preparation and research goes a long way in life and especially in business.
Which of your traits are you most proud of?
That I allow myself to be vulnerable. That alone has helped me to live a life I never dreamed was possible.
What’s your favorite thing to come home to after a long day of work?
Silence. We really don’t get enough of it in this world. I so look forward to those moments of just pure silence, even if it’s just for ten minutes.
“Be nice to people. Stay humble. Give back.”
What did you want to be when you were a child?
When I was a child, I wanted to be a trapeze artist and join the circus. When I was in middle school, I wanted to be an art teacher. In my high school years, I toyed with the idea of being a newscaster, or a diplomat, then I finally settled on folksinger.
What was the best piece of business advice you were given when you were starting out? (Or a piece of advice you’re glad you ignored?)
Take a deep breath, then ask for double.
Piece I ignored: When I started blogging in 2009, I had several people tell me that blogging was dead and not to waste my time starting a blog. I was told that the blogs that were already big would stay popular but it was too late to grow a blog into a business. I ended up forging ahead with my blog because I loved doing it—in the end, it has paid off.
Name a fear or professional challenge that keeps you up at night.
The money stuff is stressful. It has taken me many years to think of myself as a businessperson, and I still struggle with it. I often feel like I need to hire a business consultant or manager to deal with the “money stuff” because I don’t know what I’m doing. What I’m slowly learning, however, is that I know better than anyone what is good for my business—I also care more than anyone else what happens to my business and therefore am learning to trust my gut and ask lots of questions.
Name a woman (or women), past or present, whom you admire or look up to.
Frida Kahlo: impeccable grace, deep talent, brave, bold, vulnerable.
Has learning from a mistake ever led you to success?
After months of pitches and meetings, I landed a licensing deal with a very large and wonderful retailer to design a collection of small objects for them. It was very exciting but also stressful, as it was my first collection of this nature and I was unfamiliar with the sampling and manufacturing process. I spent months developing the collection, meticulously creating technical sheets and specifications for the factories—which is not my forte. There was a ton of back-and-forth with the buyers, and finally after a lot of compromises the collection was complete. When the samples came back from the factory months later, they looked nothing like my original vision. I thought I would have the opportunity to modify the samples for a second round, but instead the retailer decided to drop the collection. I actually cried real tears when my agent broke the news. What made matters worse was that in my contract, I was to receive payment after purchase orders were made—and since the orders were never placed, I never got paid. It was very difficult to pick myself up after that experience. Since then I’ve had several new partners and have learned a lot about sampling and manufacturing. After that experience I’ve learned to play to my strengths—I’ve hired a technical designer to create specs and tech packs so that I can focus on the creative and stay in close communication with my partners. I am also very careful about contracts—I get advances and make sure that I’m covered for my hours of work regardless of whether the items end up in stores.
What quotation or saying inspires and motivates you to be yourself and do what you love?
“If you can walk, you can dance. If you can talk, you can sing.” —African proverb
Name your greatest success (or something you’re most proud of) in your business experiences.
My book, The New Bohemians, just made the New York Times bestseller list. I never in a million years thought I’d be a New York Times bestselling author. It’s very trippy and extremely gratifying. Also it’s amazing to hear (and see) how people incorporate my ideas into their homes to live more colorful and fantastic lives!
In your opinion, what are the top three things someone should consider before starting a business?
1. If you crave stability, being a business owner is probably not the best idea.
2. You must be extraordinarily passionate about your work and truly love it in order to make things happen.
3. Be really clear on what you want for your business—then fake it till you make it.
What is your personal or professional motto?
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
What’s the first thing you do every morning to start your day on the right foot?
Family hugs.
What’s your favorite thing to come home to after a long day of work?
My daughter running toward me with sticky Popsicle hands and face, screaming, “Maaaammmaaaa!!!”
Name the biggest overall lesson you’ve learned in running a business.
Don’t sweat the small stuff. Don’t make decisions based on fear. Know when to say no. Have faith in oneself and in the business. Be nice to people. Stay humble. Give back.
“I tend to take myself and the work apart a lot in the process before finally figuring it out.”
What was the best piece of business advice you were given when you were starting out?
In architecture school, I was spending as much time making art. Frank Gehry told me not to worry about choosing one or the other and to just continue pursuing both.
Name a fear or professional challenge that keeps you up at night.
Making works that aren’t strong.
Name the biggest overall lesson you’ve learned in running a business.
I don’t see my studio as a business—I keep it small and take an art studio approach.
In moments of self-doubt or adversity, how do you build yourself back up?
My process in creativity has always been about doubt and worrying about the project, then exploration, then finding and making the work—I tend to take myself and the work apart a lot in the process before finally figuring it out.
What tool, object, or ritual could you not live without in your workday?
Tea and music and light.
“Your success and failure are completely in your hands, with every minute decision.”
What did you want to be when you were a child?
I wanted to be a writer, and a dinosaur, and a police officer (briefly).
What characteristic do you most admire in other creative women?
Discipline. It’s one thing to write every day—that’s already hard enough. But to complete something that you’re proud of, consistently, is a hard thing to do. I’ve started so many writing projects that I will never finish, just because I get discouraged or lazy or bored. I admire other creative women who say, “I’m going to finish no matter how horrible this piece of shit is.”
What does success mean to you?
Being comfortable and happy creating what I love on a consistent basis.
What is your favorite thing about your workspace?
That it’s ever-changing. I rotate between my home desk, Starbucks, a coffee shop/restaurant down the street from my house, a café downtown, and the library in my building. I need variation or to feel like I’m stepping into somewhere where others are being productive. It feels like community work that way.
Has learning from a mistake ever led you to success?
I’ve had several moments where I completely put faith in someone else’s instincts (because I thought they were more knowledgeable) and set aside my own. When I stopped doing that, I started to educate myself and became more confident in my creative business decisions.
Name a fear or professional challenge that keeps you up at night.
Being labeled as a bad writer.
In moments of self-doubt or adversity, how do you build yourself back up?
I remind myself that I’m doing what I love and that I’m building up others whom I love too.
What quotation or saying inspires and motivates you to be yourself and do what you love?
Our family mantra: “Give to your world the best, and the best will come back to you.”
Which of your traits are you most proud of?
My empathy.
What’s the hardest thing about being your own boss that isn’t obvious?
That your success and failure are completely in your hands, with every minute decision.
What tool, object, or ritual could you not live without in your workday?
I have to check what’s happening in the world (news and gossip) before putting my phone aside and focusing. Otherwise, I have FOMO.
“Treat others as you would want to be treated.”
What did you want to be when you were a child?
A ballerina.
What characteristic do you most admire in other creative women?
Fearlessness. It takes courage to stick to your own vision.
If you were given $100 million, would you run your business any differently?
I would endow free admission at the museum.
What is the biggest sacrifice you’ve made in your career/line of work?
I don’t consider it a sacrifice to work in the arts, but rather a privilege. The one thing I do wish I had is more time to just think.
In moments of self-doubt or adversity, how do you build yourself back up?
A healthy amount of professional distance helps you see adversity as a temporary state. It helps to step back from the problem, analyze it, and move on.
What is your personal or professional motto?
Treat others as you would want to be treated.
What does the world need more of? Less of?
Tolerance. Greed.
“When you start your own business, it’s an enormous amount of work and worry. But I don’t know if I would call that sacrifice. Buy the ticket, take the ride.”
What did you want to be when you were a child?
The first thing I can remember wanting to be, besides a cowboy, was a lawyer. I remember the moment, in second grade, but I don’t know where the impulse came from.
What was the best piece of business advice you were given when you were starting out?
I had no idea what I was doing in the beginning, so I sought out a lot of advice. I cold-called Chip Conley (Chip founded Joie de Vivre Hotels and is now the VP of Global Hospitality for Airbnb) because I had read about him in a hotel trade magazine, and asked if he would look at my business plan, which was really just a stack of papers full of wide-eyed conjecture. When he met with me, which was miraculous in and of itself, I had no way to grasp any of the words or concepts that he was using to review my financial assumptions. I had been throwing hopeful darts at a board. Learning to read financial statements and understand cash flow is the only way to keep the doors of a young business open, and it was the most important thing I learned. No matter how creative you are, your thing won’t work if you don’t understand what makes a business work—and a business is what you want to start.
What’s the biggest sacrifice you’ve made in starting or running your business?
I had a lot of sleepless nights, wondering if I could keep the ship afloat. When you start your own business, it’s an enormous amount of work and worry. But I don’t know if I would call that sacrifice. Buy the ticket, take the ride.
What does success mean to you?
For me, success is doing what I get to do. To travel, to meet and work with the most interesting people, to be curious about what people manufacture with their minds and hands, and to make a livelihood out of good design and being a good host.
Name the biggest overall lesson you’ve learned in running a business.
It’s been said before, but people are your biggest asset. There is no way that you can be everywhere at once, and you wouldn’t want to be. Put the right people in the right place and your job becomes easier. And you have so much to learn from them, thank God. It takes a village.
Has learning from a mistake ever led you to success?
They say in the hospitality industry that more people will remember you for righting a mistake than for having a seamless experience from beginning to end. Mistakes will be made. If you can recover from those mistakes, treat people like you hope they would treat you, then
everybody wins.
In moments of self-doubt or adversity, how do you build yourself back up?
There have been tough times all along. I think you just slog through and remind yourself of the vision and the passion and why you are doing what you do in the first place. You read and study. So many people have gone before us, with so much adversity. Brave the storm.
What quotation or saying inspires and motivates you to be yourself and do what you love?
“Some people will tell you that slow is good, but I’m here to tell you that fast is better. I’ve always believed this, in spite of the trouble it’s caused me. Being shot out of a cannon will always be better than being squeezed out of a tube. That is why God made fast motorcycles, Bubba.”
—Hunter S. Thompson
At what point in your life did you first learn about your field of work? What called you to it?
I remember going to a hotel in downtown Odessa with my grandfather. He was a rancher, so he didn’t have a proper office, and he would take his meetings in the best hotel downtown. A place that offered shoeshines and the Sunday paper. I was tiny—four or five—and he loved having me with him. There were leather couches, and cigar smoke, and men talking business, and deals were sealed with a handshake. My mother loved hotels too. We would go to big cities, and there was an entire ritual around the hotel. I think they both instilled the love of hotels in me.
What is your personal or professional motto?
“Make hay while the sun shines,” something my grandmother told me.
Where were you when you came up with the idea for your business or discovered what you wanted to do?
I remember exactly. I was a lawyer, a trial lawyer, in Texas. A good friend of mine, Tony Winik, was dying of AIDS. My brother had been recently diagnosed with HIV, which was a death sentence at the time. He was my North Star. I was taking a shower in a hotel room in San Francisco, and I thought, I have to do what matters for me in life—it’s not worth playing it safe, I have to take a risk, no matter what the consequence. I had no idea what I was doing, but I got out of that shower and I was resolved. I went back to Austin and knocked on the door of the San Jose Motel, which I had been staring at out of the window from a barstool for months.
What is your no-fail go-to when you need inspiration or to get out of a creative rut?
Travel. Even if it’s just down the block. Or farther. Always go farther. Change your environment, take a trip, go see what other people are doing.
“I admire authenticity and conviction.”
What did you want to be when you were a child?
I loved dancing and performing when I was a child and distinctly remember demanding my family watch me dance. But I actually became shyer and more self-conscious as I got older. Fashion didn’t manifest as anything distinct until much later.
What characteristic do you most admire in other creative women?
Authenticity and conviction.
What does success mean to you?
That’s hard to define, as it’s difficult to quantify success. But if I think about those times when I feel I have communicated successfully, it is somehow gauged with the respect of my peers, in particular with people/designers I respect and look up to. I also teach and can see my work influence a younger generation. Of course, success in my line of work is when I have been able to get the balance right between a fantastic idea and its commercial success.
What is your favorite thing about your workspace?
The big blank wall at the start of each season.
In moments of self-doubt or adversity, how do you build yourself back up?
There isn’t one thing that I do; I think it’s a collection of things that gets me through. I practice meditation and have been doing that for around ten years. I should do it every day, but during times when I am really struggling, I practice every day and it’s an enormous source of comfort and motivation. Also, I rely heavily on my friends and family. I retreat into a space where I can access a sense of scale and perspective, as that is often what I struggle with during those difficult times.
What is your personal or professional motto?
You can’t please all the people all the time (professional).
What’s the hardest thing about being your own boss that isn’t obvious?
Keeping a calm exterior in front of your team when things feel like they are going tits up.
What is your no-fail go-to when you need inspiration or to get out of a creative rut?
The library.
What does the world need more of? Less of?
More freethinkers, fewer corporations.
“Avoid overthinking and allow yourself to be wrong.”
What did you want to be when you were a child?
I wanted to be a fashion designer. I’m sure a lot of young girls did at that time. It was peak ’80s: Punky Brewster, Madonna, and Denise Huxtable were a major influence on me. Looking back, I’m glad to have had the encouragement to be different. It really stuck with me.
What was the best piece of business advice you were given when you were starting out?
“Just because you don’t like it, doesn’t mean someone won’t like it.” A jewelry teacher said this about a piece I was most likely cringing over. I go back and forth about this advice. Is it cynical or mature? On one hand, I would like to think I’ve never put forth a piece of jewelry I wouldn’t wear myself. On the other hand, some weaker designs, over time, have grown on me and become the strongest. I think the important thing is to avoid overthinking and allow yourself to be wrong.
What is your favorite thing about your workspace?
I owe everything to my workspace. I am very lucky that it is nestled within a community of small creative businesses, mostly run by women my age. We have separate studios, but we share the beautiful outdoor areas and often ideas, meals, and resources. When I moved in, jewelry was more of a hobby than a business. The talent, wisdom, and energy that surround me have pushed me to grow and been a source of support throughout the process.
What is the biggest sacrifice you’ve made in starting or running your business?
An unexpected sacrifice has been losing a version of myself that I quite liked: the employee. Working within a team to please a boss had its advantages. I got to design all day. I am much less effective running things by myself and often do more admin than design. There is always so much to learn and no one to enforce deadlines or thank you at the end of the day. But eventually, success, in the bigger picture, replaced all those things.
What does success mean to you?
Success has always been a moving target for me. I guess that is human nature. Sometimes, in a surprise respite, I can see how far I’ve come and force myself to feel successful for a minute. With more age and experience I hope those moments last longer and come more naturally.
Name the biggest overall lesson you’ve learned in running a business.
To not take things personally. With creative work, it is especially hard to extract your feelings and operate on a purely business level. It is an enormous relief once you do, though. I find that if you feel offended by someone, it’s helpful to imagine their boss yelling at them. For example, at my first trade show, I was so disappointed every time someone overlooked my booth. It still stings a bit, but I started imagining the buyer’s day from a business perspective. There is a set amount of hours, set amount of designers, and set budget. How can visiting my booth make their job easier?
Has learning from a mistake ever led you to success?
In the beginning, I didn’t think to hire people who knew more than I did. I thought being a leader meant knowing the most. This all changed when I was pregnant with my son. I was forced to delegate everything and found that there was no end to what I could learn from the people helping me. It has become essential for me to step back and see what other skills and talents colleagues and coworkers bring to the table.
In moments of self-doubt or adversity, how do you build yourself back up?
I meet with someone, in person, who supports my business. Getting out of the studio, getting out of my head, and seeing the busy city at work, in motion, is a surefire source of both encouragement and inspiration.
In your opinion, what are the top three things someone should consider before starting a business?
Before anyone starts a creative business, I urge them to consider how much administration is required each day. That saying “Find something you love and you’ll never have to work again” is a bit false. If you find something you love, you will have to work on selling it, shipping it, and following up on e-mails to get paid for it. I also encourage people to imagine their business through the different stages of their life. What if you move to another state or have a child? And finally, are they prepared for success?
What does the world need more of?
The world needs more people who help creative people start small businesses. There are so many creative people bursting with ideas but with no financial or legal support to start their business properly.
What is your no-fail go-to when you need inspiration or to get out of a creative rut?
I am willing to bet that riding the New York City subway can deliver inspiration to almost anyone in any field.
What’s your favorite thing to come home to after a long day of work?
My husband, son, dog, and refrigerator.
“Allow time and life to develop. Things don’t happen overnight.”
What was the best piece of business advice you were given when you were starting out?
In the beginning, as a potter making functional work, I struggled to know how to price the pieces. I wanted to be compensated for the great amount of time it took to produce the pot but was concerned about what people would be willing to pay for something that they used, as opposed to “sculpture.” My dear friend who is a fine jeweler said that after adding in costs, you have to come up with a price that feels good in your heart. I have followed that advice ever since.
What does success mean to you?
Success means that I can make pots I believe in and that people can enjoy in their environments. I send work around the world. It makes me incredibly happy to think that my customers use my pottery every day and that perhaps it makes their lives a bit more beautiful.
Has learning from a mistake ever led you to success?
Ceramics is trial and error, and every firing is an experiment of sorts. Mistakes are an essential part of the process. This starts with the throwing—the clay often takes you into a form that you had not planned. The firing, the glazing, these are elements that are somewhat out of your control. But, at the end of the day, this is what I find most appealing about the art form. I like being only a part of the result and leaving a bit up to chance as well.
What quotation or saying inspires and motivates you to be yourself and do what you love?
“Rome was not built in a day.” That seems to cover just about every aspect of what I do. Meaning, allow time and life to develop. Things such as relationships, work, and goals don’t happen overnight.
At what point in your life did you first learn about your field of work? What called you to it?
I have an undergraduate and graduate degree in art history and was familiar with ceramics and civilization. I have always made work with my hands and had a garden. When we moved out to Connecticut full-time with our infant daughter, I wanted to make pots myself to unify the garden, cooking, and making work with my hands.
Which of your traits are you most proud of?
Perseverance.
What is your personal or professional motto?
“A row is a row is a row.” This is an adaptation of Gertrude Stein’s “A rose is a rose is a rose.” I used to knit all the time. If I picked up the needle and knit a row, then I would be that much closer to completion. I use this as a metaphor for accomplishing tasks of every description. People often look for great swathes of time; however, I think things get finished beautifully in steps, especially in ceramics and gardening.
Name a woman (or women), past or present, whom you admire or look up to.
I admire artists like Louise Bourgeois or Lucie Rie. But the women I most admire are my friends, people whom I really know. I have respect for the things they do and the efforts they make on a daily basis. And I am grateful for their friendship.
“In that slowing-down, I find the space where writing happens.”
What did you want to be when you were a child?
According to my father, I once said that I wanted to be a neighborhood ice cream vendor with a truck called “Ice Cream Lady.” I recall always wanting to be a writer.
What was the best piece of business advice you were given when you were starting out?
One piece of advice that rings true and that I would pass on to other writers: Read, read, read widely and every day; that’s the generative source for all of one’s subsequent work. It’s important here to acknowledge that the habit of reading may be difficult for many to enter (even for authors) because it requires one to slow down. But in that slowing-down, I find the space where writing happens.
What is your favorite thing about your workspace?
I have been moving a lot in recent years, but in all the houses where I’ve lived I’ve been lucky to have a window in my writing space. A window—the natural light that comes through—has always been my favorite.
What does success mean to you?
A poet at her desk writing the next piece.
Name a fear or professional challenge that keeps you up at night.
One does not make much money from poetry; therefore, a poet teaches, or finds a job that will allow time to write. I perpetually fear underemployment or being in a job that affords little time and concentration to write.
Name the biggest overall lesson you’ve learned in running a business.
I’ve come to see the wisdom of working on my writing every day. This isn’t easy. My natural inclination is to not write. But I can admit now that the act of “writing every day” encompasses so much that seems like inactivity, such as idleness and thinking; it encompasses reading and engaging with other art forms. I jot down words on my way to catch a bus, or I’ll stop a conversation to record a thought. I carry a notebook, or make use of the Notes app on my iPhone. I’ll write down phrases, bits of overheard speech, images, anything worthy of a poem or essay. I’ll collect these in a magpie style for later assembling.
Has learning from a mistake ever led you to success?
I am what is called a late bloomer. My first full-length book will be out in 2016. I meet people who expect me to have four books in the world already, perhaps because I am almost forty years of age. I am not prolific, and I work at a slow pace. The mistake I’ve made is doubting my pacing, and the work itself, though with maturity I have been able to quell those doubts so as to move forward.
In moments of self-doubt or adversity, how do you build yourself back up?
Perhaps I am first answering the reverse of this question. When something good happens in my writing life—say I win a fellowship or award—not too much time passes before little doubts begin feasting on my happiness, and my sense of self or accomplishment turns up dusty, moth-eaten. They made an error, the voices will say, or They gave such-and-such award to your work only because you’re Latina. Those kinds of doubts. My poet husband has encouraged me to say yes to yes.
“All mistakes teach us something, so there are, in reality, no mistakes. Just things we learn.”
What did you want to be when you were a child?
I hate to answer like this, but I don’t think I made any plans when I was little. I liked to read and I always wanted to travel. I am a space geek, so I always thought going into space would be wonderful.
What characteristic do you most admire in other creative women?
Quietness. I admire those who can sit and watch.
What does success mean to you?
Completing the project. Since I am my first reader, I have to be content that I have done my best.
What is your favorite thing about your workspace?
The photographs. I collect antiques, but I also have family photos. I write in a small space because I like small spaces. I like the tucked-in feeling.
If you were given $100 million, would you run your business any differently? How so?
That’s quite a bit of money. And since I am a writer, not a product, I would probably enjoy the travel—I’ve never been to the Australian Open, and I’d like to go to Sweden. I suppose I could buy caviar, but I don’t eat caviar anymore because I finally realized the eggs belonged to a female like me. And I am not in any particular need so I’d probably find reasons to be of financial help to folk if I could be.
Has learning from a mistake ever led you to success?
Mistakes are a fact of life; they are building blocks, stepping-stones, the way we learn new things. Columbus wasn’t looking for a New World, he was searching for a route to spices. All mistakes teach us something, so there are, in reality, no mistakes. Just things we learn.
In moments of self-doubt or adversity, how do you build yourself back up?
I so seldom doubt myself. If I have questions, I seek answers; if I don’t find answers, I keep my computer off and my mouth closed.
Which of your traits are you most proud of?
I am persistent. I will complete the job. I push on.
What’s the hardest thing about being your own boss that isn’t obvious?
I really love being my own boss because I can run things the way I want. I have three indispensable folks who help me and upon whom I totally depend for their expertise.
Where were you when you came up with the idea for your business or discovered what you wanted to do?
I am a writer and more, a Southerner. We all tell stories. I love reading and talking. I think I started knowing I have a talent when a teacher, Miss Delaney, passed around a paper of mine to other teachers and they commented positively on it.
What does the world need more of?
The world needs more patience, but honesty could help a bit too.
“Women are the eyes and ears of the universe.”
What did you want to be when you were a child?
I wanted to be an astronomer. The word on the street (aka my mom) says my first word was star.
What is your favorite thing about your workspace?
My workspace doesn’t have an opinion. It’s comfortable and loves to listen.
What does success mean to you?
Look at the people around you—your family, colleagues, and friends. If they’re eating, safe, and happy, then I believe you’re successful.
What characteristic do you most admire in other creative women?
The female perspective, in general, is to be admired. We are the eyes and ears of the universe.
What is the biggest sacrifice you’ve made in your career/line of work?
Love.
Name a fear or professional challenge that keeps you up at night.
I struggle with maintaining authenticity in an industry that thrives on the commerce of art.
In moments of self-doubt or adversity, how do you build yourself back up?
I remember that it doesn’t exist.
Which of your traits are you most proud of?
My “spirit of discernment.” We all go off vibes, but I can decide if I’m going to vibe with someone within the first ten seconds of meeting a person.
What tool, object, or ritual could you not live without in your workday?
My laptop. She’s the air that I breathe.
If you were magically given three more hours per day, what would you do with them?
Exactly what Beyoncé does with them.
What quotation or saying inspires and motivates you to be yourself and do what you love?
“Big GRRRL Small World.”
“The world needs more consciousness, less greed.”
What did you want to be when you were a child?
I wanted to be an artist, fashion designer, or interior designer.
What was the best piece of business advice you were given when you were starting out? (Or a piece of advice you’re glad you ignored?)
I was encouraged to take every possible opportunity. It was when I stopped taking that advice and gave energy only to the right opportunities that things really started to take off for me. Trying to entertain every possible opportunity can really waste a lot of time and energy.
Name a fear or professional challenge that keeps you up at night.
Managing growth and the idea of losing my current team or having to grow the team and not finding the right people are things that I worry about.
Name the biggest overall lesson you’ve learned in running a business.
I have really learned how to deal with anything in a calm and nonreactionary way. There are so many decisions I have to make and so many unforeseen obstacles or problems or opportunities that end up crossing your path when you are running a business. I have learned that it’s really important to take care of yourself and be in tune with who you are and what you want and stand for, so that decision-making can come quicker and second-guessing isn’t a problem.
At what point in your life did you first learn about your field of work? What called you to it?
Design just seemed like such a better place for my art than the art world. I had an art degree, but making a painting for one person to have in their house on the wall seemed frivolous. It felt more magnanimous to make things that are reproducible and can be enjoyed by more than one person.
Name your greatest success (or something you’re most proud of) in your business experiences.
I am really proud that we can associate what we do with a cause and have introduced our love and care for the environment into our brand messages and our products and materials.
What does the world need more of? Less of?
More consciousness, less greed.
Which of your traits are you most proud of?
Being able to change and get better.
What tool, object, or ritual could you not live without in your workday?
Yoga, meditation, light, tidiness, my pen and tablet.
Name a woman (or women), past or present, whom you admire or look up to.
Georgia O’Keeffe. I love how she lived on her own out in the desert. I love that she ate the same breakfast every day and had her own chef. I love that she lived to almost one hundred years old doing the same thing each day out in nature, and I love her wrinkles and her natural style. Her home and her uniqueness. I admire how she lived more than how she worked. She was so true to exactly how she wanted to live and be.
“We’ve got to reverse our throwaway culture.”
What did you want to be when you were a child?
First, an archaeologist. I wanted to discover a new pyramid! Then a weather girl, then a fashion designer, then I just started being an artist!
What was the best piece of business advice you were given when you were starting out?
Before I got into ceramics, I was making hats and scarves for Barneys. I made some bed-size throws, and I laid one out and took a picture of it straight on. Soon after, I visited my sister in New York and met her friend Bob Bauman at a party. He turned out to be the head shoe buyer at Saks for thirty years, so he knew a thing or two. I showed him my picture of the throw, and he said, “Never just show the product. Always show the lifestyle.” I got it, and I’ve been doing it ever since.
What is your favorite thing about your workspace?
The people! My ceramic workspace is r.wood studio, where I go mostly every day. You can’t find more intelligent, creative, funny, sweet, and helpful people anywhere. We all have such a good time hanging out and working together to get that r.wood order out the door! It’s a wonderful, nurturing, supportive community.
If you were given $100 million, would you run your business any differently? How so?
I think we’d still run it the same, but I can tell you right now we’d insulate and put in heat and air-conditioning. And hire a full-time gardener and chef to grow food and flowers and fix our lunch. Plus, I’d buy everyone a place in the country!
Name the biggest overall lesson you’ve learned in running a business.
Always be honest with the customer and make them happy.
Has learning from a mistake ever led you to success?
In the beginning, I sold to very few stores, but some were high-profile clients. They always said they would pay net sixty days, but it was more like six months, or never. I had had bad experiences with a couple of big-name stores already. Even though they owed less than $2,000, it was ruining my finances trying to hang on. I was so strung out financially from it all that when Neiman Marcus called and wanted to place a $30,000 order, I basically told them “No way!” The buyer, Bill Mackin, asked me to figure out how much money I would need to fulfill that size order in two months. Just to see, I totaled up all the materials, workers, and equipment I’d have to acquire before I could do it, and it was $19,000. I called Bill Mackin and said it would take $19,000, and he said, “What if I front you the $19,000?” I was still somewhat skeptical, but I told him I’d do it. Sure enough, the check came in the mail and we got started. Having that advance allowed us to instantly boost our production with more kilns, workers, and supplies. From then on, we could do a $30,000 order, so our potential was greatly increased, and I’m so thankful for Bill.
In moments of self-doubt or adversity, how do you build yourself back up?
Get in nature.
At what point in your life did you first learn about your field of work? What called you to it?
Even though I was into crafts of all kinds growing up, I was never interested in ceramics. All the pottery I ever saw was at craft fairs, and it was all dark brown or a dull blue-gray. I couldn’t figure out why potters were stuck on those dreadful colors. Later in life I learned about colorful glazes, and then I started to get more interested.
Name your greatest success (or something you’re most proud of) in your business experiences.
Spawning workers who leave r.wood studio to start their own successful businesses.
In your opinion, what are the top three things someone should consider before starting a business?
After attending trade shows and seeing the amount of stuff soon to end up in landfills—and by that I mean products that are frivolous and not meant to last, or so trendy they’ll be over in six months—I think you have to ask yourself, “Is my product just going to end up a burden on mother earth? Is my product recyclable or is it made to last? Is the packaging recyclable?” Look at the carbon footprint. We’ve got to reverse our throwaway culture.
Name a woman (or women), past or present, whom you admire or look up to.
Björk.
“In a world where so many are trying to be like the majority, it’s refreshing to see women, courageously, own who they are.”
What did you want to be when you were a child?
A Broadway actor. The first play I saw on Broadway was Bubbling Brown Sugar, and I was eleven years old. I was intrigued by the actors, the stage, the costumes, the singing. I loved it all, and I wanted to be a part of it.
What characteristic do you most admire in other creative women?
Their ability to be comfortable with their uniqueness, be it their ideas that are out of the box, their fashion sense, their overall quirkiness, or just their confident sense of self. In a world where so many are trying to be like the majority, it’s refreshing to see women, courageously, own who they are.
What does success mean to you?
Food has been at the center of my life for over twenty-five years. Years ago I realized that I was making a living, albeit meager, doing exactly what I loved to do. Success to me is loving something enough to fail at it repeatedly until you get relatively good at it.
What is your favorite thing about your workspace?
When I think about it, I have two workspaces—my kitchen and my dining room table. My dining room table in D.C. is where I do crafts. The dining room is small, but it has three windows that let the morning and afternoon light in. The table is just a big ol’ seven-foot wooden table that can hold everything I need.
In moments of self-doubt or adversity, how do you build yourself back up?
I get quiet, and I meditate. I ask myself, “What do I need to learn here?” I know that on the other side of self-doubt or adversity there is victory. The “me” who emerges will be a little stronger and stand a little taller than the “me” who had doubt.
What is the biggest sacrifice you’ve made in your career/line of work?
Because I work in the food and hospitality world, I’m working when most people are celebrating. I’m also a career changer, so my career didn’t really get going until I was in my late thirties, early forties. This was during the time most of my friends were settling down and having families of their own. I, on the other hand, felt like I had some catching up to do in my newly chosen field. I worked seven days a week and fourteen to sixteen hours a day. I missed a lot of family events and I didn’t date a lot.
What is your personal or professional motto?
If you’re gonna do it, do it with love. I make the decision to have a good attitude about pretty much everything I do.
What’s the hardest thing about being your own boss that isn’t obvious?
The lack of an employee annual review. There are times when I would welcome a report card from a third party.
What would you tell yourself ten to twenty years ago that you wish you knew then?
Being patient, without judgment, makes you a good employer and employee.
What quotation inspires and motivates you to be yourself and do what you love?
“Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen.” —Brené Brown
Where were you when you came up with the idea for your business or discovered what you wanted to do?
The decision to change my catering company to a cookie company (now cookies and desserts) was the result of deciding to do Top Chef All-Stars. I was burned out on catering, and it was suggested that I use the show as part of my business plan. I wasn’t sure what that next step was, so in the heat of the moment, I chose petite cookies, which were already a small part of the catering business. The idea of focusing my attention on one thing and doing it well appealed to me.
What’s the first thing you do every morning to start your day on the right foot?
I say the following affirmations: God goes before me making things smooth and easy; clearing my way. No person, place, or thing or outside condition can affect me. I am power. I am worthy. I am free. I am creative. I am unique. I am confident. And so it is.
What does the world need more of? Less of?
The world needs more face-to-face conversation, perhaps over a meal, so we can really get to know each other without assumptions. The world needs fewer sound bites where those assumptions are formed.
“I named my company Louise Fili Ltd because I wanted to send a message, which was this: if you have a problem with my being female, then I don’t want you as a client.”
What did you want to be when you were a child?
A novelist. I would write the first chapter, then stop and design the jacket, then move on to the next one.
What was the best piece of business advice you were given when you were starting out?
Get paid up front.
What is your favorite thing about your workspace?
I am very fortunate that my life and work are one and the same. My studio is a walk-in archive of all the restaurant menus, business cards, matchbooks, and specialty food packages I have designed, as well as many posters and flea market finds from decades of traveling in Italy and France. Surrounded by objects that I treasure, I always feel at home, and in this environment I am routinely transported to Europe. This is a workplace where I feel just as comfortable cooking lunch for staff or clients as I do designing.
Has learning from a mistake ever led you to success?
A junior designer once made a $10,000 printing error on a job simply by not taking the time to ask me one question. Fortunately, the printer didn’t make me pay, but instead invited me to design a promotion for him, which became one of my favorite pieces.
At what point in your life did you first learn about your field of work? What called you to it?
Even before I knew what graphic design was, I knew it was something that I wanted to do. When I was growing up, this term was hardly in use; it was known instead as the very unsexy commercial art. At age sixteen, I sent away for an Osmiroid pen advertised in the back of The New Yorker and taught myself calligraphy; I would soon be running a relatively lucrative business making illuminated manuscripts of Bob Dylan lyrics for classmates. Once I got to college I discovered that everything I was interested in—type, calligraphy, making books—was in fact graphic design.
Name your greatest success (or something you’re most proud of) in your business experiences.
When I was working on my monograph, I made a vow to myself that when the book was finished, I would take a month off and go to the American Academy in Rome to work on a personal project. I had been photographing shop and restaurant signs all over Italy for over three decades, while watching many of the most beautiful specimens disappear, so I felt a sense of urgency to put them into a book, and therefore return to rephotograph as many as possible before it was too late. After that month, I returned three more times to Italy in that same year in order to finish the book. Even though this was not a smart move in terms of my business, it was well worth it. This project gave me the most pleasure of anything I have ever worked on.
Which of your traits are you most proud of?
When I started my business, it was the pre-Google era, which meant that when you named your company, you couldn’t get too creative. After all, people had to find you. I knew I had to name it after myself, which could have been a liability. I suppose that I could have come up with something like “Fili Associates” to look bigger and more important. In the end I chose Louise Fili Ltd because I really wanted to send a message, which was this: if you have a problem with my being female, then I don’t want you as a client.
Where were you when you came up with the idea for your business or discovered what you wanted to do?
When my son was born, I took a standard three-month maternity leave, with every intention of returning to my job as an art director at a publishing house. On my first day back, I looked around and thought, I don’t want to be here. The next day I started my business.
What is your no-fail go-to when you need inspiration or to get out of a creative rut?
That’s easy. I take a trip to Italy.
What tool, object, or ritual could you not live without in your workday?
I have two gelato clients, and part of our arrangement is that there is always gelato and sorbetto at the studio. It never fails to keep staff and clients happy.
What’s the first thing you do every morning to start your day on the right foot?
Walk to work. It helps clear my head.
