The Road to Surtex 2023
My journey to Surtex 2023 has been a long time in the making. I dreamed of being a textile designer before I knew what a textile designer even was. I remember saying many years ago (27 to be exact)…”if I could be the person who designs paper and fabric, I would love to do that,” but to be really honest, I thought that job was only for those special people who existed in my dreams.
Jump forward a bit of time, and here I am headed to Surtex, a trade show for textile designers. My dream is to sell my art for commercial use on stationery and home goods. I am quite entrepreneurial and am in constant motion. I thrive in that movement.
Since deciding to invest in this journey, I have had to completely figure out how and where my product will be of use and in what industry. With the loving support of my partner, I took the time I needed to explore my creativity, build a portfolio I am proud of and create a business from the ground up. I have absolutely no idea what the outcome will be, there are no promises or guarantees, but I didn’t set out on this journey for the guarantee. I had that safety at my day job (which I still do by the way, just on a smaller scale), but what I did was devote all of my extra time this past 4 months to really growing into the possibility that this can happen. I have learned so much and wanted to share some tips for anyone out there, thinking of taking the leap.
Nothing about Surtex is set in stone (except that the day will come), there is no one way. There are many routes you can take as a designer, it is your vision. Believe in it and your ability to get there.
You will be told by others who have gone before that it is a good idea to focus on one industry and go from there. I feel, in my lack of experience mind you, that just doesn’t fit. I understand the branding thing, but my goal has never been to be a traditional brand. I have a tendency to be a bit more of an outlier. Many things interest me, the secret is to embrace that part of yourself and work it to your advantage. So how do I make that happen and how can I help you make that happen? I’m not quite sure yet and I’ll keep you posted. For now…
You will have to figure most of it out on your own. You can sign up for classes, tutorials, and seminars, but at the end of the day, that was their journey, you are on your own. Take the information you gain, swish it around, and dig in. The old adage “just start”, really is a thing. The biggest hurdle is to travel through fear and self-doubts. You won’t have all of the answers, ever, but you will learn as you go and you can figure it out.
I still have so many unanswered questions, but that is life. No one will be able to give me absolutes, I just have to trust that I am doing the best I can do with the information I have. I know none of this information is super helpful in this manner, but the point is, if I can figure it out, you can too. I’m certain of it.
The above photos are the stages from pencil and paper to finished product. The artwork on the fabric is my own. Original sketches in my sketch book, to the computer then off to be printed on to fabric. I wanted to create a dress out of my designs to wear at Surtex. This is it. I am by no means a sewist/seamstress/dressmaker/tailor. I usually use my sewing machine for sewing paper and canvas together to create artwork, but just like figuring out how to exhibit at a trade show, you can figure out how to make a dress.
