{"id":38686,"date":"2015-08-07T15:55:53","date_gmt":"2015-08-07T19:55:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.uncommongoods.com\/?p=38686"},"modified":"2018-01-04T15:29:45","modified_gmt":"2018-01-04T20:29:45","slug":"inside-the-artists-studio-with-tricia-wright","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uncommongoods.com\/blog\/2015\/inside-the-artists-studio-with-tricia-wright\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside the Artist’s Studio with Tricia Wright"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"P1040363\"<\/p>\n

I visited Tricia Wright, maker of the Reclaimed Bike Tube Rug<\/a>, and her beautiful home studio in the heart of San Francisco. From bright pop art, mod furniture, to quirky collections – the moment I walked in I knew that I was very much in a designer\u2019s living space. (Times two because – fun fact -her husband is a designer as well!) While her adorable dog, Major, greeted me as I admired her succulent plant collection and charming outdoor deck, she explained how her home has been a work in progress over the past few years. But now, it\u2019s finally at the stage where she\u2019s comfortable with it being as is \u2013 giving her a lot more time to innovate and make \u201cstuff.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\"PicMonkey<\/p>\n

\u201cRugs weren\u2019t always my craft. I bought a loom from Craigslist and actually just learned how to weave this year, \u201d Tricia laughed as she described to me how she “accidentally” got into weaving. A few months back – Tricia noticed she still had a pile of unused bike tubes leftover from an art sculpture she built. And being the sustainable artist that she is – she didn’t want to throw them out. \u201cAt the time \u2013 I didn\u2019t know exactly what I wanted to make. But I knew something great could come from them.\u201d When she finally came up with the idea of making rugs out of the bike tubes, she suggested that her friend who knew how to loom professionally take the tubes. But her friend – who obviously knew about Tricia\u2019s incredible crafty talents and natural DIY finesse \u2013 convinced her that she should definitely learn on her own. When she saw the listing for the wooden loom on Craigslist \u2013 Tricia took it as a sign to stop debating, sign up for local weave classes, and just do it. Six months later, the Reclaimed Bike Tube Rug design was for sale at UncommonGoods.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"P1040374\"<\/p>\n

I was blown\u00a0away by\u00a0Tricia’s home and design space (I mean, who wouldn’t be impressed by a wall of beer bottle caps and an entire shelf collection of old-fashioned irons?), but I was even more inspired by her story. I left with a simple reminder: You can’t be perfect in everything, but you sure can try.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"PicMonkey<\/em><\/p>\n

Get inside the head of Tricia Wright and see how San Francisco inspires her work, how she celebrates the little things, and why she associates herself with the Karate Kid.<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"P1040336\"<\/p>\n

What are your most essential tools?<\/strong>
\nMy bike, my camera, and my shuttle.<\/p>\n

\"P1040371\"<\/p>\n

Where do you find inspiration within this space?<\/strong>
\nThe act of weaving is calming and the repetition allows my mind to both wander and focus, if that makes sense. Things bubble up while I\u2019m weaving. Working the loom leaves room for a lot of subconscious creativity and inspiration.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Where does down time fit into a day in the studio?<\/strong>
\nWell since my studio is in my house there are plenty of distractions or shall we say downtime. Because of the physical nature and repetition of weaving, I force myself to get\u00a0up and stretch. I\u2019m a yoga addict so it\u2019s easy to get up and slip into a couple of stretches which is not something you can easily do in an office. And when the dog wants a belly rub or to go for a walk, I can almost always say \u201clet\u2019s go!\u201d That\u2019s not great for productivity, but it\u2019s great for the dog.<\/p>\n

\"P1040503\"<\/p>\n

It’s a tough life.<\/em><\/p>\n

What was the toughest lesson you learned as a designer starting a business?<\/strong>
\nI have learned so much throughout my career. I\u2019ve gotten better at not only knowing when to trust my own design and design decisions; but I\u2019ve also figured out when I need help. This comes from years of seeing what has and hasn\u2019t worked. I\u2019ve learned it\u2019s important to ask for opinions and help when you\u2019re stuck or when something isn\u2019t coming together quite right. It\u2019s great to have a community of friends to lean on when you need input. No one can have all the right answers.<\/p>\n

\"P1040395\"<\/p>\n

How did you come up with the concept of your product?<\/strong>
\nI didn\u2019t know it as design at the time, but I\u2019ve been designing recycled products since I was a kid. I used to sew and reconfigure Goodwill clothes that \u201cfit\u201d into the strict high school dress code. When I see something being thrown away I go into my typical brainstorm pattern: how can I reuse, repurpose, or remake that thing into something worth not only keeping but enjoying again? This particular product started when I created a sculpture for an art show at our local bike \/coffee shop. The leftover tires from that project were piled on the floor, and they looked so comfortable to walk on. I started thinking about all the spent tubes that end up in landfills, and before I knew it, I had a loom in my studio and was taking weaving lessons from a master textile artist in Berkeley.<\/p>\n

\"PicMonkey<\/p>\n

What advice would you offer the you of 5 years ago?<\/strong>
\nRead more. My sister would say the same thing to me.<\/p>\n

\"P1040459\"<\/p>\n

How do you set goals for yourself?<\/strong>
\nI try to keep my goals to under 3 a day and not get too far down the road mentally. The \u201cfuture list\u201d is too unattainable and can be overwhelming. I have general ideas of future goals but I believe in keeping it simple. My goals are more like daily achievements so I can see that I have accomplished something, even if it\u2019s small.<\/p>\n

\"P1040404\"<\/p>\n

How and when do you decide to celebrate a victory?<\/strong>
\nI have a very supportive family and circle of friends. We don\u2019t make a huge deal out of the wins, but everyone is up for a celebratory beer at the local pub. To be honest, we\u2019re just as likely to go to the pub even if we don\u2019t have anything to celebrate (whoo-hoo, it\u2019s Tuesday!), so maybe that\u2019s not a great answer.<\/p>\n

\"P1040308\"<\/p>\n

What quote keeps you motivated? What does that quote mean to you?<\/strong>
\n\u201cTo do good you actually have to do something.\u201d Yvon Chouinard<\/a><\/p>\n

Action can be louder than words and everyone has a skill that our environment needs. The environment can\u2019t help itself so it\u2019s really up to us as\u00a0a species to use our own skills, whatever they may be. Doing something positive doesn\u2019t have to be monumental; it can be a simple action. If I keep working towards my daily goals for positive change then eventually I\u2019ll look back and I can see what I\u2019ve accomplished and then maybe a bit of good for our world will have come of it all. This idea drives me to action.<\/p>\n

\"P1040475\"<\/p>\n

What are some new skills you are trying to acquire to perfect your craft?<\/strong>
\nHa! Becoming a better weaver will be a life-long process. I was taught by a wonderful weaver and she said just practice and keep doing it. I think of it as a Karate Kid (wax on, wax off<\/a>) process where I hope to someday have all the weaving knowledge.<\/p>\n

\"PicMonkey<\/p>\n

How do you recharge your creativity?<\/strong>
\nEasy – I go outside. One of the best things about working for yourself is you get to take breaks when it makes sense for you. Late afternoon, I find I need to be outside. I live in San Francisco, where I can wander my neighborhood or go for a bike ride by the bay. The city is filled with color – there are great sounds, smells, and flavors. When I come back I\u2019m always happily inspired – you can\u2019t get a much better city.<\/p>\n

\"PicMonkey
\n\"P1040511\"<\/p>\n

Where does collaboration come into play with your craft?<\/strong>
\nI can\u2019t say enough good things about the weavers I work with. They have not only taught me to weave but they really enjoy helping people as teachers and friends. They have been so generous with their time and suggestions, and they are always there when I have a question. I also rely heavily on new perspectives from my core group of friends when I brainstorm design, marketing or sales techniques, or when need a fresh perspective. I am grateful for all the support everyone has given me.<\/p>\n

\"Reclaimed<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tricia Wright started weaving because she didn\u2019t want to see a pile of bike tubes left over from an art sculpture she\u2019d created end up in the trash. Now, Tricia\u2019s turning reclaimed rubber into durable, \u201cwaste negative\u201d rugs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":73,"featured_media":39221,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[743],"tags":[10,910,1523],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uncommongoods.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38686"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uncommongoods.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uncommongoods.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uncommongoods.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/73"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uncommongoods.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38686"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/www.uncommongoods.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38686\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48763,"href":"https:\/\/www.uncommongoods.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38686\/revisions\/48763"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uncommongoods.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39221"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uncommongoods.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38686"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uncommongoods.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38686"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uncommongoods.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38686"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}