{"id":54861,"date":"2017-02-20T16:01:45","date_gmt":"2017-02-20T21:01:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.uncommongoods.com\/?p=54861"},"modified":"2017-02-21T10:03:53","modified_gmt":"2017-02-21T15:03:53","slug":"eliza-todd-maker-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uncommongoods.com\/blog\/2017\/eliza-todd-maker-story\/","title":{"rendered":"Spread the Word: A Conversation with Eliza Todd about Art, Language, and Life"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Life By Definition Whiskey Glasses <\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

For Eliza Todd<\/a>, creating art is so much more than a career. “It’s a way of figuring out life,” the artist says. On a plot of conserved prairie, the Illinois maker creates her one-of-a-kind designs<\/a> from calendars to dining ware. Most days, she wakes up at 4:30 a.m. and works up to 14 hours, taking breaks for walks with her husband or to spend time with her two sons. “I’m still in the process of turning this into a life\u2026 For years I didn’t do art.\u201d Twenty of them to be exact. She was in the computer industry, but when her younger son was born, Eliza stayed home and decided to go back to her artistic roots. “It\u2019s a risk. Like anything when you try something new, putting myself out there was terrifying.” For her first project, she gathered blocks of wood and covered them with a thick resin that created a cool effect. Other people thought they were pretty cool, too, and so she took her works to some local Lake County shop owners who immediately fell for the designs as well. “It was scary,\u201d she said, \u201cbut fortunately, worth it.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Eliza Todd<\/p><\/div>\n

The more Eliza practiced, the more her creativity wheels spun, and they\u2019ve taken her from local painter to national glassware designer. It’s a love story that began, as many of them do, with words. “I started collecting these antiquated words,\u201d she recalls. \u201cSome of them are morbid or sick. Some are from the 1800s or 1600s. It was a dark time! But there’s a lot that are really interesting or funny or beautiful. I leaned toward the positive and collected them in a journal.” Then she thought, “I need to incorporate these into art!” The first word she really took to was efflorescence, a word she describes as “blooming, coming into your own.\u201d Then came crapulous which, Eliza admits, still makes her giggle. The adjective means “tipsy,\u201d which made her think, \u201cThis would be perfect on a glass.\u201d<\/p>\n

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“Crapulous” is featured in Eliza’s Life By Definition Beer Glasses<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

After sharing the idea with friends, and receiving many positive reactions, she decided to submit a sample. Tiffany Jyang<\/a>, Senior Product Developer at UncommonGoods recalls the first time she saw Eliza\u2019s designs. \u201cShe pitched the idea of definitional beer glasses<\/a>, and both the buyer and Product Development team immediately liked the weird words that she had found and \u2018collected.\u2019 Together, the words made a fun, quirky statement that any beer drinker could relate to.\u201d The excitement is reciprocated by Eliza. \u201cCollaborating with UncommonGoods has been wonderful. I originally thought about putting graphics or adding other elements to the glasses, but, together, we came to the decision to let the words speak for themselves. It made the designs stronger, simpler,\u201d Eliza said. “And they sold out! That\u2019s when I knew I was on to something.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eliza’s dog, Champ, keeps her company in the studio<\/p><\/div>\n

Eliza’s studio is decorated with postcards designed by her sons. Each postcard displays a positive word.<\/p><\/div>\n

Eliza has always loved language and words, but to see that others are just as drawn to them has made her feel incredibly connected to the world. “At the risk of being overly dramatic, I’d say words are life,” she said. We talked a lot about words together, both their ability to capture an inexplicable emotion and to spark joy, but also their ability to damage. We agreed that words are more important now than ever. “Words help to create reality. They set the stage for our future,\u201d she said. Whether it\u2019s in a good book, or on a funny glass, sometimes a kind word can transform a day. Eliza hopes her designs do just that for the people who buy them. \u201cAs long as my art is touching people in a positive way, it allows me to follow through with my intentions.\u201d<\/p>\n

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