 HABITMADE STUDIOS.
A Casual Interview with the Artisan, Desiree Raywood
What is your craft, creative endeavor?
I am most at home with rural, country crafts; penny rugs, hooked rugs, knitting and needlepoint. With a nod to colonial times coupled with modern-day whimsy, my creations
tend toward the rustic, primitive, practical, and sweetly pretty.
Have you worked in other creative areas before the kind of work you're doing now?
I do believe that everyone has the capacity to create! For me, it began with an artist-mum who was generous with her time, talent and
big box of crayons. Arts and Crafts was a most-favorite activity at home, school and summer camp, it always was and still is.
As an adult, my real-life job -- a marketing and publicity professional in the music business -- requires me to nurture artists, to keep them on a focused path toward career goals
(much like asking cats to walk in a parade) and to provide the sort of nuts-and-bolt support a truly gifted artist often needs. It is natural, therefore, for me to balance the desk-jockey
part of my day with an equally challenging creative endeavor of my own. I am self-taught. I like to make things grow.
Is there a story behind the name of your shop?
Yes! Here's the timeline - interpret as you will. I spent many years working with iconic Seattle band Pearl Jam. I have spent countless hours listening to their music, both professionally and personally.
Eddie Vedder wrote a song called Habit. I named my fledging consultant business Habit Artist Services. Habitmade Studios followed quickly on its heels as the name for my Arts and Crafts alter-ego.
Habitmade is wink-and-a-nod to Handmade. A Habit is an acquired pattern of behavior. And a phenomenal rock song.
Do you work alone? With a team? What is your process?
I work alone. My family and friends are treated to bountiful presentations of my work on holidays and birthdays. (They aren't complaining!)
My time is my own and my goal is to reach the end of each evening able to declare 'today was a good day'. Achieving that goal involves accomplishment.
It is wonderful to begin a project, work a project, and finish a project. I can't imagine spending the day any other way.
Where do you sell your work?
Etsy is my online storefront. Habitmade Studios
A small cottage on my property is my Studio where I sell by appointment and consult for custom orders.
Sometime soon I plan to have enough extra cash to set up a booth at national craft shows... ahhhh, a girl can dream.
Do you have any favorite handmade shops or sellers you'd like to recommend?
Of course! There is a young woman in Paris who is a painter. Anne-Julie Aubry. I find the dark whimsy of her pieces truly appealing. You can find her on Etsy.
The Nebulous Kingdom
There is my mum, who is a painter and maker of extraordinary hooked rugs. Her pieces can be found in galleries and curated museum shows. Most recently, the Atea Ring Gallery in Westport NY and the Shelburne Museum in Burlington VT.
A few select pieces can be found for sale on her Etsy storefront: Post Modern Primitives.
What inspires and motivates you?
Color! There is a definite color palette that defines what I consider to be beautiful. My flower gardens reflect the same color scheme as the walls of my house and the wool I
select to craft with, knit with, and wear. Earth tones, vibrant gold, forest green, quiet gray.
What's the first piece you designed and crafted?
My Dog Princess - the Penny Rug ornament. She is the first in the Cast of Characters. My dog Princess is a total character and is never more than 10 inches from my side.
She is also very busy and certainly deserves to be memorialized as a penny rug ornament! My Dog Princess has pride of place each year on my own country Christmas tree.
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