An Inspired Chat with Emily Wool of Crozet, VA

Emily Wool shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Good morning Emily, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? What is a normal day like for you right now?
Right now a normal day for me starts off with breakfast + coffee + computer time. It’s a bad habit, but I’ve been hopping on my computer first thing to update shop listings, answer emails, send things to the printer or order supplies. It’s been sort of a “brain-dump” strategy so I can get a lot of things checked off before I settle into sewing. I spend from about 10am-2:30 or 3pm sewing, cutting fabric, ironing, etc. and then from 3-5 it’s usually packing online orders and getting things labeled, sorted, and organized for upcoming markets and wholesale. I have a running list of what needs to be sewn and I try to make that list manageable so I can get things checked off and packed up throughout the week. I’ve been trying to be better about stopping for lunch breaks, but sometimes time gets away from me- especially while sewing! Right now the focus is production sewing for wholesale and markets so that’s what a large chunk of the day is dedicated to at the moment.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Emily Wool and I run Emily Ruth Prints, a surface design and sewing business in central Virginia. I am a printmaker at heart so many of my fabric designs begin as hand-carved stamps that I use to create repeat patterns for fabric yardage and home goods. My mom gave me my first sewing machine when I was 13, and I would sew makeshift outfits for school with whatever I had around so my instinct has always been to sort of make it up as I go along. This business began with a lot of thrifted material and creating bags with whatever I could squeeze out of a found piece of fabric, or block-printing vintage napkins and tea towels so everything was really different. It’s been a slow evolution towards what the business is now, and I’ve learned a lot about what colors I’m truly drawn to and what shapes work well for my products. Sometimes I the more “scrappy” phase of the business, but I’m really proud of the cohesive brand it’s become, and the fact that I have more control over the color and pattern design with digital processes.

Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
As I was preparing to leave college with a BFA in Graphic Design, I found out about a therapeutic arts workshop that was part of a grad school program at Appalachian State. There was something about art therapy that felt really “right” to me in contrast with all the rules and restrictions I felt were happening in the graphic design space so I went to check it out and was immediately changed. This workshop in particular was being held with art therapists alongside adults with intellectual disabilities and it was incredible. To make a long story short from then on I felt like I had been given permission to make art with joy, curiosity, and in “my” way rather than with a certain set of design rules in mind. I took that feeling with me to my next job at a nonprofit, and started their art program with therapeutic printmaking as the focus. It’s still deeply inspiring to me to revisit work by folk artists or self-taught artists and I try to maintain the spirit of experimentation and creative joy in my own work.

What’s something you changed your mind about after failing hard?
I have a bad habit of taking on too much, and there have been a few moments in the past few years where what may have looked like “success” to some felt like a complete failure to me. I spent a lot of time working really long hours and hurting my body to produce an unreasonable amount of work in a short period of time, feeling like that was what I needed to do to be a successful business owner. While obviously hard work is part of the gig, it didn’t feel like success because I had no time to spend with friends or my husband, and was neglecting my health. I know now that success is balance- I feel truly successful when I have time to get everything done for my business but can still work in the things that are important to me like spending time outside, time with people I love, and time to prepare delicious food. I’ve redefined success for myself this year and am trying to stick to it!

So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
I think I’ll always be committed to the belief that we need a world where artists can thrive and create the work they’re meant to create without restriction of time, money, or space. Creative freedom is everything, and it can produce some of the most meaningful, interesting, and connective parts of society. Unfortunately, that is not by and large the world we live in, but I still hold that no matter what, art matters, and creative freedom is integral to our world.

Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. What will you regret not doing? 
I think I’ll regret not doing the scary things and really expanding past my comfort level. The scary thing for me right now is reaching out to potential businesses to license my work so I can produce fabric collections for larger textile design companies. I know I’ll regret it if I don’t submit that portfolio, send that sample, write that email, make that call. I’m comfortable creating items and patterns for myself and my direct customers, selling at local markets online and getting more comfortable with wholesale but the really scary thing is doing the things that could (and will!) produce a “no” even if it’s the next big step in my business journey!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.emilyruthprints.com
• Instagram: @emilyruthprints

Image Credits
First 3 photos by Chime Studio