We recently had the chance to connect with Elyssa Gerber and have shared our conversation below.
Elyssa, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
Glad to be here! I’ve been drawn back into the kitchen recently. There’s something really special and satisfying about creating homemade treats to share. Some of my favorites recently have been rosemary focaccia, apple pear crumble, and mushroom potato soup.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m the artist behind The Stitching Hour. My work is all original, all completely hand stitched, and leans into the witchy and whimsical with an edge. The most important thing I can emphasize about what I do is that in this age of AI instant gratification and mass produced garbage, this is a slow art which can only be done by hand. Every single one of my pieces only exists because I spent hours designing and stitching it.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What relationship most shaped how you see yourself?
I’ve known my best friend for 20 years, and usually I call her my sister because after all this time together nothing else really captures the depth of that relationship. It feels like from the day we met, she saw the version of myself that I am now, that I always wanted to become. We often share silly memes, and I’ll say something like, “I want to be him” about a frog asleep on a leaf or whatever, and her automatic response is, “You already are”. It’s support like no other to be told not that I *could* be or do anything, but that I already am whatever I want to be. She sees it all inside me, and it helps me see that same infinite potential in myself.
What fear has held you back the most in your life?
Fear itself has been the challenge for me. There was actual danger as the background of all the other more mundane things I grew up being afraid of, and since so many of those fears were regularly being realized, it became normal to me to sit in a permanent state of fear and anxiety. Years later, I still struggle with that even though I know I’m safe now.
What changed everything for me was realizing that fear itself doesn’t actually do anything to me. So I just do everything scared. I’ve been terrified of every big choice I ever made, every time I take a risk, every time I get up in front of people. But if I let it stop me, I would never do anything at all.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? Is the public version of you the real you?
I really value authenticity, so I try to show up as my genuine self in all facets of my life. My approach to interacting with people is to treat everyone like a friend I haven’t met yet, and that usually leads to connection and community. But I struggle with my mental health, and anxiety often gets the best of me, so I can tell in the moment that I’m not acing an interaction but I can’t figure out how to fix it. I’m not afraid of being myself, but the challenge is communicating myself accurately to others. All this to say, I hope so.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
I’ve never been able to accept being told what to do, so definitely not that! But I don’t think I believe that anyone was born to do a specific thing. Lately I’ve found myself wondering if the daily minutia is all there is. And in a way, it is. There are always errands to do, projects to finish, friends to spend time with, books to read, games to play, things to clean. That’s what lives are built out of, and there’s joy in that if you’re looking for it. Mostly I believe that we’re here to have a good time and love each other well, and that there isn’t a larger meaning to life. So if I’m doing that, and I think I am most of the time, then I suppose I am doing what I was born to do.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://stitchinghourneedlecrafts.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stitchinghourneedlecrafts/
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090153908865
Image Credits
Helen Jones, Elyssa Gerber
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