Today we’d like to introduce you to Julia Segovia.
Julia, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My journey with embroidery started as something fun to do during a moment in my life when I had too much time on my hands. About 5 years ago, my best friend taught me a few basic stitches and gave me some advice on the typical materials that were used to embroider. I’ve always appreciated the fiber arts as the maternal line of my family has been doing them for over 100 years. I found it difficult at first and started leaning more specifically into cross-stitch as I found the patterns reminded me of the pixelation from the video games I played as a kid, making it easier to follow along. I started out cross-stitching some of my favorite characters from those games and eventually began branching out and creating my own patterns as there were too many things tugging at my own inspiration. At some point, I made an Instagram account for my work to keep it separate and a few people began reaching out to see if they could purchase things I had previously made. I had always wanted to be in more of a creative field, working various retail and office jobs had never really fit with my personality or felt fulfilling enough to stick around. I did not spend a lot of time focusing on creativity when I was growing up as my parents had pushed the idea that college and a “stable” job were more important, so creativity was more of a hobby. Up until that point, I had never taken the idea of myself as an artist seriously (sometimes still don’t think I am). I have been inspired by such wonderfully skilled artists that it was hard to think of myself in the same light as them.
Either way, I decided in mid-2020 that I wanted to invest in myself and my skills so I began the process of applying to become an official business. I spent a few months working on my website and getting everything how I wanted it to look. I chose a name that I thought captured the magic of the work I create and my lovely best friend created my logo. By October that year, I had launched my website and officially started my own business, I was still working an office job at that time, but ended up leaving by spring of the next years as the job had become too stressful of an environment.
I’ve thrown myself into my business since then and have met the most amazing people through participating in the art/maker community. I am very grateful for where I am now and I eternally appreciate every person that has given me support in any way. Each piece I make comes from my heart to my hands to the fabric it’s been stitched on, so there’s a little unique sparkle in every single one.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It definitely is not the easiest to start your own business. I think time management is the most difficult to deal with because you make your own schedule. It’s hard to define the line of when you need to work and when you need to take a break. You end up feeling guilty when you take a break and when you overwork yourself, so finding that balance is not easy and it’s something I’ll be working on for a while. There are also so many things that go into running a business besides the creative aspect. You have to make product listings on your website, take product photos, package/ship orders, order supplies, record all transactions, run social media, customer service, and countless other tasks. That alone can be very daunting and it takes practice to get yourself into a groove.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I create modern hand embroidery pieces. I typically use wooden hoops to hold my work and various fabrics that I find throughout craft or thrift stores. I like to create inspirational, magical pieces as well as snarky and sometimes spooky elements. I love using glow-in-the-dark thread, I think it’s such a cool little surprise to incorporate. I also love to include texture in my artwork so sometimes I use beading or various stitch techniques, like the French knot, to give that extra touch. I feel like my work is all over the place sometimes, but I might be known for some of the edgier pieces I create. I like to think of my style as “spooky cute” because I love darker themes with an added light-hearted facet. My forever favorite might be a cross-stitch pattern I created that was based on some carpeted flooring from the horror movie, The Shining. It took me a few hours to get the pattern just right and then over 20 hours to stitch the piece itself.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts, or blogs that help you do your best?
There are a couple of tools I use that directly relate to my work. There’s a tool someone created that can give you equivalent floss (thread) colors in relation to a specific thread color you need and might not have in your inventory. It comes quite in handy and sometimes I use it when I want to see if I have a specific color like turquoise or magenta in my stock (https://www.codyhoover.com/floss-color-tool/). I also use an app called Thread Stash that lets you keep up with all of the thread colors you currently have and allows you to create shopping and project lists of stuff you need to get done. It’s a little tedious at first to add in all the colors you have, but it’s a nice way to keep everything neat & tidy.
When I’m working on my art, I enjoy listening to podcasts. Some of my favorites are SVU Pod: Especially Heinous, Office Ladies, and Sounds Like a Cult.
I do love to read when I find the time to fall back into it and I’m particularly fond of memoirs. Padma Lakshmi’s “Love, Loss, and What We Ate”, Michelle Zauner’s “Crying in H Mart”, and Augusten Burroughs “Running with Scissors” are just a few that I have stocked on my shelf for me to re-read at any time.
Contact Info:
- Email: starrysegovia@gmail.com
- Website: www.starryeyedstitcher.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/starry.eyed.stitcher/
Image Credits
@portlandbeeswaxcandlecompany
