Maker: Crystal of Thread Therapy
I’m excited to introduce you to Crystal today. I’m especially excited because I’m pretty much in love with the creations that she makes! Meet Crystal and check out her string art!
~Angie~
Please introduce yourself.
Hello! My name is Crystal. I’m a Christian, a Southern California native, a wife, a mom of three little girls, a hairdresser, a David Bowie fanatic, a lover of all things creative and a wanna-be interior designer.
What do you make or do?
I’ve been creative my whole life and I’ve dabbled in everything from watercolor to crocheting, from furniture re-do’s to oragami, from acrylic painting to jewelry making. Any and every craft or project that grabbed my attention was bought, tried out and is now hidden away (or buried, whatever) in my closet. I finally found my niche when I found string art.
Where can we find your creations?
You can find my work on instagram @thread_therapy or on etsy threadtherapy1.etsy.com
Is there an interesting story behind the name of your business?
The very first night I made a piece of string art, as I was carefully wrapping string around the nails I commented to my husband how it was very therapeutic to watch the empty space slowly fill in and an image take shape. I joked about starting a business with the name Thread Therapy because of the alliteration, little did I know, the very next day I would wake up to multiple messages requesting orders and Thread Therapy was officially born.
How long have you been creating and is it your full-time job?
I started this business in October 2013. I don’t consider this my full time job. I’m a hairdresser by trade, but I’m only in the salon one day a week because I stay home to raise my three girls. My family and home take up the majority of my time/energy. I make my pieces in whatever bits of spare time I can manage to find, as my kids get older I do hope to be able to spend more time doing this.
Is creativity a luxury or a necessity for you?
This has become such a necessity for me! When I had my second daughter I cut my time in the salon down to just one day and while I absolutely love taking care of my house and family, I badly need a creative outlet to make me feel like I’m still a human and still myself outside of my family. After two years of this, if I don’t do any work for a few days, I actually start to crave it.
What obstacles have you had to overcome to lead a creative life?
Growing up I was always the weird kid. I never ever fit in right and had very few friends. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that a lot of it is because as a creative person, I just see things differently from others. I faced a lot opposition in high school for the way I dressed and my lack of interest in college. The desire to be a hairdresser was not a popular one, but my parents were always supportive and my dad always told me that I could do whatever I put my mind to. That has stuck with me throughout my life and it’s what has pushed me through a lot of rough spots.
Where do you find inspiration?
People always look at me like I’m crazy when I say this, but what the heck, I’ll tell you anyway. Maybe you guys will get me, lol. My most popular designs actually come to me in my dreams. I have very very vivid and colorful dreams, I wake up with pictures in my head. Sometimes while I’m awake I will just get a quick flash of a picture or color combo or something. When images come to me like that I almost can’t rest until I get them out.
If money wasn’t an issue how would your life change with regards to your art?
I don’t know that it would change a lot for me. The money hasn’t been a driving factor for me. Don’t get me wrong, I obviously have to make money to keep my business going and the income is nice, but I’m very blessed to have a husband who is an amazing provider and that gives me the freedom to do what I want to do in my business. I am truly doing what I love simply because I love it.
What would be your perfect day off?
My husband is my best friend, so a date with him. Good coffee. Good food. Good shopping. And seeing a really good concert.
