Tuesday, November 13, 2012

A Second Chance With You



I want to tell you about something important to me, and to open my heart.

Some years ago I started a blog (in 2009, to be precise) wanting to express how my life changed since I started my own fabric company. Everything was like a whirlwind, and from hand-painting fabrics and selling them at consumer shows, one day I found myself designing six fabric collections a year and trying with all my heart to share all the goodness of my quilting fabrics and open up a market of my own in this industry.


Initially, this blog was very me; it included many personal things and my vision as a designer. Somehow, I could never achieve a bond with the readers as other designers do; I had (although I value them) very few comments and my story seemed not to have much echo. I always wondered why.


As I began to recruit assistants to work in my company (like my beloved Angie and all the lovely ones who came after her), the blog was turning into the Art Gallery Fabrics' blog, a bit because how discouraged I was to post, and partly because I felt that the company was swallowing the designer. And so, time passed, creating a lot of confusion between AGF and Pat, and between Pat and AGF. People saw me as the owner of the company and not as a mere designer.


I was very depressed by this, and my blog appearances were dwindling. Then AGF licensed its first designer Bari J. and then came the others: Sarah Watson, Jeni Baker and Angela Walters. Each of them has very nice and robust blogs. I, in the meantime, tried to combine my two roles. Came a time when I felt that I wasn't just me anymore. Yes, the creative force behind AGF was Pat Bravo ... but where was Pat Bravo the fabric designer? Should I continue with this situation of confusion? On one hand, I was happy because the company was increasingly expanding, but on the other hand, I (the designer) was lost in the midst of all this. How to remedy this? How to ensure that people see me only as an artist who designs fabrics for a company and no longer as the "face" of it?



Art Gallery Fabrics now is much more than Pat Bravo; it's a collective group of designers who want to express their art throughout fabric design. All of us share a vision: to bring happy, stylish and sophisticated prints that you can use in your projects. So I decided to separate the two brands. From now on I am only Pat Bravo, an artist who designs fabrics for a company.

I always wanted my personal blog and started to write a second one. One that is only mine, with everything I do and share it with you. One that shows what I like and inspires me. A couple of months ago I started to do it, but I decided not to share it because I was afraid that I would be invisible to your eyes as with the first one. Does this sound familiar? Do some of you have had or have the same problem?


All that changed the other day after a Skype conversation I had with a wonderful woman who is an artist and has an incredible beautiful blog: Maureen Cracknell, from Maureen Cracknell Handmade. She is the one I have to thank for give me piece of mind with this problem. We were talking about the reasons why we started our blogs, and I told her about the struggles with my blog. I asked her to give me her honest opinion. What she said surprised me. "Pat, I kind of never saw you like one of us", she said. "Many other bloggers see you like me, as an owner and not as a designer working for a textile company. You are above us. We prefer not to comment for fear that you consider our comments out of place or you do not like them. Now that I know you I see you in a different light". That shocked me. I started thinking and I realized that this might be the source of the problem for which I fail to establish a bond with my readers and I do not have comments! I knew that she said this from the bottom of her heart and had the best intentions of helping me, and so I took it that way. Thanks Maureen!


My name is Pat Bravo, and I'm like one of you, your equal, with my faults and my virtues. I am a crafter at heart (and now a designer), and I really enjoy making things and sharing them with you all. I love to design fabrics and through them tell you stories that inspire me. I sincerely hope you see me like this, and you treat me that way. Not like the owner of a company, but as a simple designer. Neither more nor less.


So I am launching this blog, hoping for a second chance with you. I want that bond, being part of the sewing community. And I love your comments, so please open your heart with me too!


Love, Pat








Les quiero contar algo bien importante, y para eso les quiero abrir mi corazón. 
Algunos años atras comencé un blog (en 2009, para ser mas precisos) en el que quería expresar como mi vida cambio desde que empece mi propia empresa de telas. Todo fue como un torbellino, y de pintar telas a mano y vendiéndolas en consumer shows, un día me encontré diseñando 6 colecciones de telas al año y tratando con todas mis fuerzas de explicarle a todas las quilters las bondades de mis telas para abrirme un mercado propio en esta industria. 

Al comienzo, este blog era personal; incluía muchas cosas personales y mi visión como diseñadora de telas. Nunca pude lograr un unión con las lectoras como otras diseñadoras hacen; tenia (aunque los valoro mucho) muy pocos comentarios y mi historia parecía no tener mucho eco. Siempre me pregunte porque.


A medida que empece a contratar colaboradoras (como mi adorada Angie y todas las que vinieron detrás), el blog se fue tornando en el blog de Art Gallery Fabrics un poco por mi desanimo de postear y otro poco porque sentía que la compania se estaba tragando a la diseñadora. Y así, paso el tiempo, creandose una confusión muy grande entre AGF y Pat Bravo, y entre Pat Bravo y AGF. La gente me veía como la dueña de la empresa y no como una simple diseñadora.


Me sentia muy deprimida por esto, y mis apariciones en el blog fueron cada vez menores. Luego, AGF licenseo su primera diseñadora Bari J. y después vinieron las demás: Sarah Watson, Jeni Baker y Angela Walters. Cada una de ellas tiene blogs muy bonitos y robustos. Yo, en el entretiempo, trataba de compaginar mis dos roles. Llego un momento en que sentía que yo no era mas yo. Si, la fuerza creadora detrás de AGF era Pat Bravo... pero donde quedaba Pat Bravo la diseñadora de telas? Debía yo seguir con esta situación de confusión? Por un lado, me sentía FELIZ porque la empresa estaba agrandandose cada vez mas; pero por otro lado, yo (diseñadora) me sentía perdida entre medio de todo esto. Como remediar esto? Como lograr que las sewists me vieran solamente como una artista que diseña telas para una compania y ya no mas como la "cara" de esta? 


Art Gallery Fabrics ya no es nada mas que Pat Bravo; es un grupo colectivo de diseñadoras que quieren expresar su arte a través de las telas. Todas compartimos una visión: traerles diseños elegantes, sofisticados y que ustedes puedan usar en todos sus proyectos. Por eso decidí separar las 2 marcas. De ahora en adelante Pat Bravo es solamente Pat Bravo, una artista que disena telas para una compañía. 


Siempre quise tener mi blog personal y comencé a hacer un segundo. Uno que sea solamente mio, en el que vuelque todo lo que yo se hacer y lo comparta con ustedes. Uno en el que muestre todo lo que me gusta. Hace un par de meses que lo empece a hacer, pero no me atreví a lanzarlo pues tenia miedo de que fuera invisible ante sus ojos como el primero. Les resulta familiar? Alguna de ustedes ha tenido o tiene el mismo problema? 


Todo eso cambio el otro día despues de una conversacion por Skype que tuve con una mujer maravillosa que es artista y que tiene un blog hermosisimo: Maureen Cracknell, de Maureen Cracknell Handmade. A ella le tengo que agradecer la claridad en mi mente por este problema. Estabamos conversando de cuales eran los motivos por los que empezamos nuestros blogs, y le conte de mi struggle con mi blog. Le pedi que me diera su honesta opinión. Lo que me dijo me sorprendió. "Pat, I never saw you like one of us", she said. "Todas las bloggers te ven igual que yo, como la dueña y no como una diseñadora que trabaja para la empresa textil. Preferimos no dejar un comentario por miedo a que lo consideres fuera de lugar o que no te guste". Eso me shockeo. Comence a pensar y me di cuenta que ese era el origen del problema por el cual no logro establecer un bond con mis lectoras y no me dejan comentarios! Supe que me lo dijo desde el fondo de su corazón y con la mejor intencion de ayudarme y asi lo tome. Gracias Maureen!


Mi nombre es Pat Bravo, y soy una igual que todas ustedes; con mis defectos y mis virtudes. Soy una crafter, y disfruto mucho haciendo cosas y compartiéndolas con todos ustedes. Amo disenar telas y contarles a traves de ellas historias que mi inspiran. Deseo fervientemente que me vean así, y que así me traten. No como a la duena de una empresa, sino como a simple sewist. Ni mas ni menos. 


Por eso estoy lanzando este blog, esperando tener una segunda chance con ustedes. Quiero ese bond, ser parte de la comunidad. Y amo sus comentarios! 

9 comments:

  1. Pat, you are such a beautiful person!! But, how funny that when I read the paragraph about our conversation I thought, "Are people going to think I was being mean to PAT BRAVO!!" LOL We look up to and that will never change! But I am SO excited for you to have this space to share your thoughts, feeling, and inspiration behind your work as an artist. I am so blessed to know you and call you my friend, and I'm so, so happy for those who will get to now because of this blog!

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    1. Thank you so very much for this comment filled with encouragement, love and sympathy! Nooo, people would never think that about you!! You are a sweetheart!

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  2. Now I just want to give you a hug! Can't wait to follow along on this adventure! :)

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    1. Ohhh Jeni, thank you for commenting! I'm starting to think that from now on I'll have a lot of friends here :)

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  3. This post is so beautiful, I can hear you and I am so glad that I was able to "get to know you" a bit better in the last couple of weeks. I can feel how wonderful person you are behind all those gorgeous designs!!!xxxxx

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    1. Oh, you have me here with my eyes in tears! How much love in all your words, thank you!! Hope we can be great friends here :)

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  4. I'm really excited to be in on the beginning of this blog adventure...your eye is so beautiful. I get frustrated because - while I can recreate lovely things through quilting, I don't have the artistic eye that lets me be creative :(. So it's a pleasure to get to peer through yours! I know that one of the things I really enjoy seeing and hearing about in blogs is what the blogger is making or working on at the moment, with photos and anecdotes,. With the travels and resources available to you, I know yours will be wonderful. Enjoy your new blog!

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    1. Hi Lisa! Thank you SO MUCH!! I can relate to you in the sense we can get frustrated at times because we think we cannot achieve some things that are somehow "reserved" for others. All my life I was a person that like to feel things instead of looking at them. Then I recreate them in my mind. Everybody told me how creative I was, but I would never have thought that my creative journey would take me that far, and it happened! Having an artistic eye is something you can train yourself to learn little by little. Every time I see something beautiful, I inspire very deeply and try to "absorb" all of it. Then I close my eyes and recreate it on my mind. Try it! You will see slowly but surely it works! Much love,

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  5. Hi Pat,
    I am not a designer or anything. More like an enthusiastic beginning down here in Melbourne Australian. I have been teaching myself to sew - both clothes and quilts for the past four years. Slowly making some progress. I've been blown away by designs like yourself who express themselves so freely through their designs and their art.
    I know there's probably lots of politics in the 'industry' of fabric and bloggers (I know, I work during the day in a political environment) but for someone like me who looks online for inspiration and beauty I'm so grateful that designers like yourself are prepared to put themselves out there, talk about their process and show their work in its best possible light. Your photographs are just beautiful.
    It helps to push those of us not yet quite brave enough, or still constrained by other pressures, to wholly embrace our creativity and immerse ourselves in that journey.
    All power to you that your creative journey has created success and expansion. I look forward to following your own blog and I encourage you to make it just about you, the designer, the artist and the person.
    Kindest regards,
    Fiona

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