Life & Work with Lydia Lierz

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lydia Lierz. 

Hi Lydia, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I’ve always been very creative and have sought out any opportunity to use the right side of my brain. Honestly, I have my mom to thank! My earliest memories of crafting were stitching hoops or sewing fabrics together, painting canvases or rocks, and throwing clay on a wheel. My mom is a craft junkie, which sparked the craft junkie in me as well. 

I’ve always been crafting something — whether that was mixed media projects in high school, writing poetry or stories in college… but after college, all of those projects were left without a purpose. I was used to creating for a grade and needed to rejuvenate my creative side again. That’s when I started hand-embroidering. 

About 10 months into the real world after college, I picked up embroidery relatively on my own. Like I said, I dabbled in stitching and sewing when I was young, but I hadn’t really touched it since. So, I started messing around with it, creating my own designs just on a scrap piece of paper. I was creating just for me, and for fun, and that gave me the happy I was looking for! 

The thing that really turned this into a “business” was the shirts I embroidered for my family for Christmas 2 months after I started embroidering. I had been posting my silly creations to a dedicated Instagram account for a while, and when I posted those, I got some messages asking to order shirts just like the ones for my family! I remember feeling so humbled that anyone else enjoyed my designs enough to ask for their own custom order. 

So, as I started embroidering tees and sweatshirts, I realized I needed a better tool for designing than scrap paper, so I invested in an iPad to use Procreate. This was such a game-changer for me to create designs freely and in a way more organized fashion. This eventually led to me starting digital illustrations where I would digitize people’s photos, giving them an illustrated aesthetic. It also eventually got me into creating stickers out of my designs. 

After several months of embroidering hoops and clothes, I couldn’t help but think I could make clay earrings. Being an avid Pinterest user, handmade clay jewelry kept popping up on my feed and I kept thinking, “Oh, I could do that.” Eventually, that turned to, “Oh, I NEED to do that.” So, in August 2020, I started hand-making clay earrings! 

November came around, and I discovered another new craft… macrame! All of these crafts keep falling into my lap, and my impulsive self can’t help but give it a shot. So, starting with little keychains spiraled into mini wallhangings, which spiraled into Christmas ornaments, and jumped all the way to huge 3×4 foot wallhangings. 

Since then, I’ve started an Etsy page and even hosted my first booth at my hometown’s annual fall festival in September 2021. 

The trust that my family and friends have put in me through my journey of crafting and creating is so humbling. They’re the reason I have a plethora of passions: hand-embroidery, handmade clay earrings, digital illustrations, macrame, and stickers (and more pending, I’m sure). 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
If I’ve struggled with anything in the process of starting a little business for my creations, it’s been my own mind. It’s hard not to beat myself up over flaws in my work or a project not turning out 100% how I envisioned it, but that’s how handmade creations work! Each item is unique and will vary a little because it was made by hands and I know my hands aren’t perfect. But it’s the love and time I put into everything that makes the piece whole. That’s just something I have to remind myself as a semi-perfectionist. 

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
By day, I’m a digital marketing specialist that creates ad copy and designs images. As a naturally creative person, I’m proud of myself for learning the analytical side of advertising. I know how imperative that’ll be in my professional growth either in the advertising industry or if I eventually decide to take my side gig to the next level. 

By night, I’m crafting and creating. I’m either working on custom orders or finally getting to a project I’ve been daydreaming about. These days I’ve been specializing predominantly in embroidery and macrame. My biggest projects have been 2×4 foot embroidered canvases or 3×4 foot macrame wallhangings. I’m so proud of these projects because I know how much love and time was put into them. Honestly, I fall in love with every piece by the end of the project, which makes it hard to give away. But knowing it’s going to someone equally as cherishing of the piece (if not more) makes it all worth it. 

What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
Something I’m still learning is how to not stretch myself too thin. There’s nothing wrong with turning down a project or opportunity if it means you’re keeping your mental health in check and leaving time for existing projects. And most times, if you let someone know you don’t have the bandwidth for their project, they’re very understanding about it. Support will be there regardless if it’s genuine support. As a people-pleaser, this is hard to wrap my mind around all the time, but it’s so important. 

Pricing:

• All of my products are priced separately, accordingly, and fairly. So if you have an idea for an embroidered hoop, embroidered sweatshirt, macrame piece, or digital illustration, message me, and let’s talk!
• Digital Illustrations: base price of $25 for 2 people in photo. $5 extra for each additional person in photo.

Contact Info:

• Website: etsy.me/3znGsLK
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lydia.handcrafted/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lydia.handcrafted

Image Credits
Lydia Lierz
Derek Saul