Multi-Talented Creative Emma Lehman Talks Kitschy Stitching

Meet Emma Lehman, a multidisciplinary creative. In her interview, Emma discusses her embroidery and plugs her most recent creative venture—custom-painted shoes. While Emma is in awe of people who are able to make their craft their main source of income, her priority is putting what she earns from selling embroidery into purchasing more supplies. We bet many of you reading can relate. Now, let’s learn more about Emma.

What is your craft? 

I make hand-embroidered patches, pins, and clothing, and I have recently been making custom-painted shoes and leather goods as well!

How did you get started sewing?

My mother and grandmother were both seamstresses, and every single piece of clothing I wore up until I was probably 14 was something my mom had made for me! She hand-beaded her wedding dress and all of her bridesmaids' dresses and was generally quite the handy clothing alterer to have on hand. I picked up a lot of sewing skills from her, but I was more drawn to the visual art aspect of specific stitches than to garment construction. I started embroidering when I was about 15 on and off, and I really picked it back up in college.

When did you realize that you could sell your work?

I started what I thought would be a tiny, low-key embroidery club in my first year at UCLA. It very quickly grew to include over 250 members, receive university funding, and reach people from all parts of campus. Imagine my surprise when an applied mathematics major made a gorgeous piece of embroidery on his very first try! As more people joined the club, we started throwing and participating in art shows. The purpose of these shows was never to sell, but I would get dozens of requests every show to buy pieces. I started an Instagram to act as a portfolio, and soon, I was selling my pieces and taking commissions. 

How do you define success for your business?

Embroidery art on Backstitch Baby has never been my main source of income—and I want to keep it that way. It's so rewarding to be able to sell my art to people who love and appreciate it, but I know that if embroidery became my bread and butter, it would suck the joy out of the art. I try to strike a balance between making money on this thing that I spend so much of my time doing and ensuring that I am doing it because I love it. Embroidery, for me, is a stress-relieving venture, and there's nothing stress-relieving about making rent. Though my embroidery business isn't my main source of income, I love that about it! I can put the time and care into it that I want, make some money to reinvest into supplies and vendor fees, and fund trips and shows to engage with other artists and potential customers in my community.

Where do you find inspiration for your work?

In addition to my dozens and dozens of Pinterest boards and the literal hundreds of phenomenally talented fiber artists I follow on social media, I love going to art shows, especially independent shows. I'm fortunate enough to live in a city where there's almost always some kind of exhibit, showcase, fundraiser, art walk or show happening. Many of my friends are also creatives, and we often split a table at one of these events, which is so fun. The community is welcoming and always excited to learn from and teach each other; I find much of my inspiration in my own artist friends and colleagues! 

What's one piece of advice you wish someone had given you when you first started your business?

I wish I had known earlier that it was okay to take the money-making pressure off of my art. I know that not everyone can say this, and I am in awe and admiration of creatives who have been able to turn their craft into a bona fide main hustle. For me, though, the money and "business" came after I began to focus on the craft. Of course, it seems intuitive: the better stuff you make, the more people want to buy the stuff. But I focused so much on making "what would sell" that I never considered the idea that making things that aren’t already out there selling like hotcakes is exactly when you start making money! As soon as I started making designs and projects that were unique to me, my sales and interest in Backstitch Baby skyrocketed—precisely because I had art that you couldn't find anywhere else!

What advice would you give to someone who wants to start selling their art or creative product?

First, purely logistically, especially if your craft is time- and/or labor-intensive, make sure you have a very extensive "backlog" of things to sell before you start selling. As awesome as it is to sell, say, 15 patches at an art market, I neglected to realize that each of those patches took 12-40 hours to make—and my next market was in two weeks! It's always good to have inventory to draw from for when you get busy or when your business grows more quickly than you expected. Creatively, my best advice is to not be afraid to experiment. Some of my best-selling, most admired and personal favorite pieces were borne from a desire to challenge myself and try something I'd never done before. I often get the advice to stick to one style or one signature element, and I think that's a good idea in some instances. But even within those bounds, experimentation is so important to growing as a business and an artist—learn from your colleagues and friends and teach them what you know. Your skills will compound themselves!

What's something our audience would be surprised to learn about you?

I cannot paint anything other than shoes. Seriously. You give me a pair of Doc Martens and a gallon of leather paint, and I am off to the races. But a blank canvas? No shot. I have no idea why I'm so much more able to paint the weirdly shaped, awkwardly positioned surface of a shoe than the nice, flat expanse of a canvas, but for some reason, I'm almost totally useless with traditional paint media.

As creatives, we can be continuously creating and refining our art. How do you handle perfectionism?

Honestly, I don't know if I do handle perfectionism. It's still a huge problem for me, even after having embroidered for close to a decade. I find that still showing and selling the pieces I'm unhappy with has actually alleviated some of that perfectionism and impostor syndrome—it feels so vulnerable to show people the art you don't like, but more often than not, other people have no idea that this specific piece is one you'd rather burn to ash than attach your name to! seeing that people also liked the pieces I consider to be my worst has at least somewhat proven to me that my perfectionism is unproductive and my inferiority complex unfounded.

What's something that surprised you about running a creative business?

I continue to be surprised at just how rewarding it is to make and share art. Every time I sell at a market, display at an art show, or even just show someone my Instagram, I get such a nice fuzzy feeling! The artist community has, in my experience, been so kind and welcoming, and everyone I know blows me away with their skill. I've been surprised time and time again by how "whole," how fulfilled, and how engaged my creative business makes me feel, both within myself and as a part of the community!

What’s your advice for handling the highs and lows of running a business?

I would tell anyone not to lose sight of why you make the art in the first place. By and large, people start selling their art AFTER they start making it: something led you to make it in the first place, and it wasn't sales numbers. Take unsuccessful art shows/markets and slow seasons as an opportunity to grow your inventory and remind yourself how to take pleasure in the process and journey of creating art, not just in how many pieces you can sell or how many people give you compliments. I've had some of my best creative breakthroughs immediately after a disappointing art market or during a slow sales season. Art is a "luxury good," which means it's not evergreen – there WILL be periods of time, sometimes lengthy periods of time, when your business is just not doing what you want it to do. Expect that! It's okay! Use it as an opportunity to reacquaint yourself with the JOY of art, and protect yourself from burnout.

Has someone ever criticized your work? How did you handle it?

I make some weird stuff. Meaning, if you want to see an embroidery that doesn't have a curse word on it, isn't some random quote from an obscure noise band and doesn't have nudity, I'm going to have to dig deep into my inventory. That means that I get plenty of weird looks and responses and some criticism! Over time I've learned who my audience is, and if someone doesn't like my art, then they just aren't my audience. I've learned not to take it personally— hell, I know the painting on the ceiling of the Vatican is objectively beautiful and took a lot of skill, and I sure do respect Michelangelo as an artist... But would I want a bunch of nude cherubic babies on my own ceiling? Not really. I know that there's art I can admire and respect while still not "liking" it or wanting to buy it. And when someone else views my art this way, that's okay! Every once in a while, I'll get a comment on Instagram or a passing remark at a market to the effect of, "that's so weird," or "I could make that." Those suck, for sure, and it's really easy to doubt your skill when you get criticism, but it's never long before the people who do like my art remind me that all those comments are, is that: comments! They can't take your passion or success away from you if you don't let them. 

What's a cause you are passionate about?

Entirely unrelated to embroidery, but I am also a podcast producer, and recently produced "Gooned," an investigative series on the troubled teen industry (TTI). Unsilenced is a phenomenal organization led by and created for TTI survivors and their families—their team was instrumental in researching for the "Gooned" podcast, and I encourage people to check out their resources, investigations, and presence in the community. You can donate and learn more at Unsilenced.org.

Can you share the name of a supplier or vendor that you use for your business that you just love—one that makes running your business a bit easier? 

It's not an original answer, but. Photoshop, my laptop, and/or a tablet. I resent that Adobe turned their programs into Cloud-based subscription models, but Photoshop is still instrumental for my embroidery and painting. I make and alter designs in Photoshop and use my laptop/tablet as a Lightbox to map out pieces; I also plan shoe designs with it. I also make way too many dumb memes with that very expensive program, but I digress. 

Other than the obvious, though, I get custom clothing and care tags from "inkedpapers" on Etsy—people REALLY love these tags on their Backstitch Baby stuff! It's a cheap way to advertise, it makes all the clothing/art you make look super professional, and it's a great place to list specific care instructions!

What brings you joy?

A 10-yard bolt of plain white 10 oz denim ripe with embroidery potential, a clean and uncreased pair of plain Doc Martens and a big ol' jug of paint, and a lukewarm jar of pickles to eat straight from the jar with my hands. Also, my cat, Garlic, but only when she isn't actively sinking her teeth into my skin.

Thanks, Emma! You can learn more about her work at www.instagram.com/backstitchbaby. 

Editor’s Notes: This interview has been edited for length and clarity. All photos unless indicated in the caption are courtesy of Emma Lehman.