Spotlight: Nicole LaBry, Textile Designer

Nicole LaBry has been creative her entire life. Educated as a graphic designer and previous owner of a fabric store, she now designs textiles and paints murals around Austin. Inspired by nature, she creates in her converted garage with amazing light from an all-important window that brings brightness to her workspace.

How did you find yourself on a creative path? Always there? Lightbulb moment? Dragged kicking and screaming? Evolving?

I come by the creative life honestly, having been raised by a photographer, a writer and generally surrounded by artists, architects, musicians and designers. There are definitely times when I find myself kicking and screaming to get started on, or finish, a project! I eventually come around to those lightbulb moments and ultimately strive to be ever-evolving.

How did you get into what you do creatively?  What is your creative medium, and who is your audience?

I went to a local arts magnet high school that, at the time, was running a program called Ad Design, the predecessor of what would eventually be called Graphic Design. Later I studied that in college along with typography, color theory and painting.

My first job at 16 was in the fabric section of a craft store near my house. It was here that I took a keen interest in sewing and began to explore fashion. Since Austin in the early 90s was still a relatively sleepy city (and with no internet yet), I relied heavily on publications from the library downtown to inform my predilections for cosmopolitan sartorial input. There I found European versions of Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and Interview. These magazines galvanized my attempts to construct garments that emulated outlandish, zeitgeist haute couture. I definitely stood out at school! 

These days I do a lot of playing around with digitally-honed illustrations and patterns, the best of which I sometimes have printed on fabric and from which to make garments. I also paint when I can and have been fortunate to have been hired to create a handful of murals around town. 

My audience is probably quite a hodge-podge! Many of my Instagram followers came from having owned a fabric store and sewing studio and I’m always tickled that so many have stuck around over the years to see what I work on.

Where do you find your inspiration for your designs?

Gosh, this sounds so cliche, but nature really is an undying source of profound beauty. I try to notice something pretty wherever I am. I also enjoy staying on top of what other designers and artists are up to online and by visiting museums, galleries, etc.

Are there recurring themes in your work? What is it about a subject that inspires you to continue exploring it?

Absolutely! For so long I thought that recurring themes were cheating, as in, “I’ve already done this, shouldn’t I try something new?” But I’ve come to think of iteration as one of the greatest tools in my kit. Examples of recent themes include moons, flora (especially flowers), half-circles and feminine symbology.

What do you do differently? What is your signature that makes your work stand out as yours?

I have a hard time knowing what makes any work unique. We all borrow from one another in some ways. I know I do not suffer from chromophobia! I also am not afraid to make mistakes or try new things and am ever compelled to create pieces that I am proud to put my name to. 

What do you do to develop your skills? How do you get better at what you do?

One of my sisters likes to say, “Nothing to it but to do it!” and I couldn’t agree with her more. When I don’t know much about a subject, I research, I experiment, I read and I practice. 

When it comes to creating, are you more of a planner or an improviser?

I could probably say a little of both. I definitely love spontaneity, but a little planning helps my sanity on larger projects like murals. For garments, I like to just go for it and see what works with trial and error.

Do you have a dedicated space for creating? If so, what does it look like?

I do! My home studio is a converted garage that I was able to transform from a forgotten, windowless storage area with dark gray walls and poorly tiled floors into something altogether lovely.

I painted the room a warm cream color, added faux wood vinyl flooring (indestructible and nearly indistinguishable from real wood!), rescued a large leftover picture window from a construction site, dropped it in the front, built a massive planter outside with native, pollinator-attracting foliage, added several can lights and installed floating shelves made from local cedar lumber that I sourced from a nearby mill.

I have a sizeable hand-me-down vintage desk that belonged to my father for my computer needs, a drafting table that I am continually trying to clear of jewelry and lighting project supplies, as well as an overflowing sewing corner that boasts a straight stitch machine, a serger, and a rather dusty coverstitch machine. Oh and plants. So many plants!

What are the indispensable tools and materials in your work space? How do they improve your work?

The aforementioned window is paramount. The first six months I was in the house I did nothing in the studio before having it installed. Tools revolve, but light is the one thing I just can’t work without! 

Do you use a sketchbook or journal? How does that help your work develop?

I do! I journal mostly to process social and emotional journeys, but I think these are also paramount to feeling inspired. I mainly use my ipad and apple pencil as a sketch pad, but sometimes I long for the tooth of real paper. I also carry small sketch books wherever I go. 

What plays in the background while you work? Silence? Music, audiobooks, podcasts, movies? If so, what kind?

Oh I love an audiobook for really getting into a project! I listen to a lot of nonfiction, mostly about nature. Currently, I’m listening to An Immense World by Ed Yong (such a gorgeous take!) and reading (a real book) The Secret Lives of Color by Kassia St. Clair. Music varies for me by mood, but these days I’m listening to a lot of South American electro-pop. It’s impossible to be bothered listening to Cumbia Sobre el Mar by Quantic!

How has your creativity evolved over the years? What triggered the evolution to new media/kinds of work/ways of working?

In my early adulthood, I felt immense pressure to forge a respectable career. It was for this reason that I went into graphic and web design, but I’ve really fought with it over the years. I just don’t love sitting at a computer.

When I owned a fabric store/ sewing studio, it felt creatively stifling to be constantly beholden to the vitality of commerce. After I closed the shop in 2018 due to untenable operational costs, I fell into quite a slump. It was then that I decided I could wallow or begin anew!

Meditating on what I really wanted, the choice was clear: start painting again! I’ve since completed a number of works that run the creative gamut, and I am really proud of them. 

What was the biggest challenge that you encountered on your creative journey? What did you learn from it?

I was recently discussing with a close friend and fellow creative that making art can sometimes feel like a whimsical luxury. I strive to justify allowing myself the time when it’s not a paid project.

Ultimately, I came to the insight that making art is one of life’s greatest pleasures. One that I wouldn’t deny my worst enemy, if only I can grant that gift to myself. Then I had to explore why I was obstructing my own process.

That journey has continued to unfold and I find it always comes back around to giving myself permission to do what some may call frivolous– and then not give a darn!

If you could interview a creative person (past or present), who would that person be? What is it about that person that intrigues you?

Without a doubt, that would be Hilma af Klint. Her use of form and color is so fascinating to me! She also seemed to be tuned in to some celestial wavelength as she herself alluded to in life. I hope I one day get to see her works in person!

Do you think that creativity comes naturally to people, or do you think creativity is a skill that people can learn? 

I think all people are creative in their own ways. Creativity is an internal fount that anyone can tap into, it just takes dedication– and that is a skill one has to hone!

How do you get unstuck creatively?

As I tell my children, we are only obliged to make for the muse, the god of art, the ineffable Source (my term for the universe). This may sound a little woo-woo, but I really do think that as an artist, I work for no one else. The god of art does not care if you use leftover pastels or expensive oil paints. The muse cares only that you do the work. If I am stuck, I have to just sit down and sketch, paint, sew something– ANYTHING at all, no matter how simple. Then, as if by magic, I’m rewarded with works I had no idea I was capable of doing.