The Creative Connection

Roundtable Artist-Pitch to Become a Designer for a Textile/Licensing Manufacturer

Suzy Ultman: artist, doodler, designer, crafty girl. Suzy was born and raised in central Pennsylvania. As a kid, she spent time collecting stickers, playing board games, picking berries in the woods, perfecting her Snoopy sketches, dancing to Fame, adventuring with her sisters, woodworking with her dad and baking with her mom. Suzy has been fortunate to live on the East Coast, the West Coast, and in The Netherlands. She is now enjoying a new adventure, living in the lovely Midwest, where she scouts for cardinals and devours chocolate-cayenne ice cream at the local scoop shop. As part of the Lilla Rogers Studio gang, Suzy has worked with Chronicle Books, Land of Nod, Crate & Barrel, Robert Kaufman Fabrics, K&Company, Madison Park Greetings, Oopsy Daisy, and more. Her charming creations grace the shelves of Target, Archiver’s, Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters, and Crate & Barrel. The products range from holiday ornaments to bathroom decor pieces to scrapbook essentials to fresh, colorful fabric collections. The work is simple and sweet, from an artist who lives in a land of mustachioed snails and apple houses.

Roundtable Author-Pitch to Become a Cookbook Author

Terry Walters is at the forefront of the clean-eating lifestyle movement. She is the author of the highly acclaimed cookbooks, Clean Food and Clean Start, and is dedicated to making sustainable good health both easy and delicious. Without preaching or judgment, Terry shares her passion and shows how simple it is to get on the path to eating clean and enjoying good health–for yourself, your family, and the environment. Terry has traveled all over North America speaking about CLEAN FOOD. She has been featured on television and radio, in print and Internet media, and is the author of the popular blog Eat Clean Live Well. Terry serves on the board of directors for Urban Oaks Organic Farm, one of the largest urban organic farms in the country, and received her training at The Institute of Integrative Nutrition. She resides in Connecticut with her husband and two children, who know the joys of eating clean.

Roundtable Author-Pitch to Become a Craft Book Author

Tiffany Threadgould is a design junkie who gives scrap materials a second life. She’s the founder of RePlayGround, where you can find oodles of do-it-yourself projects, ReMake It recycling kits, and more information about her book ReMake It! She’s also the head of design at TerraCycle. Tiffany’s recycled crafts have been featured in The New York Times, Everyday with Rachael Ray, and Time Out New York. She has appeared on CNN and on the National Geographic four-part special, Garbage Moguls. Tiffany thinks that garbage has feelings too and sometimes can be found talking to her pile of junk at her design studio in Brooklyn, New York.

Expert- Pitch to become a designer for a craft/paper company

Tim Holtz is the Creative Director for Ranger Industries, one of the leading manufacturers of innovative inks, paints, and embossing products. Tim plays an integral part in the development and design of cutting edge paper crafting products. Tim has also teamed up with various key companies like Advantus/idea-ology, Tonic Studios, Stampers Anonymous, Sizzix/Alterations, and Coredinations to bring unique product collections that work hand in hand with Ranger’s extensive lines. As a well known designer, Tim travels across the country and internationally to educate and introduce people to his world of distress techniques and philosophy of embracing imperfection. His book “A Compendium of Curiosities” is filled with creative and inspiring ideas for beginner paper crafters and beyond. He truly lives his motto to live the life you’ve imagined.

“In a world where the moments of our lives can be captured and created in art of the everyday, it’s important it reflects our own unique personality. Finding just the right objects and tools to use are most important. Whatever your artistic vision is, exploring the imaginative is a chance for our creativity to escape understanding. Remember life isn’t about finding yourself – life is about creating yourself…”  -Tim

Roundtable Artist-Pitch to Become a Designer for a Craft Company

After a successful career climbing the corporate ladder in Silicon Valley, marketing high-tech start ups and brands like IBM and Animal Planet, Traci left the corporate world to pursue her passion for art. The year 2011 marks the 10-year anniversary of launching her creative business endeavor treiC designs. Prior to becoming a full-time artist, she worked as a graphic designer, event planner, marketing director, professional cheerleader, elementary art teacher, fashion designer, and web designer—to name just a few positions. Experiences that she gained through these positions, coupled with her innate drive to explore and create without boundaries, are what contribute to her success as a mixed media artist. Her passion for sharing art has led her on a worldwide tour, teaching mixed media workshops in handmade books, art journaling, collage, art marketing, and surface design. Traci is the author of the bestselling book, Collage Unleashed, and is currently working on her next book which will be released January 2012. Her art has been featured in over 15 art/mixed media books and 40 craft magazines, including Somerset Studio, Altered Couture, cloth.paper.scissors, Art Journaling, Art Quilting Studio, Belle Armoire, and Craft. Her column “Creativity Unleashed” was featured in Somerset Studio Magazine. She has been a regular guest on DIY/HGTV Craft Lab. Her creative business includes designing licensed product lines, Collage Pauge adhesive, and {kolLAJ} paper crafts. She has developed business partnerships with numerous craft manufacturers, and has built her online presence solely on her own, designing every aspect of her brand and marketing strategy.