Designing Maine #175

Heather Chontos:

Being a stylist, being an artist, working in textiles, working in painting, working in drawing, it's all the same to me because it's all form, line, color, shape. And when I'm creating a set for a photo shoot, it's like me putting together shapes in my head for a painting. It's the same thing. So it's just playing with different materials.

Erin Flett:

I guess having that graphic design background has completely made things so much easier for me, I think. And I really believe that because I'm able to market myself and design my own brand. I think brands are really powerful.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

This is Dr. Lisa Belisle, and you are listening to Love Maine radio show number 175, Designing Main, airing for the first time on Sunday, January 18, 20, 2015. Maine is home to many talented artists and designers. Today we speak with Heather Jantos and Erin Flett, both of whom are making their marks on the world of style. From fashion to home furnishings. You have seen their work nationally and internationally in publications such as Oprah Magazine. We are proud to have them designing in Maine. Thank you for joining us. I am always intrigued to speak with people who have spent time outside of the state of Maine and then specifically choose to come back. I love speaking with creative individuals who

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

are passionate about what they do and passionate about bringing their style and their vision to Maine.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So today on Love Maine Radio, I'm interviewing Heather Shontos. She is a designer, artist and stylist who has a studio in the State Theater Building in Portland.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

She has styled for Gourmet Magazine, Gap,

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Anthropology, Coach Travel and Leisure, Bon Appetit, and many more. She's also the mother of daughters Cody

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

and I suspect that might be the more important thing in your life they're

Heather Chontos:

the main feature, for sure.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Well, thanks so much for coming in,

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

and you have a great story, and I'm glad you're willing to share it with us.

Heather Chontos:

Thanks.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Heather, you're originally from New York and you spent time in Barcelona.

Heather Chontos:

I did. I was a precocious teenager who went to the south. South of France when I was 13 with a family in New York as their babysitter. And that was pretty much it. I didn't. I decided at that point I didn't want to live in the States, which lasted for about 10 years, a little bit longer. And so I applied for a study abroad program when I was 15 to go to Barcelona. And I had graduated already from high school. When I. When I went, I was actually 16, so I'd already graduated, and I loved it. And I lucked out with an amazing family. They were all artists and designers, and it felt pretty homey for me to be there. So I kind of stuck around probably a little longer than they were expecting, but it was a good platform for me to start on the big adventure, for sure.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Well, that's interesting, because how old are your daughters now?

Heather Chontos:

Fifteen, almost. Sixteen and six, right? Yeah.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So when you think about your daughter,

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

it's Cody who's the older one.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

When you think about her being out and about in the world, how does that translate for you?

Heather Chontos:

Well, yeah, it terrifies me that she might do the same thing, but I suppose it's different because she. Cody was born in London, her father is Swedish, and she has pretty much spent the entirety of her life traveling. So her desire to hop around in that same way, she wants to do it, but she doesn't feel as compelled to sort of run off and find the world. Whereas I grew up in a family that my parents still don't have passports. They've never left the United States. And it was a very different upbringing. So I think that's played a big part because we've had a lot of adventures. So she's not. I guess she's not having that sort of yearning for that kind of life where I definitely was having that. So thinking about her going out into the world, yeah, it's terrifying. And we've been on our own since she was 4. So the fact that she may go off and do her own thing. Well, she may. She will go off and do her own thing. Very. It's almost like losing a partner, which is kind of a funny thing to say about your own child, but we've kind of grown up together because I was 21. When I had her. So, yeah, it's a whole new phase of life coming up pretty soon. So we'll see what she does, you know, I don't know. She wants to go to school in Europe because she is actually a Swedish citizen. And I might follow her, I don't know. We'll see. We'll see what happens. She kind of. She expressed that she'd like that to be the case and we could all go and live in Sweden while she goes to school so that we can be nearby. But I don't know, we're very, very different. Very, very different.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

And how would her younger daughter, I mean, younger daughter, your younger daughter, her younger sister, how would she feel about that?

Heather Chontos:

Yeah, she's pretty easygoing, I would say. She just kind of. I mean, it's a funny little unit that we have going on. We're a tight, very tiny little family. And I think wherever Cody wants to go, Zanna's gonna want to go, of course. But they're really great. They're super open to things being different and changing. We just moved to Peaks island like a month ago. And it was a decision that happened in a day. And our lease was up on our apartment in the West End and I found this adorable little house. And they were like, yeah, that'd be so fun. Take the ferry and go and go to school every day. And they're into it. So I think they're both open to transition and change. And I try to make it. I try to express it as an adventure all the time. So it's not some sort of daunting and negative experience. And so they're always up for it. So it's good.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

It's interesting to hear that you come from a family in New York that

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

was sort of content to be where it was. Your parents not having passports, still in the same place. Still in the same place.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

But you early on. And you're very different.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

But early on you had something that happened to you that most people could never imagine. You lost your vision. You were 13 years old.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So do you think that that shifted

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

the way that you approach the world?

Heather Chontos:

Oh, definitely, I. I guess. I mean, I was always very interested in the possibilities of traveling. I think before I lost my eyesight, I wanted to be a marine biologist like every 13 year old girl does. And I wrote to. I had written to the embassy in Australia and asked them how I could come live there so that I could come and study. I was obsessed with Australia and I wanted to go there and become a marine biologist. And Then. So that was kind of pre losing my eyesight. I was very science oriented, very health oriented into running and very athletic. And then I lost my eyesight. And it just heightened everything so much because I guess at a very young age, I all of a sudden had this understanding of how things are not always going to be the same and that major things can happen which can alter your life, which I don't think you should necessarily understand at age 13. But that was not the case for me. So it was eight months. It was about six to eight months. I can't even remember. I woke up one morning, I had enormous amounts of pain, and then my eyesight got blurry and by the end of the day, I couldn't see anything. And it was a matter of, you know, just months and months of playing around with medication and tons of testing. And they didn't understand it, the doctors didn't understand it. So it was an intense process to go through. And so by the time I was done, I had developed a different sort of survival skill. And I guess I just wanted to experience everything and see everything. And that came on like a ton of bricks afterwards. And I think, you know, as much as my parents are, so they're, they're homebodies and they, you know, they work on their house and they make this beautiful place and they've never left it. And they talk about moving now. And I look at them and think, it's never going to happen. They understood that that was that I had experienced something and needed to just go off into the world and do what I needed to do, because I had just gone through this crazy thing. So they let me explore and they let me go. And I, you know, I worked and saved up money and got scholarships and went off and did what I needed to do, but it definitely became. The world became more visual, obviously for me afterwards, for sure. And it continues to be that way. I had a couple of episodes that happened throughout the years that may or may not be related, but I lost my vision for period of a half an hour at one point when I was pregnant with Santa. And it was terrifying because I thought, I'm losing my sight again. And I remember being in the hospital at one point and the doctors preparing me for the fact that I was going to have to learn braille and that I may have to go to school for the blind and that I may never see again because they just, they had no idea what was going on. There was no apparent real reason as to why it was happening. Um, and so you know, having those experiences, I. I think probably in the back of my mind, I'm always worried that it'll happen again because we don't understand it and there's no reasoning behind it, so there's no reason why it wouldn't happen again. And that sounds kind of negative. I'm not, you know, I'm not living every day thinking, oh, my God, I'm never going to be able to see again. But it's definitely a thought. It happens. It passes through my mind. So I'm very happy that I get to have this fun life where I create things and people really love it, which is nice, too. But, yeah, it definitely. It's. It's changed. It changed everything, and it changed how I see most parts of. Of my. My life and what's important, what's not important, and all of that. As I imagine most people, when they go through something that changes their perception or of what their life is going to be like, that they would feel the same, I would think. Luckily, I got my vision back. It's not something that has maintained being a problem in my life. So I'm a lucky one. People get sick and never get better, and so I feel like I'm pretty lucky because at least I came out the other side and I have a different understanding of things, which is great.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

And they're really.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

It sounds like they really never understood

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

why you lost your vision. You never really got a diagnosis. There's not anything you can do to prevent this from happening again?

Heather Chontos:

No, it's a very strange illness. It's called optic neuritis. And mine was bilateral with both eyes. Optic neuritis is something that happens in women in their 30s that generally are having an onset of multiple sclerosis. I remember at one point they were trying to find me a support group, and they could only find three or four women in the entire United States that actually it happened to. But of course, everyone was in their 30s, and I was 13, and it was like there wasn't a lot in common for us to discuss. And of course, these people were actually really sick. You know, they had multiple sclerosis. It's a horrible, horrible disease. And, you know, the fact that they were going through this, that they were experiencing it on a. On a very different level. That, yeah, there was no. It just happened. They say it could have been stress that, you know, at age 13, I don't know what kind of levels of stress I was having that would create that. But there's no reason. There's no rhyme or reason to it. So it's hard to pinpoint, but it's an illness that's very. Every time I go for a checkup, I have a team of students that come in and observe me like I am just the most fascinating guinea pig on the face of the planet. It's basically your optic nerve becomes so inflamed that it no longer works. And, and it hurts. It hurts a lot. I mean, as you imagine having like an inflamed nerve in your head, which is basically what, you know, was why it hurts so bad. I couldn't move my eyes, I couldn't move my neck, but my optic nerve now is kind of. It's kind of amazing. It looks like the pictures of it are wild. It just, it looks like those old illustrations from the war when, like the fire, you know, they show that like the, the, when they're shooting at each other and there's just, you know, this like, bright orange, glowy looking sort of, you know, explosions in the sky. It looks like that and it's, it's kind of wild. And people just are fascinated. Doctors and students are fascinated by it. It's pretty, it's pretty funny because they just don't see it. It just doesn't happen very often, as far as I understand. I was just in Vienna in September and I went on a wine tasting tour and there was a conference there of neurologists and brain surgeons, some very, very smart people that were, they were on a conference and these guys were from John Hopkins. And I asked them, I said, you know, you ever come across. And they said they never in their, you know, 30 year career had they ever come across it. And so that opened up a can of worms because that was a nice, a fun conversation over many glasses of wine in the countryside of Vienna. But, you know, again, like, here are these doctors from, you know, John Hopkins that are looking at all these patients with many different illnesses and they, they had never come across it either. So I guess I'm kind of special in that regard.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

It's.

Heather Chontos:

Yeah, I mean, it's an interesting. It's an interesting part of my story, for sure.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

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Dr. Lisa Belisle:

it's interesting to me to know that

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

before this happened, you were more sciency and linear and health. And then whatever happened in your brain at the time that this was going on, it shifted things. And then when you kind of came out the other side, all of a sudden you literally saw things differently. And then you turned this into you became very interested in art and you became very interested in the visual.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

And it sounds like you have two

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

different kinds of things you do that you kind of style for people, but then you also are an artist.

Heather Chontos:

I don't see them as being different. Many times people ask me, how did you become a stylist? Being a stylist, I guess, is sort of an extension of everything else. I went to college in London. I studied art history and I did a program that was actually art history and material studies. So it was studying chemistry and learning how to conserve artwork as well as studying the history of it. But in my dorm room in my first year of college, I met a student who was a painter, amazing painter. And we started painting on stuff. And I had always drawn, but I had never really worked with paint before. And it became very interesting to me and sort of that progressed. And then I was working with an amazing furniture designer in London and some woman came in one day and she said she was a prop stylist and that she needed to get Some things for a photo shoot. And I was like, what. What is that? Like, what is the prop stylist? And so she explained it to me and we went for coffee the next day and she sort of talked to me about it. And I was like, oh, I. I could do that. You know, that's. I, like, I could totally figure that one out. And so I got a sketchbook and I drew all these scenarios of what would be interesting photo shoots, and I colored them in and I went to. I cold called, like, I don't know, 10 different editors in London. And three of them said, yeah, come on in. And the first one, Elfride Pownall, was the. And she's still there. She is the design director at the Telegraph magazine in London. I guess it's like the Saturday magazine. And she looked at my sketchbook and she was like, yeah, I really. I like these ideas. So let's. Do you think you could pull it off? And I was like, yeah, of course. I was 19, I think. And so I did. And she sent me to the house of this amazing, amazing, amazing photographer, Bill Batten, who is like one of the world's best interior photographers. And he works for World of Interiors magazine. And I mean, just Casa Vogue. Like, the guy was phenomenal. And we sort of played around at his house with all these things that I got from shops or, you know, I knew all these designers because I had been working with furniture designers. And then I made a bunch of this stuff myself and kind of took it from there. And I think the thing is, being a stylist, being an artist, working in textiles, working in painting, working in drawing, it's all the same to me because it's all form, line, color, shape. And to have a successful image be created. Yes. You need to understand how photography works. And you need to understand how an image will translate, whether it's in person, in a window, or whether it's coming to print somewhere, which you learn over time just through experience. But it's. It's all the same. It's all the same thing to me. I don't differentiate it. Like, when I'm creating a set for a photo shoot, it's like me putting together shapes in my head for a painting. It's the same thing. So it's just playing with different materials, I guess.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

The publications that you've worked for are really impressive.

Heather Chontos:

Thanks.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Gourmet magazine, you worked briefly, you said, for Cooking, Light.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Bon Appetit.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Travel and Leisure. What are some of the favorite things that you've created? Scenes that you've created things that you've been a part of. What has really drawn you in and caused you to be excited?

Heather Chontos:

I started as an intern at World of Interiors magazine, and the first photo shoot I did for them is probably still my favorite world of interiors was, you know, still to this day, just they represent a different level of design thought and creativity that should be implemented more. And it's not. We've become very formulaic, especially in this country where things are set out and very regimental as far as design trends go. And it's kind of boring to me and sort of disappointing, actually. I think that my favorite definite world of interiors would be number one. But I was the art director for the photographer Corin Day. She passed away a couple years ago. But she created a world in fashion. So it's funny because a lot of the magazines on that list are all very food oriented. But before I did any food, which I do love working with, I did a lot of fashion. And we did stories for British Vogue and Italian Vogue that were just wild. I mean, she would pick me up in this town car and we would go to the craziest place ends of London and find furniture that was ripped apart that I could paint or I could, you know, reconstruct. And then we'd go to locations that were sort of decrepit and falling apart and, you know, we would make it into this magical place where all of a sudden this whole other scenario is being created. So those were definitely my. My favorite days because I was allowed to just completely be me as a creative person. And then I moved back to the States. And yeah, I would say after that, gourmet, without a doubt. It was Richard Freddie, who was the creative director there. He would give us a script and there was a story and there was always a character and there would be a location. And there wasn't a lot of money to go to Brazil. So we did a story once in New Jersey, and it was meant to be Brazil. And we found these little kids on the beach whose parents let us very nicely take them and use them as models. We had models too. And when you look at these photographs, everyone's like, where did you go? Where was that shoot? Like some crappy beach in New Jersey that, you know, we just kind of made. We had all these. I would get these amazing props and create stuff. And then there would be the food stylist who is incredible making this amazing meal. And so it was this funny thing where the meal created a story. And then there was a character that implemented that story and so we did that over and over again in amazing locations with incredible photographers. I mean, I am really fortunate. I have worked with some of the world's best. My very best friend and my favorite, John Koenigse. He's amazing. Bill Abramowicz, Mikkel Vang. These guys are all over the world shooting for not only interiors and food and fashion stuff. They do National Geographic travel magazine. And they go to the most incredible places. And their visual perception of things is amazing. But I always remind them that when we do these stories that they would have nothing to photograph if it wasn't for me. So I like to take as much credit as possible. I'm sure they would disagree, but it is. Yeah, it's been pretty interesting. I would say gourmet would be my favorite in the States.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

And tell me about your art.

Heather Chontos:

I'm mostly painting. And when I'm not painting actual paintings, I do a lot of work on textiles. It's pretty big and loud and abstract and colorful. And it's probably the one thing I think I'm truly the best at. Like, if I was gonna say there's one thing in this world that I should do, it's probably painting, because it's just. It comes so naturally to me for some strange reason. And I feel like I am probably my most honest self when I'm doing it, so. So that feels really nice. And I try to do it. I do it every day. I paint every day, at least for a couple of hours. I love my life. I love my family. And I think I have an enormous amount of love to give as a person. And that doesn't always come across. And it's not always easy to do that in your everyday life. So I feel like in my work, I'm able to do that. I was in Copenhagen last week, actually, and I was sitting with a friend of mine who took the train from Malmo, Sweden, to Copenhagen. And we had dinner. And she's amazing, amazing person. And I had told her that this woman had bought a painting recently. And we had a conversation on the phone. And she said, you know, you do happy really well. And I wouldn't describe myself as someone who is extremely happy, because that's not. I don't know. That's kind of an understatement. It's just, like, one word that doesn't instantaneously come to mind. Probably chaotic and somewhat complicated and obsessive. Compulsive maybe would come to mind. But she said, you know, she said, I don't think happy is it. And she said, I feel so much love when I look at your work. And that, you know, is. And I almost cried because that was. It's. It's true. I think that that's kind of how I feel. I love. Yeah, I feel like I'm full of love and joy for. For my life, I guess, but definitely chaotic and definitely complicated.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Well, you do get to be a whole person.

Heather Chontos:

I do.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

You don't have to pigeonhole yourself.

Heather Chontos:

Yeah, no, thank you. I hate to be pigeonholed. Yeah, I can tell, actually.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Well, Heather, after listening to our conversation, I'm sure people will want to be able to see your work. How can they do that and find out more about you?

Heather Chontos:

Yeah, I have a website. It's just heatherchontos.com and I'm in the process of redesigning some of it. But on there. Everything is on there for the most part, and there's links to all the different. All the different work. So. Yeah.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Well, it has been a real pleasure

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

to talk to you today.

Heather Chontos:

Thank you.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

We've been speaking with Heather Chantos, who's an artist, designer, and stylist, working and living right here in Portland, I guess,

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

living technically on Peaks island, which is still Portland.

Heather Chontos:

Still Portland.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Yeah, still Portland. But definitely a great addition to our Love Maine radio show. So thanks.

Heather Chontos:

Thank you.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

As a physician and small business owner, I rely on Marcy Booth from Booth, Maine to help me with my own business and to help me live my own life fully. Here are a few thoughts from Marcy.

[Unidentified voice]:

When was the last time you took a break from what you were doing, from the work that was piled up on your desk and just looked up? I know that during the course of my days, I often forget to take a moment or two to just breathe, look up at the sky, and dream. Terrible that I have to remind myself to breathe. But when I do, I feel energized. Because in those moments, I'm able to let go of the daily grind and think more about what I want to accomplish, how I want my business to grow. Sometimes those are the aha moments. If we all took a few moments out each day to stop what we are doing and dream a little about our business futures, not only would we feel a great sense of calm, but we may come to realize that these dreams can, in fact, come true. I'm Marcie Booth. Let's talk about the changes you need. Boothmaine.com

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

It's a privilege of mine to speak with people that I have known from the community for many years and maybe not had quite as much of an opportunity to speak with them in depth. Today I have in the studio Aaron Flett, who is one such individual. I actually own a couple of her pillows from maybe a generation back. I guess I met her a few years ago when she was at picnic, I think selling some of her projects. She is a graphic textile and surface designer with her own line of hand screened textiles and woven fabrics. Her line includes pillows, bags, wall art, limited edition paper products and also custom projects from interior designers and architects. And anyone who's on Instagram or Facebook has seen Erin Flett because you're everywhere. So thanks for coming in today. You're so busy.

Erin Flett:

Thank you so much.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

I have really enjoyed watching the evolution of your business and your career because I know that you initially had done some work here at 75 Market street, affiliated with Maine magazine, Maine Home Design. You had a couple of daughters, you've just burst out on the design scene and you work so hard. So it's so gratifying to me to see a woman who is just I know what I want. I'm going to keep moving forward and to see that you're getting such traction from this.

Erin Flett:

Thank you. Thank you. It was an interesting start. As you said, I'm a graphic designer. I have a BFA in graphic design and fine arts. That's where I started. I worked in an advertising studio for the first four years of my life and really honed in my design aesthetic as far as graph design and typography and worked on packaging and collateral and branding and then into websites when they first start hitting really everybody needed a website. And then quickly after four years I realized that I was never going to make any money doing that basically if I was stayed being an employee sort of vision. And also I was pregnant. So I also had a vision of what my life was going to be with child and I was working really crazy hours and I wasn't able to come home every day at 5 o' clock and so it was challenging. So what I end up doing is I think having Breeja. I was probably four months pregnant and I realized okay. So I really kind of searched for an outlet as soon as that happened. And what happened was I got a band. I call it my Band Aid. Basically I got an opportunity to work at an advertising studio For Briggs Advertising, who I love him is Walter Briggs. He gave me a break. He gave me 20 hours worth of work every week. I was able to stay home. I slowly built my own clients and then from there I was just starting my own business. So it was really that one little piece of just stepping out of that comfort zone of having a full time job and just kind of building. And then I had Breeja and so that parenting mode kind of kicked in and I just wanted to be home with her and I wanted to nurse as long as I wanted to, and I wanted to be able to go take her, put her down for a nap. And I didn't want to do the whole daycare thing right away. And so that's really what started. All of it really is just being a mom and trying to have a good family life and trying to. I'm seeing long term with the potential of being in the workforce, like having to be at a job all the time. So that's kind of the foundation. And then that quickly led to, I think I worked for Briggs for a couple years and then I slowly kind of weaned my way off of that. And plus he started getting busier on different things and I started building my own client base. So then that started happening. And then literally after a couple years of that, I got a little bit antsy, just kind of bored with what I was doing. I loved doing the branding and stuff, but I was just a little bit more interested in some of the patterns I was making on the graph design pieces. So people started talking about the patterns more so than my graphic design work. And so it was interesting. I literally started doing research and I found Print Source, a New York show that just sold pattern work. And I visited New York City with my mom and I quickly realized that I could actually make a living doing pattern work. And it was just, it was like almost. It wasn't like a quick, quick thing. It was, I think 2007, I started my first Etsy shop doing like letterpress cards. Like, so I took that paper, that graph design piece to the pattern work and then that quickly fizzled out because I spent so much money on different things. And I was like, I don't know if I really want to do this and the cards. So I really started and stopped really quickly in 2007. It wasn't until 2009 that I really started trying to figure out that I could actually do textiles. And that's kind of like the segue into that.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

You have a lot of energy.

Erin Flett:

I know it's a really great thing.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

But this, I think, tells me why it is that you've been able to be so successful and to move forward. I mean, I think that I remember seeing you at Sunny's one time with your husband, and I think you were like working on a website or something. I mean, I get the sense that for you, even though you backed off so that you could have more flexibility in your schedule with your daughters, and you do spend a lot of time with your daughters, who you said they're 10 and 6.

Erin Flett:

10 and 7.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

10 and 7.

Erin Flett:

Yeah.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

But you also. You integrate them into your work life.

Erin Flett:

We do. We do. And I say we because my husband has been an integral part too. When I started doing the textile design, I was actually asking other people to work with me and print for me. And slowly, after me being completely insane about color and all the different patterns, I quickly realized that I wasn't going to be able to hire anybody to really help me that was going to. Because I was baby. It's a long story, but basically I had to recruit my husband, who's a carpenter, to help me build a table down in our basement. And this is totally how it started. And he literally helped me build this amazing table. He started printing for me. He learned how to silkscreen. We both kind of taught each other how to print. And that's. And without him, I wouldn't have been able to do. Do it. And so that's really. That when you're in your basement mixing ink and all of a sudden you just start. And having somebody support you too was huge. And he was always supportive of what I said. He really wanted me to do the graphic design work, which I did all the time. I still do a little bit of graphic design work now, but just as long as that support system was really big to have that. But the circle back with the kids, I feel like as a mom, what's been really powerful for me is that I want to guide them and show them that they can have a passion and they can actually work towards something. If they, you know, if they just been shown and they work really hard and they put in those hours and then they see their parents working together as a team. It's not always like roses and happy talk and blah, blah, blah all day, you know, all the time. But they see real life and they see real two people that are passionate about each other and something. And that's something that they believe in. And they see that every day. And then of course, they're in the midst of it, like they're in the midst of printing or they're in the midst of making, and they see things not working out and then we fix it and then we do it again. And then they see the highs where, like, they're going crazy. And, like, I think what's hard for them right now is that they're really excited that we're doing really well. But they also know that because we're doing really well, we're working more, a little bit more than they want to. But. But I also pick them up every day at school at 3 o'. Clock. I take them to dance or ballet or gymnastics. I've really made it a priority to spend serious hours and time with them. And I think just, you know, every morning before we go to school, we talk about stuff and I drop them off. I don't. I mean, it'd be easier to get them on the bus and go. But they've asked for me to drop them off at school. And it's interesting. Like, I just listen to what they really want. And I feel like, because we have an agreement, I think, in the house, like, as long as I will give you everything that you need, and I will give you everything as far as spiritually, emotionally and that connectedness. But the agreement is that they have to be connected and spiritual and grounded themselves. And they're only little, but they understand that they're going to be supportive and be part of this family, that they need to be mindful and understanding that Mommy and Dad are doing this and. And I get everything I need. They know that they get everything that they need and everything that they really want. In theory, I mean, you know, within reason, but it's a balancing act. It's that you get whatever you need if you support us. And I think, and that sounds really weird, but I feel like that connectedness where I'm like, mommy needs to work here, but I'm also driving you to ballet three days a week, and I'm staying there waiting for you for an hour, not worrying about anything else and being completely connected with you. Or like in the middle of the night when you need me, I will always be there for you. But there's like. I think it's almost like a camaraderie, family, team effort that this whole thing has to come together. And the more you connect with them and talk to them about that and how important it is that they all have a buy into it. So it's a support. It's a support system that we all have. It's interesting. Does that make any sense. It's like some sort of weird agreement that you have with your family. But I think we all need to be connected and talk really bluntly about what we need as people. And I'm completely honest with them about what I need, and I think, therefore, they are very honest and completely mindful what they need. Like, mom, I really want you to do this. I need you to drop me off at school because I don't want to ride the bus for this reason, or I want you to come to this thing because it's really important to me. I feel like that's opening that up and being honest and has been what's been really helpful keeping our family unit together. And they know that mommy's really passionate about what she's doing. And hopefully I'm showing them that us as women can do whatever we want to do and have a family as long as we communicate and we have good values and we stay grounded. I think Breeja, my daughter, who's 10, who's like, she's always been very. She's. I could talk to her when she was 2. I think she's just her own soul, and that's always how she's been. Ari is definitely a different mindset, and she's still very sweet and young. And I don't. She's not as easy to talk to you. As connected as she gets older, she's easier to talk to. And they're little, they're distracted, and they're doing things and, oh, the birdie, you know, and that you're talking about something really serious, and they're completely distracted. So I have two different souls living with me. But basically, at the end of the day, Breeja has always told me, mom, I love how you talk to me. I love that you talk to me like, you don't talk down to me. She has issues with different things with, like, some teachers in the past have talked down to her, and she doesn't understand that talk because I literally. We never talk down to our kids. Like, I always involve them. And I don't know if this might be. Not for everybody, but for me, it always felt really authentic and real that I could just be like, this is the deal, Breeja. This is what's going on. I'm doing this. Or whatever it is. But she actually thanked me the other day. She's like, I really thank you for being that way, Mom. Because I just. I don't like it when people like adults. They think that just because I'm younger doesn't mean I can't understand or they, you know, get, they get talked down to or like, oh, you need to leave the room. Like this is really, this is a really serious topic and there's really no topics like that in our house. I mean we literally talk about pretty much any, anything within reason. You know, obviously Maz and I will like have conversations and, and we just include them in the conversation because it affects them. And I think they respect us for that because we respect them. So I think that's huge.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

where did this come from in you?

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Where did you develop this just burning desire to create?

Erin Flett:

When I was growing up, my mom is very artistic in her own right. She was very mindful, like what she put in her house, she put things on the wall. She was a stay at home mom first of all. And I think that's where I get my really inner. I need to be this really great mom. She was a fantastic mom. She stayed home with us and she not that that makes you a great mom because there's a lot of moms that stay home and that aren't probably great moms, but she was just very good about being a great mom and she was always there for me. But she was very artistic and she stayed at home. But she also had. She just cared about what she put in the house, like the way she put it up on the wall or her collection. She had collections and those collections became more about who she was and what she collected. Always had pattern and color to it. And eventually she started selling her pieces that she'd find and you know, it Just kind of evolved into a business. And that's kind of where how my mom evolved into her own passion, which was antiques and buying and collecting and buying at estate sales and selling huge estates. And then she had a huge antique shop in Bridgeton, Maine a few years, many years now. Like 10, 15 years ago, I guess now. And she did that for a few years. Loved it. And just, I mean just. And just her like sensibility throughout my life and just being really mindful like how she put things together. She always. Everything was about presentation. And so that's kind of like the basic, I guess where I grew up. And I think just going to college for graphic design in fine arts, I really started appreciating design and really was exposed. My parents weren't really about fine art or like art. My mom loved collecting things of color and graphic patterns and whatnot. But it wasn't until I went to college it kind of came full circle for me because I got to get that typography and the graphic design piece of it. And then I got the whole. The fine art piece of it where I just loved the composition and the push and pull of things and yeah, so that's. It really started meshing really well in college and I started meeting people that were really amazing. And I think when you surround yourself with people that are way better than you and so many, and I still do that today, I try to connect with people that are like minded, but also try to connect with people that can teach me things too. And I think that's really powerful. As a woman, I mean, I know I'm not good at everything. I know that I want to be good at certain things. And I surround myself with people that are really, truly want to help you and that love you and that kind of support you.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

I think I officially met you when you were working at this little tiny booth at Picnic, which was sort of, I'm not sure exactly how to describe it, but sort of a craft.

Erin Flett:

It's like an indie craft show sort of thing. But it's really like a new age like grandma version of craft show, but way cooler because now at the indie movement and the Handmade movement is so huge right now. And Picnic, I think has been an amazing for all of us designers that are small and they, we need a place to kind of just show off what we do every day and an opportunity to make money at what we do and show the public what, you know, what's out there. And this is like Etsy. I mean, Etsy just exploded as well.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So So I met you there, and I knew that you had an Etsy presence. And I agree with you. I mean, I think this tactile, this fiber, textile, all of these things, the stuff that you can touch has become so much more important to younger people, I believe, than maybe the people in the sandwich generation. But now I know that. I see that you're reaching out, that you've actually had success on national level. You've been featured in magazines. People are recognizing the work that you're doing. Tell me about some of the things that have happened to you recently and how things are moving forward and what some of your favorite things are that are going on.

Erin Flett:

I think last year was a real pinnacle point. I was featured in Oprah Magazine, and then I was featured in Country Living. We had a big spread. Family. They came out and shot our house and kind of profiled our family. Those two things, they came out within the same year, which was really amazing and fun. And that really put. And then I was. I mean, we've also been in probably over 30 magazines in the last four years, too. And what I think is what is happening is People. And then Yankee magazine just did a profile just recently on. There was like a profile of our studio. So that was the first actually studio, like in our new studio in Westburg. Because, I mean, before that, I was in my basement printing textiles with my husband in the middle of the night while the kids slept. And I would be working as a graphic designer during the day. I mean, literally how I lived for like, two and a half, three years. And I literally just decided one day I took a walk over to the mill, and I literally just decided to move into the mill, obviously, and just take the leap. And I have a great blog post that I tell people about that. They if you ever feel like you're scared to take the leap to go read that blog post, because it was me. It was actually the moment before I really signed up and took. Took that first leaf.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

But so you've gone from Etsy and Picnic and your basement and working as a graphic designer to Oprah Magazine and Country Living and Yankee magazine. And so these are things that have happened to you and are happening to you now. What's exciting about your future? What are you hoping. What are you hoping to do?

Heather Chontos:

Where are you going?

Erin Flett:

Where are we going with this? I think about this all the time. It's something that I think I've literally had this plan since beginning, and I think you plant seeds into the universe, like what you really, really want. And I literally Think about it every single day, like where I want to go. It's complete madness all the time, I have to say, like all the different things that we're making and I'm like, most of my days are ironing and shipping at this point because we're so nuts. And I have help, but it's hard to like put your stamp on everything when everybody else is helping. So I make sure that everything goes out and it looks beautiful and all that. And I think what's been really amazing about the whole publications is people are finally figuring out that it's like, it's pattern and it's color and it's design and it's American made and it's a story because we're weaving the fabric. We're not going to someplace in India or we're not importing the fabric, we're weaving the fabric ourselves, which is a huge piece of it. And we, we have it innocent. These people are American families that have been in the business and industry for generations. So I feel like, okay, there's like the raw, that's just the ground. And then we come, we get the ground, we print on the ground. It's a solvent free, water based ink. It's from Australia, we import it. It's not the cheapest ink, it's the most expensive ink we found, but it's the best ink that we found. So every little piece of it has a story to it. The inserts are from Florida. That's from a Cuban, Cuban family that immigrated, you know. And they are an amazing piece of it. They everybody that gives me all the little pieces to make what we're making has a story. And I believe in them as much as they believe in me. Like we're all supporting each other. And then once we actually print it, we have local women that are stitching this, you know, stitching them up. And then so I think when the magazines see and read and then obviously hopefully when they feel it and they touch it and they expect experience the patterns. And not only do they have like an emotional response, like I'm happy or I feel connected to this, whatever it is, but they also know that it's completely mindful in the way it's been produced. And it's not even like a perfect thing. I mean, it constantly changes. Like I'll decide one day, like, you know, I feel like we could find. If I find something that's better, then I will change it to make it so it's never the same. Like I was telling you, your pillows and your Studio or may not be the same pillows that you may find right now, because they've changed. Like, for example, the first pillow I had was just standard stitched. It was like serge. But now they're like a French corner. And we have a nicer zipper. It's a hidden zipper. Like, it's weird, like, little technical stuff that I get excited about. And then just recently, one of our best selling things in zipper bags, because everybody wants to. People sometimes want a pillow, but they doesn't go with their decor or whatever. So they want a piece of pattern that's just easy to take with them. So I think that's why the zipper bags have been so popular. And I don't know, I just think all of it together is one of those reasons why those magazines really picked up on it. And I also think it photographs really well. To be honest, as a graph designer, I know what sells in the sense of visual impact. And having that graphic design background has completely made things so much easier for me, I think. And I really believe that because I'm able to market myself and design my own brand around where I want to go. And that's always changing too. I feel like. I think brands are really powerful and like establishing a really strong brand and being consistent. And I tell designers how to become a brand because people get so disconnected and completely, completely, they don't know necessarily how to focus their brand in one direction. They get distracted or they start adding, like, I'll do this sort of aesthetic, and then I'll try this aesthetic, and it confuses the customer. So I feel like knowing that I've kind of been able to kind of keep myself on a single plane, but not. And I don't worry about selling things necessarily. I just make sure that things are cohesive and that it feels really good to me. Me. And I really love everything that comes out of it. And I feel like that's all those things together, I think, is what people hopefully see and feel when they. When they see my things. And that's, I think, the reason why people are writing about it.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

I am very proud to have my original pillows. I'm excited to go get some new and different things from your studio now. I'm very inspired, and I think we're proud to have you here in Maine. I really enjoy spending. I mean, I really love that you had a goal, you wanted to do something, you were passionate about it, you involved your kids, you involved your husband, and you just kept moving forward because I think that's something that is hard to do. It's hard to keep doing what you want to do and practicing that and doing it and really putting yourself out there in the world. I give you a lot of credit for that.

Erin Flett:

Thank you.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So, Erin, how can people find out about the work that you're doing?

Erin Flett:

This is my website. It's erinflett.com.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

well, please do go to erinflett.com those of you who are listening. She has beautiful things, very colorful. They just, they make you want to smile really when you see them. We've been speaking with Erin Flett, graphic, textile and surface designer who has her own line. And I think we will be seeing you really internationally at some point in the future. But don't forget that you are on Love Maine Radio.

Erin Flett:

Thank you so much.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

You've been listening to Love Maine radio show number 175, Designing Maine. Our guests have included Heather Shontos and Erin Flett. Today, I wanted to take a moment to share something a bit more personal with you. Shortly before Christmas, I received the phone call that changed my outlook as a physician. I was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 43. It is strange for me to say these words even now. Since my diagnosis, it has been a whirlwind of visits to doctors and medical facilities. Fortunately, my diagnosis, ductal carcinoma in situ is an early stage cancer that was detected on screening mammogram this week. I will undergo a bilateral mastectomy the day after my birthday. As a small chested woman with no family history and no known risk factors. To say I was shocked is an understatement. I have felt at times sad, angry and confused. But I've had a wealth of support from my family and friends and I have a medical team in which I trust implicitly. I am confident that all will go well. I am one of the lucky ones that my cancer was caught early. The plastic surgeon who will perform my

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

reconstruction told me that mammogram saved your life. She's absolutely right in more ways than one.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

I appreciate all the well wishes that

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

I have already received and if you

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

have a faith, please keep me in your prayers or send positive energy my way.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

I know that I'm going to come out of this better than I was before. Thank you for being a part of

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

the Dr. Lisa and Love Maine Radio listening world.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

You're all part of my family and I appreciate your being there with me.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Love Maine Radio is downloadable for free on itunes for a preview of each week's show. Follow me on Twitter and see my running travel, food and wellness photos as bountiful1 on Instagram. We love to hear from you, so please let us know what you think of Love Maine Radio. We welcome your suggestions for future shows. Also let our sponsors know that you have heard about them here. We are privileged that they enable us to bring Love Maine Radio to you each week. This is Dr. Lisa Belisle. I hope that you have enjoyed our Designing Maine show. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your day. May you have a bountiful life.

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