Please tell us a little about yourself.
My name is Lisa Trovato and I am the owner of Made by LT. I am by profession a Child and Adolescent Psychologist but have taken
some time out to raise my son Connor who is six years old and my
daughter Isabella who is 18 months old. I am married to a lovely Dutch
man, Rudi, and we live happily in Donvale, Victoria. I have always been
interested in creating things and throughout my youth dabbled here and
there. Prior to having children I painted abstracts using oils on
canvas, many of which are still hanging on our walls at home. I love
expressing myself through colour and I think a splash of colour goes a
long way!
Made by LT
was born after many months of experimenting, researching, dreaming,
obsessing and chatting to people. I decided to let my creative side
come to the forefront (instead of my analytical side!), and 'Wild Jars'
are my current featured product. 'Wild jars' are for functional use
and display, made especially for those that
don't want "run of the mill" pieces. I also create hand painted and
distressed Mason 'Ball' vases and bottles. This is just the start of
things to come as my head is full of designs and concepts. For me it is
all about producing quirky pieces of art that are enjoyed, functional
and get people talking.
What materials and techniques do you like to use?
My
passion at the moment are my 'Wild Jars' - handcrafted for bits and
bobs! They are animal topped trinket/storage/display vessels if you
like. The glass jars are genuine 'Ball' Mason jars imported from the
USA. I love the intricate details on these jars, close up the jars are
really quite beautiful. I add a gorgeous animal painted in a knockout
colour to create a unique functional piece of art sure to get people
talking. I also hand-paint and distress reclaimed bottles and Mason
jars (made into vases).
What challenges have you faced in the creative process?
A
big learning curve was the technical side of things: What paint
actually adheres to glass (not many by the way!). Challenges have been
many from paint that just doesn't cure or adhere to turning up to school
pickup with spray paint on my eyelashes! As a lot of my work involves
using an enamel based paint, I have to work outdoors, luckily my
workspace is a large covered balcony but is is still cold in winter!
The
other challenge was finding a wholesaler of the genuine 'Ball' Mason
Jars. Luckily I found one prepared to give me samples to practice on,
advice on 'what is selling', tips on how to package fragile goods and
encouragement that what I was making was actually pretty good.
The
creative process involves a lot of trial and error, if something
doesn't work the first time, sleep on it and try another day. Don't over
analyse or complicate things. Don't give up no matter how many emails
or phone messages you never get a reply to. Most importantly believe in
yourself and your product, be patient and if you are having fun keep
doing it!
So my motto would be "Keep trying, keep it simple, keep having fun and laugh at problems"
What drives you to create
I
go to bed with thoughts of what I want to create, I dream about it and
then I set about making it a reality. I am slightly obsessive in this
way. I am just starting out in terms of selling my product (instead of
making them for friends!) but have decided to throw caution to the wind
and pursue something that challenges me and brings me happiness. I
believe being creative is good for the soul.
What is coming up next?
I
am aiming to get my work out there so to speak. I can really see my
products working well in styled photos of interiors (children's bedrooms
for the 'Wild Jars', living spaces for the painted bottles and vases)
so that is my next mission, to make that happen. I hope also to keep
expanding my line with quirky unique products.
All images provided by Lisa of Made by LT.
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