Creating Authenticity on Your Terms with Erin Dollar

Erin Dollar is the designer and maker behind Cotton & Flax. With a background in fine art printmaking, Erin brings a simple, modern aesthetic vision to Cotton & Flax, which she founded in 2012.   After studying fine art printmaking at UC Santa Cruz, Erin continued her studio practice and produced artworks on paper in Portland, Oregon. She began a series of experimental printmaking projects on textiles in 2010, and spent two years refining her aesthetic vision and perfecting printing processes before founding Cotton & Flax as a permanent home for her designs.   With Cotton & Flax, Erin approaches textile design as a blend of fine art and fine craft. By using traditional methods to print each textile piece, Erin hopes to share her love of printmaking, and to promote greater public interest in owning unique, handmade home goods.   One of my favorite topics of conversation with Erin was about the tug and pull of transparency around your business. On one hand Erin sees a huge importance in sharing the process of her business with her customers or fans, allowing them to see the inner workings of the business that can make them feel more connected. But Erin is also not one to make things all about her. In fact she’d rather make most of it about her work, products, and what she’s looking to accomplish on a bigger scale.   Social media has certainly created a borderline expectation of revealing your personal life or personality to market your brand. Something that can work great if done well, but not all people are interested in giving up that type of privacy. Erin is firmly in the camp of finding ways to be authentic that work for her. Dictating how she reveals that personal transparency is something very important for her, and can also be a great asset. It’s a fantastic reminder that the most “popular” way is not always the best way for you or your business. And usually what’s best for you will always be the right choice in helping your business thrive.      Find Cotton and Flax Online: Website - https://cottonandflax.com/ Facebook - @cottonandflax Instagram - @cottonandflax   Some Questions I Ask: What made lightbulb go off creatively for you? Do you enjoy the process or the end product more? How has marketing and advertising changed as social media platforms have changed? Do you ever struggle with being genuine vs being trendy? What’s a word you would use to describe your work and what you’re trying to get across?   In This Episode, You Will Learn About: What’s special about running a product based business    The slow natural process of Cotton and Flax The importance of sharing the process How to be successful without making it all about you in this day and age Finding ways to be authentic that work for you   Music Composed by John Zarcone