First of all, I have to preface this “interview” by saying it’s an easy one. Brie is my best friend, a true treasure in my life and she’s one of the most interesting people I have ever met. She has the most unique perspective on life and she is incredibly brave and open to expanding her capabilities to meeting her heart on whatever adventure it is taking her on. She is someone I admire in so many ways and I am truly honored to get to share her with you!
All photos in this post were taken and provided by Brie.
Can you start by telling me a little bit about yourself and what you do?
I do a little of everything. I currently work as an Emergency Room Registrar part time and with the rest of the time I’m running my small business, LB Arrow Design, and taking care of our mini farm. I live in the high desert of Eastern Oregon where we have a small hobby farm of a cow, 5 goats, 4 horses, 2 cats, 2 dogs, and 2 guinea pigs. In the summer I split my time between the animals, gardening, work and the blue dog design. Winters are a little slower and more relaxing around here, though still plenty of chores with the animals.
When you started LB Arrow Design, you were painting enamel mugs. Now you paint skulls, make horse hair jewelry, make custom mohair cinches and breast collars, as well as do photography. What did that evolution look like? How did you come to be interested in all these different creative facets?
First, I have always been and will always be a “Maker.” I’ve always had an artistic side and I have always enjoyed painting and making things. I’m all about personalization. I’ve always been someone to look at something and go “I can make that!” and figure out how to do it. LB Arrow Design started with just enamel mugs, I was a full time student, working a full time job, and was looking for another way to make ends meet and still have some left over cash to put in my gas tank to get me into the mountains. Plus, I needed the mental break that painting provided. I always considered it “my adventure fund”.
Painting skulls were just another thing that I thought, “Hey, I can do MORE with this. I can make it personal and reflect what I love on it”. I had picked up a buffalo skull from an antique/trading shack when I lived in Montana, I carried it around with me for a few years before I decided I would actually paint on it, I wanted to give it something to make it personal and mine, I painted a silhouette of two riders with their horses and their dogs in the mountains, while I was painting it I had many inquiries for skulls to paint. I rarely paint on actual paper or a canvas, its boring to me, I like the 3D aspect of mugs and skulls. It’s just another way to share something I’m passionate about with people while making something for them that I can personalize and that they will treasure.
As my life settled into eastern Oregon I found myself with more time and an actual workspace that gave me the opportunity to branch out. I started making bracelets and earrings again, something I had tried years earlier but didn’t have the space for. My heart and passion really lies with the custom mohair tack. I have always loved horses and riding and to be able to make someone something that’s making their horse more comfortable and adding a personal touch to their set up, that’s priceless. The best part of offering custom work is when my customers come up with new color combinations and patterns I would have never thought of on my own, and I love them! I really have the best customers. There’s nothing more rewarding than getting pictures of gear you handmade being used and loved.
As for photography, I have always wanted a camera. I love taking pictures of my animals. I used to take my mom’s cellphone outside and take pictures of my dogs and horses, she probably had 5,000 photos she didn’t want on her phone. When I got my first cellphone, my only request was that it had a camera. It was cheap little flip phone that had a camera. I would text my email photos I took on my phone all the time. I eventually bought my first camera, a used Nikon D5200 with a kit lens off of ebay for like $300. I had no idea how to even check what the shutter count on the camera was or what to look for. I really lucked out. I used this camera (and abused it) for the next few years before upgrading to a D750. The D5200 still comes with us on all trips, Landon takes pictures on it now. It really is a work horse and has really paid for itself. I did my first few photo shoots with that camera! When I booked my first big photo shoot I decided that was means enough to upgrade my camera, because I always said I wouldn’t upgrade until it could pay for itself. It almost paid for itself. Like halfway. Now, I book shoots on a first come, first serve basis. I really enjoy working with people and capturing their story. It’s really special to me and something I intend to continue.
Can you explain your “why”? Why do you create?
I create to make this world a better place. To draw attention to things people otherwise don’t think of. This world is an ugly and horrible place. Our wild places are at risk. People don’t appreciate slow and meaningful living. Not everyone appreciates the wilderness, harvesting your own food, and slowing down. But seeing someone do it, seeing photos of people living a better life opens up those possibilities to others.
I hope when someone sees a photograph of mine they get a momentary break from all the bustle of modern media. The standards, the shaming, the violence and negativity. I hope they step away from all the standards, all the hate, and all the negativity when they’re viewing my photography and see nature. I hope they see the relationship between my animals and me, the necessity of keeping our wild places pure and wild, the satisfaction in growing your own food, the kinship in raising animals.
We live in a world where people throw trash out their car windows, vandalize camp sites, and trash our wild places without a second thought. If I can bring any kind of awareness to this, or maybe just show people what these places mean to me, maybe, they’ll treat things better.
As for my actual products I create, all I want is to provide quality gear for people, make horses comfortable and make the world more beautiful. I love the handmade movement. We need to move away from cheap and easy and back to quality and longevity. We have all these wonderful craftsmen, masters of a trade they’ve spent their entire lives mastering, and you want some piece of junk manufactured in bulk, overseas and made of plastic?
Quality over quantity, friends.
Invest.
You wont regret it.
What do you enjoy most about your creative “side hustle”?
I enjoy having something to give. I’ve volunteered my photography services, donated items for charity auctions and will continue to do so. I love to be that working force behind a surprise gift, a custom painting or tack set. I love to share. Hearing how much a tack set I made, a photograph I took, something I painted, a bracelet I braided, means to someone is what I enjoy the most. When someone tells me I’ve inspired them and when I’m reaching people and they’re understanding, that’s what I love.
Do you have any advice for someone interested in starting out in the creative/handmade industry?
Don’t give up. Find a community or a mentor. Learn everything you can, soak up every bit of information you possibly can! Learning a new trade, whether its cinch making, photography or braiding is frustrating. It’s so hard. There’s so many failures before there’s success. There’s so many other people already out there killing it and you can’t let that slow you down or stop you. Everyone climbs that ladder. You gotta put in that leg work before you can be killing it too. Revel in your success, build from your failures. It took me months to find a way to cure paint to enamel mugs without the paint just washing off and chipping. It took even longer to figure out how to braid a horse hair bracelet properly, and I’m still learning everything I can about photography and cinch making, you’re never done learning.
Whether you are photographing an epic mountain adventure, or your own backyard, your photos are gorgeous! How do you continue to find inspiration?
We all have burn outs. I’m not exempt from that. When I feel uninspired or burnt out, I take a break. I work more on cinches or more on photography. Our own backyard isn’t necessarily pretty, it’s featureless, flat, and well, ugly. So, I look for a new perspective, a new time of day to photograph or a new backdrop. When I’m at home, the beauty is in my animals, I try to focus on them more. When I’m in the mountains, or new landscape, I try to capture that. The wildness of it all, the risk, the steep trails, the hard work and the teamwork, the cold mornings and relaxing evenings.
Where can we find your work?
I can be found on Instagram @thebluedogdesign and @loki_toki
My website for inquiries: www.lbarrowdesign.com/
Facebook: The Blue Dog Design
