getting to know you #3

It's Sunday again, already. And that means a new interesting person to introduce you to. You may have seen her towels on this blog a few times, and I might have mentioned her at some other point (or two) but that makes her no less intriguing. Yeah, ok, so we're married-whatever. Cristina's tea towel business is sort of an accidental success, but she does a lot of other creating. Her music is really impressive, and you're going to love the music video she shot a few years back. Plus, she's turning into quite the wood worker. I'll let her tell you more. Enjoy.


please tell us who you are, and a bit about your business/art.
The Heated is a band with only one person in it (though that may change in the near future) and the tea towels I print are my band merchandise. But, since The Heated is not that well known yet, I figured it was a good idea to keep the band name off the product for now.

describe your creative/creating process.
I like for things to feel hand-drawn but I also have to use a really strong, clean image in order to screen print so my weak pencil lines don’t cut it. Normally, I’ll draw an image by hand in pencil then trace over it in ink on vellum paper, then scan that image into Photoshop, up the contrast a little then print to transparency, which I use to burn a screen. Telling you how I burn the screen would take a few pages. It’s really hard and I’m still learning.


what are your favorite places to shop?
I don’t like to shop. Is that irony?

how do you describe your personal style?
If I could get away with wearing plain black shoes, jeans, and a white button up underneath a black blazer every day, I would. I could. I should.


what is your top piece of advice for someone trying to run their own business?
I’d wanted to learn how to screen print for a long time but I had to really push myself to get around to doing it. There are always excuses to not do something. It wasn’t like I set out to start a business. I learned how to do it because it looked fun and I figured it’s a handy skill for someone in a band to have. So I would say, never stop pushing yourself to learn new things. You never know what might happen. Also, surround yourself with good people.

name five things that are a constant in your daily routine.
Shower, coffee, checking the local newspaper’s website, umm… five is a lot


what is your ideal day?
Waking up early in a good mood and going on a walk, then getting some business done until the early afternoon (screen printing, emailing, online networking, what have you). After that, play some music until dinner time. Then, make dinner with my wife and have some friends over to eat. The friends are so grateful, they help do the dishes. The end.


tell us something about yourself that we might find surprising.
Sometimes, if I’m in a really bad mood, I go into the bathroom and make funny faces at myself until I feel better.