Originally posted on the Creative Coast's blog here.

When I set out to create a new product line last year, I wanted it to be as sustainable as possible. But what exactly did that mean for my product and my business practices? Both as a maker of things and a consumer, I couldn't disregard the growing desire to know, not just who I was purchasing from, but where each item and raw material originated and where and how they were made before arriving into my hands.

Sometimes new designs come easy to me and seem to take no time at all. Other times designs need lots of tweaking - a little change here, a little change there - before they solidify. As an artist, this reminds me a lot of how I paint. There is always a give and take around the edges. Objects are almost never sharp and crystal clear in the beginning, a little light shines through in places or the color changes as an object recedes from view. It's these nuances that can give an object greater depth and it's the same with design. Good design is efficient and efficiency means paring down anything that isn't essential to an item. Like editing a poem, or a book, or blocking out colors in a painting - you start with big ideas and generalizations and slowly trim them down into a concise, focused, detailed finished product.

This is where I'm at in regards to my wrap skirt design.