A Roadmap to Creative Pursuits: GCBRV

I sat down with embroidery extraordinaire Astrid Barta, founder and needle threader of Good Canberra Vibes aka GCBRV, to learn more about her craft, vibing with other artists, and how a historically ‘women’s’ activity makes her feel like a boss-assbusiness-bitch.

Q: Do you think art school has made you a better artist?

A: I’m doing a Bachelor of Visual Arts with sculpture as my major. It’s definitely made me look at art making in general and how it’s seen in the world. It’s changed how I speak about art and validate making art for myself.

Q: A lot of the imagery you use is very Canberra specific, like Clem Cummings’ bus stops and Telstra Tower. What has been the effect of living in Canberra on your art, and why do you think such icons have become so omniscient in Canberra youth culture?

A: Personally, being a Canberra girl, I’m aware that we’re not in a big city. Everyone goes through a stage of hating Canberra and being like ‘no, I want to leave and go to the big smoke’, but I think there’s been a reclaiming of Canberra. People have changed and started saying ‘all of these weird little quirky things in Canberra are great, so we’re going to make it its own thing'. I'm not trying to put Canberra on the map, but utilise the things around Canberra in a good way.

Q: You use social media (particularly Instagram) to promote your business. How do you think social media is affecting the creative arts in Canberra, not only in terms of inspiration and cross-fertilisation between artists, but also in terms of facilitating successful creative businesses?

A: Seeing people’s work [on Instagram] and fostering friendships online, has created a kind of ‘scene’ in Canberra for me. Posting to Instagram drives me to keep making things. It’s part of the business in a way, having this social media presence, especially as I don’t have a shop or consistent physical presence. I enjoy doing it – I don’t know if that’s selling myself too much.

Q: You are deeply embedded in the Canberra arts scene, having collaborated with Degenerate & Six, Art Not Apart, and the Lonsdale Street Markets. What is the importance of these collaborations for your creative process and the promotion of your business?

A: I’ve definitely done some stuff I didn’t think I’d do when I started this, like Degenerate & Six. Meeting people was a highlight. I’m pretty introverted and normally in my bedroom embroidering, so it brings me out and gets me vibing off peoples’ energies. Having a common working space allowed me to see all the good things happening in Canberra. I got to do an embroidery workshop, so having the opportunity to further what I do in my business was really cool. I was nervous to do [the workshop], because I didn’t know if people would be into it. But people were really into it. It was good for me to teach people, as I started embroidery by looking up YouTube videos. It was nice sitting in a big circle and doing it together.

Q: Was your reappropriation of embroidery, traditionally considered ‘women’s work’, a purposefully feminist act?

A: You can’t gloss over the feminine history of it. It was definitely female heavy in the workshops which was cool – there was a family of a grandmother, mother and child. I don’t know if there’s pressure there [with regard to it being a ‘gendered’ practice]. There are definitely a lot of male and non-binary people who are killing it in embroidery! I think there is natural change happening so I don’t know that there has to be a push for change.

Q: How did you go about commercialising your work?

A: I was always selling stuff – always commercial. I had a plain tote bag and I was like ‘I want to try embroidery, so I’ll put something on this to have as a personal object’. Then I started making more tote bags. I was just selling to friends on the cheap and doing exchanges. A friend at the time was doing prints and drawings and they said we should do a market together. Our first market was Art Not Apart. I started making more and selling through Instagram and Etsy. Now I just sell online or at markets.

Q: Have commercial pressures changed the way you create? Have you regretted any of these changes?

A: Yes. I’ve stopped doing commissions right now. The thing about commissions is that someone will come to me and say, ‘I really like your work, can you do this for me?’. Sometimes they push me to do something different, which can be good for me, but, I kind of got sick of pleasing people. Every time I make something, I don’t know if people will like it or want to buy it, but I think I’ve gotten to a good place of keeping myself happy, and if people appreciate my craft then that’s great.

Q: Where do you think your business will go after you graduate, and how do you predict your practice will evolve?

A: Embroidery is a skill I’ll take with me, even in my art practice in sculpture. I’m very into creative, practical stuff so I’ll always have my hands on something. I’m not really looking five years ahead. When I started there were things I didn’t think I’d do that I’ve now done, so in the years to come there may be other things. I enjoy what I’ve made out of this business. It’s a nice thing that I juggle with a lot of other things like uni and my actual job. I think if I move cities I can’t really call it Good Canberra Vibes anymore. I’ve gone to other cities and done markets, so there is definitely a market reach in a couple of places.

Q: Is an ‘all or nothing’ approach to an artistic career a good idea or are back-ups necessary as financial safety nets?

A: I think putting your creative energy into a couple of things is better. If something really takes off, you can readjust. Saying to yourself ‘OK, I’ll put myself into this fully today and do something else after because I need to make money’ is good. I didn’t have a job for about two years, so my job was doing embroidery and that would be some pocket money on the side. People would ask me if I made enough to sustain my life and I’d say no because some days I would make heaps and some days I wouldn’t. I’m really happy with how I juggle everything now.

Q: How does your practice empower you?

A: Running my own business makes me feel like a boss-ass-business-bitch. I feel like I’m not being greedy or selfish, but taking my time doing one thing for myself. I get a good public response from what I do, so it makes me feel like I’m doing something positive even though it’s for myself. That’s really empowering.

Q: Do you have any advice for fellow creatives who are eager to build a business around their work, but aren’t sure how?

A: I think visibility on Instagram is pretty effective. I’d encourage you to put yourself out there – it might be scary but you can learn a lot. Just keep at your practice even if things go badly. If you fail, it doesn’t really matter, at least you tried. Keep your passion up!

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Bus stops, girl power, embroidery, and the nation’s capital: this is GCBRV. Seeing how Astrid has woven together creative quirks and an emphasis on locality (with commercial success to boot!) has me longing to pick up a needle and thread. All I can say is keep on stitchin’, because we’re loving these Great Astrid Vibes.

Interview by Elizabeth Harris