I feel like I have been slowly seeing an increase in handmade rugs. Maybe its because of the free time people have to try something new? It's interesting seeing this circulate and seeing people just create something out of the ordinary. Learning about the different crafts and ways people create art/products/etc sure is interesting. One group of individuals creating one of these products is 4amrugz which is also this week's feature.
I always thought 4amRugz was one person creating these rugs, but it turns out "We are 4amrugz, which consists of 4 team members, Victoria, Aeessa, Jon, and Cesar." It consisted of actually more than one person and it turns out to be a whole team working together to get your rugz out there. A little bit about the team they share "We’ve been enjoying making our rugs and improving our craft! In our free time, Aeessa, Jon, and Cesar play video games! Aeessa and Cesar also like to play music and Jon loves to take photos. Victoria loves to do anything creative, whether that be putting together outfits, putting on makeup, working on her art, etc." Just by knowing their interests and looking back at their recent rug drops, I can see the influences or maybe the ideas they all pitch in to create these rugs.
They go on to share their favorite locals,
"Music artist - Joseph Stingley (@joseph.stingley)
Vintage clothing business - Justin (@vintagevibez956)
Art/airbrushed shirts - Milo (@figment0f_urimaginati0n)"
I know of these individuals and each one of them does their work/craft amazingly.
Out of anything these individuals could have chosen to focus on they chose rugs which is something I haven't seen up until recently which makes me curious as they replied with "Victoria, one of the team members, actually got us into creating rugs. She came across several TikTok’s on how to make rugs and started researching further. We then started with mini latch hook kits and took off from there! Because of COVID, we had a lot of free time. After making a couple each, we realized that we were actually really good at it, and started our Instagram (@4amrugz)." So it started on TikTok? Very interesting I would not have guessed that. My first experience with seeing these handmade rugs besides 4amRugz was a post shared by Stray Rats of someone creating a rug with the "RatGirl" logo on the rug. I thought it was cool and interesting since it surely is something different. Now I am curious about how rugs, in general, and how it will grow.
From their research to their mini latch hook kits to making full-on rugs varying in lengths and sizes due to the image they created how exactly was the process leading towards making their first batches of rugs as they explain by saying "most of it was trial and error. It was a bit challenging at first, but Youtube videos and learning from other people in the rug community helped us learn how to perfect our craft. We are about 3 months in with the start of 4amrugz and we are still learning til this day!" Wow, 3 months!? I'm sure time went by fast now and we can see how they perfected their craft by the numerous rugz created already. They sure did have the dedication and determination by following through with different ways of engaging themselves to learn this craft.
From their practice runs leading up to the many months of learning the craft of rug making. How do they decide on the final decision on which rug to make/focus on? Since it dedicates the sizing/colors/image and so many other things and details that take place. They explain by saying "we have done designs that are not ours, but rather a popular iconography. These rugs can be the exact design or modified with different colors. We make sure we are respectful of another artist’s and their craft and don’t do a design where the artist has publicly spoken out about how they don’t want their design used. We also always include in our posts if the design isn’t ours! If we ever plan to use another artist’s design, we will always ask for permission before anything. Victoria, an artist, likes to incorporate her own designs in rugs and we plan to do more of those in the future. We also have policies, which are in our story highlights, where we provide a disclaimer that we have the right to refuse service to anyone who wants a design that doesn’t line up with our views. As you can see, a lot of thought goes into the process of finalizing a design and we are completely transparent about that!" As we can see they take things into precautions even before creating a rug, but with Victoria, they also have a chance to sell original rugs which we look forward to these upcoming designs. They continue by stating "sizing and colors are always important, especially when the rug is commissioned! As a team, we are constantly in communication, making sure that the decisions, such as sizing and color, are agreed upon by each member." Communication truly is key! This team surely has it together when creating their rugs.
When I think about creating a rug I don't even know how to begin structuring a process besides drafting an idea on what you would want to create, but they explain the process "before making any decisions, we communicate with one another, making sure that everything is just right before we start. We have a set up in our home in the RGV, where we have been making our rugs since we started the business. We sit down together, work on our rugs, and listen to our favorite music. Even if one member has finished before the others, we help each other out, whether that’s going by the craft store and getting more yarn or just being there for the support. Our team members, Aeessa and Victoria, will be moving back to Austin, where we will have another workspace. With Jon in the RGV, we are excited to have 2 locations!" Stating that they are a team and "even if one member has finished before the others we help each other out" which is what we love to hear. Overall it sounds like a well oiled machined. Another location? They will be expanding providing more of rugs to more than just the 956! Its nice knowing about the growth of a local business and we hope for the best
From their 3 month venture into creating rugs how have they changed from when they started? "we’ve learned how to better use our supplies and just create more clean-looking rugs." Of course, I always believe that with trial and error the creator will grow along with their work.
Do each of them have a favorite rug they have created they replied with their choices "Victoria’s favorite is her 'Sapphics Only' rug, because it’s her own design and it was the very first rug she made.
Ryan’s favorite is his 'KAWS' rug because it was the one he spent the most time on.
Aeessa’s favorite is her first commissioned piece from a customer in Austin. It was cool for her to bring someone else’s vision to life."
Those are some good choices! I like the "wasted", "blonde" why lie I like all of them! I just can't pick and choose when they all speak out to me. Each one certainly has charm and I can just tell they were made with love.
With their 2nd location coming soon which means they will be expanding which is great! How else do they plan to grow? They say "we are happy where we’re at right now, but it’d be cool to have an office space one day. We are 956/512 based, which makes us unique because we really love our community. We plan to ship in the future to customers all over the U.S., but we will always remember our roots." That's what it's all about. Remembering where you started from and knowing that no matter what the creative is doing and as they grow they are also putting the 956 on the map! If they grow WE grow. Overall I hope for the best for 4amRugz and their growth.
How exactly did the name 4amRugz come around? Then again my name was just on the spot "we were brainstorming a name for our business and Jon mentioned how we were always up late at night making the rugs. It kind of just came to him and he mentioned how cool it would be to incorporate a time into the name and that is how 4amrugz came about! Victoria ran with the idea and created the logo that very night." Well, it seems to have turned out perfectly in the end! It matches with everything so well.
They share their thought on the local scene in the valley,
"There is so much talent in the valley and we are so grateful to be considered for this interview! From musicians to artists, to small businesses, the valley is full of talent. We are seeing a growth of creatives in our area and hope to inspire others to do what they love."
Along with an extra thought to share,
"If there is anything that anyone would like to talk to us about, we are always available through Instagram @4amrugz or by email, 4amrugz@gmail.com."
Commenti