Oct 28, 2019
Janelle Pietrzak's first experience with desert
came while driving cross country from Philadelphia, to a new job in
LA. Traveling with her partner, Robert, it was July and they made a
stop in Marfa, TX, then on to Joshua
Tree for two nights – most of which was spent at an aquatic
center in Palm Desert (40 miles away from Joshua Tree) to escape
the heat.
Janelle has always working in textiles and even
though she spent 10 years in the fashion industry doing fabric
sourcing, she knew as soon as she began working in the industry, it
wasn't for her – the roles in which she found herself were did not
allow her to be hands-on or a maker of things – except coffee and
files.
Janelle started weaving as a hobby and became
obsessed, making mostly wall hangings and art. She’s built a
community of friends in weaving through Instagram as the craft
fiber movement began to take off. As a result of the success
of a month-long pop-up shop in LA, Janelle quit her job after 11
months and began her weaving business, having received commissions
for her work from private and corporate clients.
Los
Angeles was not agreeing with either Janelle or Robert, so they
began looking at places where they wanted to live, which could be
anywhere, since both of them work out of their home. After some
searching and the consideration of Roberts children living in LA,
Joshua Tree felt like the right place with the space and
affordability they needed, while still remaining close to the
kids.
A
collaboration with women's lifestyle brand Anthropologie, designing
pillows and throws, really opened up Janelle’s business. We touch a
little on the time that Janelle spends running her business, versus
being hands on in the creating.
Janelle has lived in many places, typically for
no more than three or four years at a time - she talks about her
current struggles with desert living and the ways in which she
copes. Janelle would like the
accessibility of a city, but doesn’t want to live in a city. To
ease that feeling, she makes trips to Palm Springs, still having
the desert feel without all the sand and dirt. At the same time,
making the drive between her home and studio, she can’t help but
feel lucky to live in such a beautiful place.
In this
episode we also talk about the challenges of living in a
tourist economy, the difficulty of carving out a living for oneself
that pays the bills and the transient ‘community’ in which we find
ourselves and the energy that brings with it.
Janelle says her work has been influenced by the
colors of the desert, particularly the golden light and the spring
wildflower bloom. And we talk about the wind and the wildlife of
the desert and the changes of seasons we see here.
Take a
look at Janelle's weaving and other products available at
All Roads Studio or visit their
store location in Yucca Valley at 7319 Acoma Trail - be sure to
check their Instagram site for open
times.