I first met Rosalie Gale during the filming of her good friend Kari Chapin’s class. I had so much fun talking to Rosalie, who was in the audience that week, and I was not the least bit surprised when she told me she used to be a stand up comic. Rosalie is whip smart, funny, and insanely creative. If you are in Seattle definitely take the time to visit her shop Ugly Baby & La Ru.
Tell everyone a little about yourself.
I’m Rosalie Gale. I love potatoes. With a passion. I hate red onions. With a passion. If I accidentally eat red onion I can taste it for a million years. At least. I can smell it on my hands days later. Are these the kinds of things you wanted to know?
I met my husband while both of us were new at trying stand up comedy in Seattle. We got married in a helicopter over the Las Vegas Strip. We did our vows into the cb radio thingie. When we were done, they turned on the radio and Sweet Home Alabama was playing. I guess that’s “our song” now. Perhaps we should visit Alabama at least once to seal the deal.
What projects are you currently working on?
I’ve always got a lot going on. Almost ten years ago, I was a to do list maker who never got anything accomplished. I would just make to do list after to do list of all the things I dreamed of doing – but I never did any of them. Then, I listened to an audio book that my husband got me as a joke: Getting Things Done by David Allen. It was a real game changer and I became a person with super-human productivity powers.
You might say that I took on too much.
And then I quit a lot of things.
And now I just do these things:
I make Shower Art – waterproof art you can hang in your shower with a suction cup. They are made out of rubber, glitter, discarded toys and a fair amount of sarcasm. Popular Shower Art themes become prints, stickers, postcards, shirts, hoodies, tank tops, magnets, buttons (and on and on).
Currently, I’m working on creating a new version of my website, Unanimous Craft. Originally, it was a database of resources for people who run indie businesses. You could rate and review tools to share your experience with other makers. The new version of the site will be a scaled down offering that specializes in place where you can sell your work: craft shows, brick and mortar shops and online selling venues.
Along with another Etsy artist (La Ru), I own and operate a shop called Ugly Baby and La Ru in the historic Pike Place Market. We sell our own art and D.I.Y. craft kits made by other independent artists.
Where do you find inspiration when you are in a creative rut?
If I can’t think of any new Shower Art pieces to make, I try to just open up my mind and make whatever pops into it. Some of our weirdest pieces have been created this way: Mr. Sparkles, the Cuddly Knife or Jesus Took Your Six-Pack for instance.Invariably, when I make a piece this way, the person who buys it has a real emotional connection to it. Once a lady picked up a Shower Art that had a baby head stuck on top of a champagne bottle and said, “I’ve been looking for exactly this!” So I guess I try to tap into the collective unconscious and see what people are looking for. Then, I try to run into those people at a craft show or in my shop. It’s a long, slow process.
I love how quirky and delightful everything you do is. How do you keep your projects and new products so fresh and fun?
I’m quirky and delightful so that just comes through in my products naturally. Right?
Why aren’t you saying anything?
Where did you go?
Really, things just come to me and if I can’t stop thinking about them, I know that I have to make them a reality. Our new roller skating unicorn embroidery floss holders are one of those things that just bothered me until I made it real (with the help of 6 by 6 Arts – the coolest laser cutters on the planet). If it won’t leave me alone – I make it. That’s my policy.
Who are your favorite makers/artists right now?
In no particular order:
Mixed Species. If our company was going to marry another company, it would be Mixed Species.
–I love Hi Tree.
–I’ve always loved Moxie Lieberman.
–Horrible Adorables
–Anna Joyce
–Kiriki Press
–MochiMochi Land
–Sublime Stitching
–Subversive Cross Stitch
–Foamy Wader
–The Cat Ball
–Mimi Kirchner
–Starhead Boy
–Absolutely Small
–Miriam Dema
–Devout Dolls
And so many others. This doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface. It’s just the folks I’m filled with love for at the moment.
