Check Out Liz Pritchard’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Liz Pritchard. 

Hi Liz, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
For Christmas 2019, my son received a wood-burner from his grandparents, but it got shoved to the back of a closet as most Christmas gifts do. In April of 2020, my family, along with the rest of the country, had to quarantine for Covid, and I was suddenly a homeschool teacher desperately searching for ways to keep my little kids entertained and educated. I pulled out the wood-burner and my son and I started experimenting with it, but broke it pretty quickly. I promised my husband that if I bought a new one, I’d make Christmas gifts for the whole family and therefore save us money to justify the expense. Three machines later, I finally upgraded to a high-quality wood-burner, received a few orders from friends, and at the prompting of my husband, opened an Etsy shop. Over the last year and a half, I’ve created hundreds of pyrography pieces ranging from small, simple earrings to large custom designs. 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s certainly not always been sunshine and rainbows; I’ve had my fair share of struggles along this journey so far! The biggest struggle by far has been self-doubt. As most artists can sympathize, I am my own worst critic. In order to learn, I follow many other pyrographers on social media. While there are some that are, what I’d consider, on the same level as myself, there are many that are absolutely extraordinary artists. Seeing their exquisite art compared to my pieces is very humbling and often times discouraging. The other biggest struggle has been the times of “feast or famine”. This time of year, I’m overloaded with Christmas orders, my day job is very demanding during 4th quarter, and my kids’ school and sports schedules requires a lot of my attention. During the spring and summer months though, no one is ordering Christmas gifts, my day job has quieted down, and my kids are home relaxing in the pool. There’s no happy medium! 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I specialize in custom pyrography (wood-burned art). There are a lot of artists that use lasers and machines to fabricate their designs which are beautiful, however, what sets me apart is that my pieces are all sketched and then burned by hand. 

I’ve always loved the ocean so a sea turtle was one of the first pieces I burned. It quickly became one of my most popular designs that I’ve since burned on every size and type of wood that’s come my way. Sunflowers are one of my mom’s favorite flowers and have been one of my original designs since the beginning as well. I love adding vibrant watercolors to really make them pop. Bright yellow and orange sunflower earrings are a fan favorite. 

One of my most popular products is a cutting board that I made for my sister-in-law in memory of her sweet Mammy featuring her famous beef roast recipe. While that particular recipe is a family heirloom, clients will send me a hand-written recipe from a loved one and I transfer it to their wood of choice, then hand-burn it into the wood to make a forever keepsake. These are very tedious projects but one of my favorites. It’s so fascinating the way that people dot their “i”‘s and cross their “t”‘s. The crosses sometimes span across an entire word, and the dots may be on an entirely different word altogether. Cooking is a very important part of my heritage so recipes are extra sweet to me. Each piece, each recipe, every misspelling, every line is so unique and personal; I love getting to be a part of that. 

My absolute favorite and most unique designs however are tic-tac-toe game boards. These rustic playing boards seem so simple, yet each one features a unique design – a mandala full of detailed lines, a sea turtle and her hatchlings, a reimagined landscape based on a child’s drawing. It’s so rewarding when I’m tasked to create something beautiful based on a client’s dream. 

Can you share something surprising about yourself?
I never saw myself as a creative – I first majored in early childhood education which I quickly realized wasn’t for me, but then majored in accounting to take after my dad. I always loved the black and white of numbers – their lack of gray area, the blatant yes and no, only right and wrong answers. It’s probably more surprising to myself rather than to others that I ended up with a business focused on the gray area – the details, the creative, artistic freedom. 

Contact Info:

• Email: southernsomethingslp@gmail.com
• Website: https://etsy.com/shop/southernsomethingslp
• Instagram: SouthernSomethingsLP
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/southernsomethingslp