Today we’d like to introduce you to Patrick Fitzpatrick.
Patrick, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an creative professional.
I have always had a creative mind with my mother being crafty and my father an engineer and both with a sense of humor. That combination really let me experiment with thoughts and unique scenarios. I was able to excel at both the sciences and the arts. I love solving problems so much I look for them or at times create them so I can or must solve them, respectively.
I question a lot of existing norms and use all of my creative strengths to imagine something a little better or different. In high school, I worked very hard in all subjects but art was my favorite. I enjoyed the different media we were exposed to. I carried this desire to college when after abandoning my sciences track I returned to the physical arts. I worked my way through school by waiting tables and was introduced to many culinary arts as well. I was interested more and more in the experience of dining and the nuance of each item being placed in its proper place and the notion of presentation. All of this affected me in a way I only realize now.
I worked in the industry for some years and learned new things every day. Eventually, I became a wine rep for a distribution company but quickly realized that it was a high-stress mid grade lifestyle that I was not willing to accept and made the decision to turn my art into design and acquire the skills to create digital output.
I attended the Art Institute of Chicago where I taught myself the tools to create in the computer and output to reality. Now I have a small company and all the equipment to create the items that I design. I am constantly selling my current designs, mainly glassware, but always seeking to fabricate the next item.
This story will continue as my business grows and hopefully attracts more attention from capital investors.
We’d love to hear more about your work. What do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
The work I create is mainly wine and alcohol-centric. I enjoy thinking about the object in relation to the user. With all of my background in wine and service, I designed unique decanters and glassware sets. They function in a way to aerate the wine or liquor of choice. The sets are paired glass with wood.
All hand blown glass with milled wood to create a beautiful setting. That is my main grouping that I am most known for. I received a patent on the decanter and have been in business selling the products for five years.
I also do custom furniture and other home decor items as well. Always looking to branch out to new items I am working on a couple of more patents currently.
I really enjoy it when people understand the concept of the work and are excited by the uniqueness and clever presentation I set forth. These designs are about presentation and interaction. The user engaging with the object and the object returning joy……. and better-tasting wine or whiskey.
There is so much science behind the product, the wine or scotch that goes into it, and the human perception of the experience and taste. That excites me. The methodology of introducing oxygen into your wine and the experiential contact with the device that allows for this interaction is really interesting. Each person having different physiological aspects and the wine or whiskey having their own traits and this vessel connecting the two. It truly is an experience. Functional, thoughtful, yet whimsical and light-hearted.
The stereotype of a starving artist scares away many potentially talented artists from pursuing art – any advice or thoughts about how to deal with the financial concerns an aspiring artist might be concerned about?
I struggle constantly. I would say the best advice is trust in your work and make sure to charge appropriately. It is very difficult to do. Doing some market research and by not diversifying too much just to please a larger audience. Find your audience and don’t give too many options to them or you will not be able to get into a stride.
The hardest word to learn and use is the word “NO” If you can master telling some people NO when you should you will save yourself much heartache and stress. If you have business minded people around you, use them. Or sign up for meetings with small business centers and don’t assume you know everything.
Create a plan with these things in mind and you will succeed. – Most likely slowly. Just how it goes when you bootstrap.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
I can be reached through my website www.swoonliving.com
There are shows throughout the United States which I attend to demonstrate the work. Also, people have stopped by my studio to visit and check out the space and the work I create.
Contact Info:
- Address: Swoon Living
2850 N Pulaski Rd Suite 3
Chicago IL 60641 - Website: www.swoonliving.com
- Phone: 773-217-9259
- Email: info@swoonliving.com
- Instagram: SwoonLiving
- Facebook: SwoonLiving
- Twitter: SwoonLiving
Image Credit:
Dylan Bradshaw
Patrick Fitzpatrick
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