Your Name: Sue Lappan 
  
Shop Name:  Ecoleeko 
  
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Please start by telling us a little about yourself, your family, and your art form. 
My name is Sue, and I started Ecoleeko. I hand make colorful and fun eco-friendly plush toys, bath mitts, baby rattles and more using organic cotton and bamboo fabric that I hand dye and print. Everything is made using natural materials, threads, yarns and fillings. 

Where and how did you start or learn your medium?  

I have always been drawn to art and sewing. I learned how to sew from my mom and my aunt was always sewing us things as well. I knew I liked fashion design and loved materials. In college I majored in Textile design, a happy medium of the two and went from there. I learn about sustainable fabrics and ways textiles are processed and finish and decided I wanted to work using eco-friendly materials. I later started to make OOAK Art dolls and the two passions merged into one.  

Will you share at least one thing that defines or inspires you as an artist?

Hmm..I guess anything could inspire me. It depends on my mood and location really.  I collect clippings and have binders full of inspirational pictures, postcards, photos, etc. I also love antique folk textiles, brightly colored objects and faces. I love faces. My studio ends up looking like a collection of saved objects.  

Does where you live and create influence your creative process?  

It can. We moved from a metro area to a rural one 3 years ago. And I can say it’s definitely allowed myself to be more inspired by farm animals, scenery and local farmers markets. I have a lot more time to devote to my process and not have any restrictions on what I make.  

What is the best piece of advice you can give aspiring artists?  

Just go for it!! You’ll always regret not trying. As any art form, you may not make millions, but you will be doing what you love to do, and that becomes really important when you look back at what really matters.  

Do you have any short or long-term goals you would like to share with our readers?

I just re-did my ecoleeko.com website and am looking forward to redesigning some of my items and adding more new ones by this spring.  

What first attracted you to using organic materials?

It was through my college education when I majored in textiles, learning about textiles and fabrics in general and seeing how pollution and chemicals are regularly used in all processing. It’s really appalling. It made me very passionate about using organic materials.  

How do you think that buying and manufacturing organic handmade products benefits society?

First, I think there is a big difference between something made deliberately by an artist or crafts person’s hand and something made just for profit in a large factory. It used to be that artists were similar to scientists, predicting future happenings, speaking for cultures through their works. I think they can have an innate ability to recognize underlying problems and issues of a society. And their works can help spread this message, like choosing to use natural materials when they could have used man-made materials. It’s a conscious decision for the artist/manufacturer. Second, as a consumer, we use our loudest voice when deciding what company to support and buy from. Every day, we all make decisions about products we support financially. This in turn says what we stand for and what we want for our society. It’s important to support those willing to try and make a difference and support products using natural materials.  

How did you come to start selling on Etsy?

I had a shop previous to Ecoleeko on Etsy just to try it out probably 2 years ago. It’s a great venue and wonderful for networking let alone using it as a shop. I also have a website that I sell out of but find Etsy attracts a great community feel.    

How did you come to find a home on the Etsy Organic Team?

I was seeking like-minded people and found them under the team listing. It is great to meet others making things from natural materials as well and really enjoy the group community!