5 Things: Susan Connor

May 09, 2017

We love having the opportunity to connect with women that inspire us through our 5 Things series. This month, we are thrilled to share a bit about the talented Susan Connor! Susan is a self-taught pattern designer and artist based out of Bushwick, Brooklyn. We just love everything she produces! You can view her beautiful designs here. AND guess what?? We are giving away TWO Susan Connor pillows to a lucky reader. Head over to our Instagram, @greigedesign, to enter!

Read on for 5 Things with Susan Connor....We hope you enjoy the insight into her create process as much as we did!

What did you want to be when you grew up?

I alternated between wanting to be an archaeologist and an abstract artist.

Where do you find inspiration?

Many times, my inspiration comes from ancient things. I love going to museums and traveling and seeing what people made with their hands long ago. The textures, materials and attention to detail are always beautifully compelling. I also find a great deal of inspiration in the arts - and I am always looking for ideas that feel somehow new, and often, artists are the first to explore new terrain in new ways. Lately, I have been really inspired by the contrasting movements in Martha Graham dance pieces. I love how her work uses the body to describe primal human ideas in totally new ways. I’m also very inspired by my designer accounts, and the interior designers we work with...they find ways to use materials that I would never think of, and I’m continually amazed and inspired by their skill and creativity.

Do you work from home? Office? Studio?

I work from my studio - I am here much of the week. Though, often my days are not made up of purely creativity. There is a lot of work that goes into running the business, art directing, and logistical planning. Though, sometimes I work at home, if I have an idea that really needs some exploring and it just can’t wait.

Are you a City girl or a Country girl?

I am a city girl. Though I would probably not survive without being able to escape to the country and get out among some trees now and then. But, I always find myself attracted to busy, urban places. I have loved cities since I was a child, and always feel a thrill of excitement when being in a place where a lot seems to be happening, and I love living in a diverse city with lots of different perspectives. Diversity is hugely inspiring and exciting to me.

What are you reading right now?

So many things! I am a New York Public Library regular and love looking for books. Right now, I’m reading a b iography, Sojourner Truth: A Life, A Symbol, by Nell Painter, and Dirty Inspirations by Terri Schneider, an extreme endurance athlete. Next on my list is a biography of Black Elk by Joe Jackson. I’m drawn to books about characters and real people from history who find themselves in extreme situations. I find their resolve and commitment to their visions incredibly inspiring. But, I also love fiction.