Today we’d like to introduce you to Lacy Blake-Vetter.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I was raised by a mother and father who taught me not to just “think outside the box” but to “build your own box” and to stand proudly on top of it.
I have always loved storytelling whether as an actor, a writer, or a reader. I love stories.
My story is far from linear.
I have been acting for as long as I can remember. I spent my childhood doing unauthorized performances of famous movies in a small, community theater in Portland, Oregon. My teenage years in my high school drama room and theater. And my college years in a private performance conservatory.
That all sounds fine and pretty. But here’s the nonlinear side of the story.
I quit the community theater in middle school because all of my friends were playing soccer and lacrosse and I wanted to do what my friends were doing.
I stopped caring about my high school general education classes and dove head first into the drama department when I was cast as the understudy of a bit part in Shakespeare’s “The Merry Wives of Windsor”. I dedicated everything I was in high school to my friends and the plays that we did.
When my loving, wonderfully supportive parents encouraged me to go to an arts college and get my degree in performance… I didn’t want to. I wanted to go to state school with my friends. I don’t remember the reason my mind changed about going to school out of state. I just remember sitting in the kitchen with my parents and saying “I think I have to do this. Because if I don’t I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.”
Now, I changed my mind fifty thousand times that summer about leaving home for the big city. I cried to my parents, I begged them to let me stay. I begged them to not make me go. And when they didn’t budge I resented them. I flew off to LA and barely gave them a half hug at the airport when they dropped me off. I called home every day for the first few months of school sobbing.
I can only now begin to imagine what that did to their hearts and souls. But they were firm. I had to finish the school year and if I still hated it… I could come home. But after a few months of loneliness and being uncomfortable… I thrived. I loved school. All of my classes were performance and theatrically based. I was given dozens of opportunities to perform, to write, to develop my skills as an actor. I made so many friends and we made so many fun, but bad decisions. I met my, now, husband and fell in love. I worked hard for four years to earn my degree and to hit the ground running in LA.
Then a few weeks before graduation, turmoil struck my family. And no matter what I did… I couldn’t justify staying in California. I needed my family and they needed me.
So after four years in California, I moved back to Oregon. Losing any momentum I had as an actor. Gaining time and relationships with my family that I wouldn’t trade for the world.
A year after moving home, the turmoil that brought me home now over… My aunt, one of my biggest support systems in California, contacted me and asked if I would have any interest in moving back. Her friend needed a nanny and it’d be the perfect way to get me back down south. I asked my husband, boyfriend at the time if he wanted me to come back. If we were really going to do this. Together. He responded with a very confident, “Absolutely”.
I’ve been here ever since. Creating where I can and when I can!
Great, 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?
I don’t think the road for artists is ever smooth!
I’ve been in LA for the better part of a decade and I’ve worked every “actor” job under the sun. I’ve been a waiter, a barista, a teacher, a birthday party princess, a theme park employee. I spent the first ten years of my time in LA working and sacrificing for others rather than working for myself. Don’t get me wrong, many of these jobs I’ve loved and learned so much from. Some of them… Not so much. As I’ve grown, I’ve learned that no job is worth the sacrifice of your goals and your dreams.
After seeing little results from a wonderful, “big” booking as an actor I found myself feeling lost and defeated. I booked something on national television… Shouldn’t that be enough for an agent or manager to see me? Meet me? Represent me? Despite my hundreds of submissions, I wasn’t called in by anyone. And I haven’t booked anything since. I went to my friend and mentor within the industry and helplessly asked “What do I do?” And his response was along the lines of… Make work for yourself. Be acting because NOT acting will drive you crazy. NOT creating will ruin you.
And goodness, he was right.
I am the first person to admit that creating your own content is HARD. It takes time, commitment, money, and so much help from your community. Without the encouragement and support from my husband, I wouldn’t have had the courage to reach out to the people who founded NATC with us and put “Writing Wonderland” out into the universe. I can easily say it’s been the most challenging and most rewarding experience of my artistic life.
Literary Blooms has given me time to work on my own schedule. Being able to work from home has freed up so much of my schedule. But starting any business is an uphill struggle. Managing to be seen in an oversaturated handmade market, navigating social media algorithms, and having a higher quality (and thus, a higher price tag) product can make sales challenging. We’ve also received backlash from other book lovers who see what we do as destroying books… Rather than saving them from recycling bins and giving them new life! What we’re doing is out of our love for literature and storytelling.
Please tell us about Literary Blooms and Not Another Theater Company.
Literary Blooms was co-founded by myself and my mother, Cherish Blake. While planning my own wedding we came upon the question anyone who plans a wedding does… What about flowers? I wanted something beautiful, unique, long-lasting, and something that represented myself and my husband, Josh Vetter. Enter book flowers!
My mom is a bookseller by trade so we had many unusable books to practice on. After much practice and trial and error, we mastered our flower design! Each blooms is handmade. Petals are cut, shaped, and glued to a green leafy stem individually. As in nature, no two flowers will ever be the same. Unlike nature, our flowers will last a lifetime! Our pre-made flowers and arrangements are made from books that are no longer able to be sold or donated due to their condition, whether pages are torn, spines are split, or stains abound. We take pride in up-cycling books that are destined to be recycled and/or pulped and giving them new life.
We were so happy with the results of my wedding we decided to take the next step and create Literary Blooms! With over 450 sales in our first year of business, we continue to be excited about spreading our love of books to you. Whether you’re planning a wedding or looking for a unique gift to show someone how much they mean to you, Literary Blooms promises to make memories that last!
Not Another Theater Company, NATC, was born from my desire for an artistic community. In March of 2018, I reached out to a group of artists whom I admired, respected, and enjoyed working with. Together we have cultivated a little family. A place for creative development and fulfillment. We began meeting twice a month with the goals of developing new, original content that push the boundaries of storytelling and reimagining old works in new and intriguing ways. In these biweekly meetings, we developed our first original play entitled “Writing Wonderland”. “Writing Wonderland” is an original script based on the life of Charles Dodgson, more commonly known as Lewis Carroll, and his development of “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”. NATC spent a year researching, developing, writing, and rehearsing this piece. We presented that work in two sold-out performances at the beginning of June. Our next step as a company is to fully fund and produce “Writing Wonderland” while developing more original content.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Before my mom broke the mold of what it meant to be a career woman, starting not one, not two, but THREE separate businesses… She worked full time (and sometimes more than full time) at a corporate job.
One of my favorite days was a spontaneous “skip” day. My mom stayed home from work. Both of my parents kept my sister, my brother, and myself home from school, and took us to the park. We played softball on the deserted diamond field, just the five of us.
As a child, I loved that I got to skip school and play all day. As an adult, I look back on that memory so fondly because I now know I got to skip school because my parents wanted to spend time with their kids. They’ve taught me your time is the most precious thing you can give to anyone. They’ve taught me that by giving me their time and their attention, without question, for as long as I’ve lived.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.lacyblake.com, www.literaryblooms.com
- Email: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
- Instagram: lacyabv, notanothertheatercomp, literaryblooms
- Twitter: lacyabv, NATCofficial, LiteraryBlooms
- Other: www.etsy.com/shop/LiteraryBlooms
Image Credit:
Yellow Heart Photography for the lavender photos, Veronica F. Smith for the illustrated Writing Wonderland poster, Christy Nielsen for the Literary Blooms logo.
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