January 3, 2019

Meet Courtney Quist

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Courtney Quist.

Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I blame it on scarecrow heads. I don’t think I had touched a sewing machine since my home economics class back in junior high, and I’m not going to lie, the sewing portion of that class was not my favorite (everyone takes that class for the food, right?) Now here I was, 30 years old, sitting at a sewing machine, being coached by my sister-in-law on how to sew simple scarecrow heads that I needed for a service club I hosted at the school where I taught Spanish. And as I sat there hunched over as close to the machine as I could possibly get, eyes squinted with focus, sewing at the speed of molasses in winter, I had one simple thought come to my mind: “You can do this.” That was it. Four words. “You. Can. Do. This.” I say this to myself a lot when things are hard, but this moment was different. It was as if my inner-self was saying, “You can get good at this. You could really do something with this skill.” “But what would I sew?” I added to my inward dialogue while rounding the edges of the second scarecrow head. “Pillows.”

When I set my mind to something I go for it, but buying $100 worth of fabric before even sewing my first pillow??? That’s pure crazy. So yes, I was pure crazy as I handed the cashier my card for the $100 charge. There was definitely a sigh of relief once I actually sewed a pillow cover for the first time and saw that I really could do it, lol.

Please tell us about your art.
My goal with Acorn Pillows is to keep things simple, down-to-earth, and beautiful.

Simple: I want to make the pillow-picking process simple for consumers. This will be achieved through many pillows being sold as combinations to help eliminate the worry of which pillows go together, and photographing pillows in front of different color backgrounds representing couch colors so that the consumer can visualize the pillow(s) in their personal home space. And as the name suggests, Acorn Pillows is about taking a simple thing like a pillow (acorn) and using it to make a big (oak) difference in one’s home design.

Down-to-Earth: Acorn Pillows is inspired very much by the beauty found in nature. Each pillow is named after something in nature with the intent that this connection helps bring the outdoor beauty, indoors. For example, the Constellations pillow inspired by the stars can bring a piece of the heavens into the home. Or the Beach Breeze pillow inspired by just that, the calm breeze you feel while walking on the beach, can bring that piece of the beach into the home. It’s using the art and the design in the fabrics to evoke connection and emotion to the beauty all around, and allowing that to be part of one’s life through the pillow art in the home.

Earth and nature also inspire company decisions. Some of the Acorn Pillows are made out of remnant materials which helps eliminate waste, and efforts are going into making all of the packaging recyclable and eco-friendly.

Beautiful: I wholeheartedly, hands-down think that decorative throw pillows are a type of art form. Think about it. You’re taking so many different kinds of fabrics, designs, and colors and arranging them to create a look that is pleasing to the eye and says, “This is me” or “This is what speaks to me.” It’s so similar to any artist who takes different colors and mediums and puts them together to create something beautiful.

That “beautiful” is my why. Simply put, I want to add beauty to people’s lives and homes through pillows. That doesn’t mean just the physical product of a pillow cover, though that’s a large part of it. It also means using my platform to do good, provide uplifting content, and leaving people a little bit happier and inspired after coming in contact with me and my business. L.M. Montgomery wrote exactly how I feel about it in my absolute favorite book series, Anne of Green Gables. When talking about her ambitions in life, the main character, Anne, says, “I’d like to add some beauty to life[…]I’d love to make [people] have a pleasanter time because of me…to have some little joy or happy thought that would never have existed if I hadn’t been born.” (Montgomery, Lucy M. Anne of Avonlea, New York: Dell Laurel-Leaf, 2003. Print).

Given everything that is going on in the world today, do you think the role of artists has changed? How do local, national or international events and issues affect your art?
Yes. As the world grows more complicated and distressed, I find myself looking for simplicity and goodness. I find that through nature and being in it and surrounded by it. My brand is a big part of who I am, and because I’m inspired by nature, so is my business.

How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
acornpillows.com will be launching early 2019! This is where one can purchase my handmade pillow covers. Also, I’d love to connect on Instagram @acornpillows and Facebook at Acorn Pillows so that I can get to know you, the reader, get your input on colors and designs, and add beauty and inspiring content to your life and home.

Contact Info:

Address: Gilbert, Arizona
Website: acornpillows.com
Email: acornpillows@gmail.com
Instagram: @acornpillows
Facebook: Acorn Pillows

Image Credit:
Kinsey Cluff
Courtney Quist

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