Meet Zoe Bernhardt | Textile Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Zoe Bernhardt and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Zoe, what habits do you feel helped you succeed?
Number one would probably be multitasking. I’m a college student so finding time for work and school can be difficult sometimes. Getting audiobooks of my textbooks and text-to-speech for readings has really helped me as I can work on custom orders or exhibit pieces while still completing schoolwork. The next would be making sure recreation stays a priority. I keep myself really busy at different odd jobs and internships on top of my career as a textile artist, so allowing myself free time and space has been hard. I found that when I started prioritizing happiness, recreation, and social relationship in my life I became a lot more productive because I wasn’t burning out all the time. It seems obvious but overworking yourself is a really common problem in my circles. And finally keeping a planner and list-making has been a true savior. If I don’t write it down, I’m very likely to forget it. It helps keep my head clear, I don’t have to hold all the to-dos of the day in my head and I can write nice messages to myself at the end to look at later. I feel so much more accomplished at the end of the day when I have those check marks to look at.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’m a textile artist who mainly focuses on micro-crochet wearable pieces inspired by nature, although recently I’ve started making exhibition pieces for galleries. I often use eco-friendly or upcycled materials in my practice and advocate for sustainability and reconnection with nature. My practice is intersectional environmentalist informed, meaning being conscious of systems that harm people and the environment, trying to steer clear of that, and helping others do good by each other and the earth. Something I often like to point out to get people thinking is there are no crochet machines out there, so what crocheters do is unique and cannot be replicated. An intricate pair of crochet earrings can take upwards of an hour to make. This means when you are buying a crochet item that is fast fashion and cheap, someone spent hours making that with little to no pay. It is also likely full of microplastics or the farming of materials has caused damage to the land among so much else. When you support slow fashion, you are advocating for a healthier earth and happier people by showing fast fashion companies that you won’t support the exploitation of the earth and its people, while also supporting a local individual artist. There is no perfect way to be sustainable, and most of the burden lies with large corporations, but change starts with us.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
There are so many amazing spots in Long Beach! I’m a huge fan of Thai food, specifically the yellow curry with tofu from Long Beach Thai. They are a wonderful hole-in-the-wall family-owned spot to eat in my neighborhood, I feel so lucky to live in close proximity. Alex’s Bar is a great place to catch a live show and a drink that you can walk to after dinner at Long Beach Thai. I’d probably take them shopping on Retro Row and point out all the wonderful thrift stores and locally-owned specialty shops. The Arts District and Downtown is a great place to go mural spotting, Long Beach has so much public art to see, it’s a must for any visitor. I’ve never had a guest that I didn’t take to the Aquarium of the Pacific and Yoga at the Bluff for a day by the sea either.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are so many people who have supported me and offered me opportunities, I’m having a hard time figuring out where to begin! From a local business level in LBC, Songbird Boutique, Goods on Orange, Dainty Disco, Ethikli, and Rooted have offered me a platform to sell my art, and are all run by incredibly inspiring women. From organizations, the Arts Council of Long Beach, Long Beach Sustainability, and California State University Long Beach have offered me space to grow professionally. Going off of CSULB I’ve had many professors who gave me the time, resources, and knowledge to keep creating. Narrowing it down to this semester Carrie Burkle Sullivan and Fafnir Adamites have really pushed me to new spaces in my creative journey and are inspiring artists themselves. And my network of creative friends who have offered me unconditional love and support through it all, including Karen Reyes, Kayla Frazier, and Christen Drake who continuously offer me inspiration, opportunity, and table with me for venues. There are so many more, and they know exactly who they are.

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