Life & Work with Kathryn Bost of Charlotte, NC

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kathryn Bost.

Hi Kathryn, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My family first moved to Raleigh, NC in the late 1800’s from Germany and eventually left the big city to move to Charlotte, NC for more land as they were sweet potato and cattle farmers. All of this is to say, my roots and love for North Carolina run deeply. After graduating from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, I was quite confused on where to go from there. Taking up odd jobs to pay the bills, I eventually found my knack for graphic design and embroidery. In the past 2 years, I’ve worked extremely hard to combine my two passions into my own business, Larva Lamp Creates. While my company is still fledgling, I feel a large sense of pride knowing I’m building something special in this great state, just as my ancestors did – just in very different ways!

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
In terms of my life, I owe the safe and happy childhood I have to my mother, with whom I am still incredibly close with. I am able to look back on my childhood with mainly smiles and it was because of her tireless hard work and ever-present love. My 20’s, though? You couldn’t pay me to redo those years. Struggles with mental health, self esteem, and feeling aimless were a fight that took years to win. Meeting my now husband was a pivotal point for me because it was the first time I realized that I needed to have a healthy relationship with myself before I could have one with anyone else. I can thankfully now say, I’m (reasonably) stable and we are happily approaching our 10 year anniversary.

In terms of my business, the hardest part was the first jump; the first time saying, “Okay. This is it. I’m going to do this. I’m going to start my own business.” Thankfully, I have a wonderful and wide network of creatives, and an incredible husband, that have supported me from the beginning. I especially enjoy teaching Machine Embroidery to beginners at The MakerSpace in Plaza Midwood in Charlotte.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I specialize in Machine Embroidery and Digitizing. This means I create digital files of designs, projects, art pieces, etc… that are compatible with, and can run on, embroidery machines. It’s a mix of technology and handmade that I think sets me apart. I’m not reinventing the wheel, but I can program one to stitch out in 4mm satin stitches on appliqué. Something that is important to my business is that I use about 90% of my materials are up-cycled, from fabric scraps to spools of thread, I try to not let anything go to waste!

Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I was only shy for a few years, hiding under my mother’s skirts when introduced to anyone new. But, at some point, my personality exploded and I couldn’t meet enough new people. I became the massive chatter-box I am today, hardly finding a moment where I didn’t have something to say. My earliest memories are of art and drawing, proclaiming early on that I would be a Frog Biologist Artist Princess (whatever that is) when I grew up. Only the Artist part stuck. But, that being said, I’ve also always had a deep respect and love for the outdoors. My brother and I played outside, rain or shine, and camping trips were regular vacations for us. When our back yard needed trees cut down, I sobbed and begged to “leave them alone”, even stapling crayon written notes to the trees saying, “Please Don’t Chop Down”, which were ignored by the arborists to my chagrin. These are still integral parts of myself today, so it seems I knew who I was early on.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/larvalampcreates
• Other: www.kathrynbost.myportfolio.com