Threads of Creativity with Artist Lily Adelaide Upton

Creativity knows no bounds for Australian artist Lily Adelaide Upton. With a passion for embroidery, crochet, jewelry making, and painting, Lily’s artistic journey has been shaped by a lifelong need to create. From hand-sewing as a child to mastering a wide range of mediums, she has built a vibrant and deeply personal body of work that celebrates nature, nostalgia, and craft traditions often overlooked in the art world. We sat down with Lily to chat about her inspirations, creative process, and the rewarding challenges of bringing her ideas to life across multiple disciplines. Plus, she shares her experience designing merchandise with The Print Bar and advice for fellow artists looking to expand their creative horizons. You can shop Lily’s range of t-shirts and tote bags, printed by The Print Bar: here.

It’s so impressive how you cover many different mediums as an artist, from embroidery, crocheting, jewelry making and painting – where did you begin?

I started sewing by hand at about age 6 or 7, yarn crafts came quite soon after that. My mum taught me knitting and crochet techniques, and how to use a sewing machine. From there I taught myself various textile disciplines including hand embroidery! I also loved collecting beads and making jewelry as a kid, and have been hoarding boxes of beads ever since. I did visual arts all the way through high school, and have dipped in and out of painting since then. All of the things I make really just stem from feeling this need to create stuff. I’ve always felt like I just need to make things. I love seeing my ideas come to life, and teaching myself new skills and techniques. 

Do you approach painting, embroidery, jewelry making, and crocheting differently, or do they all stem from the same creative process?

It’s hard to pin down a specific creative process for me. It just feels like ideas fly into my head and rattle around in there until I make them. Sometimes I get an idea and want to experiment with it in multiple mediums. For example, my ‘Australian Parrot Appreciation Society’ shirt stems from my love and appreciation for the colourful birds living in such close proximity to us. I just wanted to parrot everything! I have parrot embroideries, my parrot paintings and tees, and even parrot fabric. Sometimes it’s hard to choose which medium I’ll choose to make an idea come to life, and often I just make versions of an idea in lots of mediums!

Which of your art forms do you find the most challenging, and why? Is there a specific art form that feels the most personal or meaningful to you?

I definitely find painting the hardest as I do it the least. I find that I really have to get my eye in to have any success and that takes time which can be frustrating. I love it though and when I get an idea painted and it feels close to the vision I had in my head, it’s very satisfying!    I suppose embroidery is the most meaningful art form to me. It’s how I started my business after all. I think anything I create in a medium that is traditionally ‘women’s work’ feels really personal to me. I often get well meaning comments from people saying that embroidery or crochet is a ‘granny craft’. Whether they mean it in a derogatory way or not, I think the creative things I do that in the past have been practiced predominantly by women, are very much underestimated and underappreciated as an art form. The processes of embroidery, sewing, knitting and crochet are much the same creatively as more traditional art forms like painting. You’re driven by a concept, you have to solve problems to execute your vision, and you’re expressing yourself creatively. I think to shove these practices under the label of ‘craft’ is unfair, and ultimately misogynistic. To persist creating in these ways can be challenging, but I’m proud to create in ways that my mum did and that my grandmas did!

Are there any recurring themes or symbols in your work, regardless of the medium?

I’m definitely driven by the beauty of nature and wanting to encourage people to keep things like native animals and habitat protection in the forefront of their minds. It’s lovely to create designs celebrating nature because it’s all very pretty, but I also do it because I think conserving what we’re so lucky to have is important.   Food is another thing that pops up a lot in my art. I love food and honestly my whole life revolves around it! Food brings people together and evokes feelings of comfort and community for me which is why I love to celebrate it. 

What advice would you give to someone who wants to explore multiple art forms but feels overwhelmed?

I’d say just start and try not to be discouraged when things don’t work out. Annoyingly practice does actually make you better at things so if you want to try lots of things, just keep creating and creating! You will make lots of crap stuff, and even when you find some success you’ll continue to make things you think are bad. It’s all just a part of it! If you haven’t made anything you hate then I encourage you to create more!

Where do you draw inspiration from? 

I’m inspired by my desire to be the happiest version of myself. For me that means expressing myself creatively often. I want to be the person that is proud to have made the dress they’re wearing, or has filled their home with art that’s personal to them. I’m inspired by the feeling of contentment that comes from honoring my creativity and allowing myself to express that.

Do you have any favourite albums or music genres you listen to when you work?

Recently I’ve been loving Sault and Ezra Collective as background music. When I need music to feel motivated I find myself drawn to more upbeat artists like Lauryn Hill or The Kooks. I love a nostalgic listen too so I find myself playing artists like Paul Kelly and Elton John. I love a bit of everything!

Have you ever created a piece that accidentally turned into something completely different from what you planned?

To be honest, no actually! I usually have a very specific idea in my head and will persist with it until I’m satisfied. I can sometimes struggle to go with the flow a bit. I find it really difficult to shake an idea and steer away from a vision!

We’ve been fortunate enough to print your merchandise for you, from T-shirts to tote bags. How have you found creating merchandise and do you have any advice for other artists that wish to have an extra stream of revenue?

I’ve loved working with The Print Bar to add another creative outlet for myself! Creating tee and tote designs has enabled me to create art that’s more accessible for my customers. I make DIY kits for embroidery and crochet, as well as hand made items. Handmade things come at a bit of a higher price, and not everyone likes to DIY, so creating merch has been amazing for providing a product for people who like what I do but don’t necessarily want to spend too much or make something themselves. My advice for other artists is that creating merchandise with The Print Bar is super easy and flexible, so it’s worth just giving it a go. Because the items are made to order there’s little to no risk for artists just wanting to try something like this out, making it a really accessible process for anyone!

Thank you so much for your time and thoughtful answers Lily, it’s our honour to be printing your beautiful merchandise which can be purchased online here.