Q: What is your artist background?

A: I come from a family of artists. My mother and sister are painters and my brother is a printer, so I grew up surrounded by art. I pursued fine art in college and have been creating production quality art for more than 30 years. This year marks my 20-year anniversary designing headwear at Capsmith Inc.

Q: What makes your art unique?

A: I take pride in my ability to design dynamic headwear products that people will want to wear. I try to maintain a unique perspective and to create something that is distinct and eye-catching.

Designing headwear is a unique challenge because there are so many factors that go into a good design. Obviously it's about making something that looks great up close and can be read from a distance, but it also has to be cost effective I have to be very conscious of the number of stitches I use, as well as the costs that additional embellishments can incur.

Q: What is the most popular product you sell?

A: Caps, of course! Our souvenir namedrop designs are very popular, especially when they are coupled with our unique line of blank headwear. We can accommodate any type of custom order because we have both in-house art and production, as well as factories overseas.

Besides serving the souvenir industry, we have an innovative line-up of warehouse stock, from Western to Biker and everything in between. Our women's designs have become extremely popular, and we also carry flags, facemasks, Danbanna doo rag style headwraps and our Chop Top Doo Wrap, an adjustable headband that looks like a folded bandana.

Q: What is your favorite part about working in this industry?

A: I love that I get to work on such a diverse product line at Capsmith Inc. and assisting in inventing new headwear items that no one has ever seen before. However, I'd say my favorite thing about designing headwear has got to be taking a design from conception to production, and then seeing someone on television wearing that item I created.

Q: What advice do you have for other artists and retailers?

A: I think the most challenging part of being a commercial artist is getting the most bang for your buck. Try to be the most productive artist you can be without compromising your creativity.