We had the good fortune of connecting with Redd Walitzki and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Redd, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
I’m a person who lives with a lot of risk in their personal life. From spending several years riding my motorcycle through North and South America, to backcountry exploring and scuba diving, I live in a manner that many other people might find too risky. Yet many of the risks that have been associated with starting and running a company have tested me more than those other adrenaline filled adventures. The initial idea to collaborate on Moth & Myth with my closest friend Kari-Lise Alexander was a large risk for us both; turning a personal relationship into a business partnership. Along the way there have been many other risky moments, including the choice to grow our company by bringing our manufacturing equipment entirely in-house, to when we have chosen to grow our team or expand into new audiences with campaigns like our wholesale outreach to retailers. These decisions take more courage than you might expect, and unlike many of the choices I make while on an adventure, often rely on relationships with other people, putting more at stake than just my own security. Yet they have also given me a new strength to bring to other areas of my life, for facing those inevitable tough moments.
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.
The seed for Moth & Myth grew out of my personal fine art career, but blossomed into something entirely unexpected. I had been working for several years as a painter, creating traditional media works for various art galleries. Living as an artist is never an easy journey, it requires long hours in the studio, and also managing the uncertainty of never knowing whether your next project will be successful. For one of my paintings, I needed realistic butterflies for the photo-reference to paint from, but could not find any for sale anywhere. So using skills that I had in digital media and printmaking, I created some butterflies out of paper and used them for my project. Whenever friends or visitors came by my art studio, they responded very positively to these paper butterflies and wanted to buy them. For a few years I would create these paper moths and butterflies in small batches as a side-hustle to selling my paintings. It took the vision of my friend Kari-Lise Alexander, who is also a very accomplished painter, to turn Moth & Myth into a real business. She brought great ideas to the table about how to increase production and improve the marketing, and together we turned Moth & Myth from a hobby into a company. I don’t think either of us would have predicted it growing to the scale it has today.
Its been amazing to see that our carefully crafted butterflies are now inspiring people all around the world! Lots of different artists are able to use our fine paper specimens in their own work, to make things we would have never dreamed of. Something people might not realize is that to create a unique product like this, we had to research and invent almost all the manufacturing processes we use. From sourcing the perfect paper from specialty paper-mills around the world, to finding laser cutters that will cut to the level of detail we need without creating burn, there is no guide for how to do any of this. As we continue to grow and elevate our brand, we find ourselves constantly heading into the unknown.
If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
While most of the year I travel and work remotely, my home-base these days is Boulder Colorado. I love to share this place with my loved ones, especially by taking them up into the mountains to really experience the beauty of the Rockies. First I would take them to the cute little town of Nederland, where we would have a coffee at Salto and sit by the outdoor fireplace catching up. We could ride the Carousel of Joy with its hand-carved one of a kind animals, and enjoy the lovely surroundings of this sweet little town.
I’d love to then take them on a hike up in the National Park, either to Dream Lake and Emerald Lake, or if they can handle the altitude to the incredible Sky Pond which almost looks like the peaks of Patagonia. We could drive through the park soaking in the view along Trail Ridge road, and sketch wildflowers or the incredible scenery. Heading home we’d stop at the wonderful Colorado Cherry Company for a well deserved Pot Pie.
Of course we would also make a pilgrimage down to the John May Museum in Colorado Springs, which holds a world class insect collection with thousands of amazing specimens. On the way back to Boulder we could visit the Butterfly Pavilion as well, soaking in the dazzling beauty of their living butterflies in a beautiful indoor botanical garden.
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Many people have been key to the success of Moth & Myth, but two who were crucial to me personally embarking on the journey of creating this business were Scott Moore at Bellevue Fine Art Reproduction, and Don Ehlen at Insect Safari. Scott was my boss but also my mentor for the years I worked at his fine art reproduction company. I learned most of the skill-set that became the foundation of what we create now at Moth & Myth from him, especially combining processes like digital artwork with high quality printing and laser-cutting. But beyond this, Scott also gave me insight into what it takes to own a small business, and the risks and rewards that come with choosing that way of life. He made it seem possible for me to follow this journey as well. Don inspired me greatly with his passion for Entomology, especially lepidoptera (moths and butterflies.) We met at an art event and formed a friendship based in our mutual love of these amazing creatures. Over the years, he has often been an invaluable resource when we need a specimen to be accurate, sharing his incredible collection of insects from around the world with us, and giving us the chance to observe living creatures up close as well. Its inspiring to see that with his insect presentations he instills a love of these creatures in a whole new generation.
Website: www.moth-and-myth.com
Instagram: mothandmyth
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@mothandmyth
Other: Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/mothandmyth