We enjoyed speaking with Amy Latta about her unique perspective on crafting and creativity. Her excitement for hand-lettering drives her to share her creative knowledge with those around her. In addition to running a helpful blog on crafting, Amy is also an excellent teacher, artist, and author of several books.  

Q: How has your DreamBox inspired you to express your personality and share your creativity with others?

From the moment I first saw the DreamBox, it felt to me like a blank canvas. Before it even arrived, I was already imagining how I wanted to decorate it and make it my own. By covering the bins with vinyl, labeling them, and adding other personal touches, like polka dots and a meaningful quote on the doors, I was able to create a workstation that inspires me daily. The organizational system helps me to keep everything in its place for the first time ever in my craft room, which means I can easily find supplies when I want to use them. And, the DreamBox serves as the perfect backdrop for filming everything from how-to videos to national workshops and television segments! My craft studio has been seen by thousands of people all over the country as I share projects and lettering instruction, and I hope it has inspired them to want a clean, organized, and colorful workspace of their own.

Q: What can you tell us about your Create Room Journey? How has it helped you identify your creative purpose and achieve your goals?

The Create Room Journey was really eye-opening for me, because although I've been creating various kinds of art and crafts for as long as I can remember, I never stopped to think about the "why." Identifying my creative purposes helped me to better understand what motivates me. It turns out that my top purpose is Self-Expression, closely followed by Joy, and Connection. It makes total sense, then, that I've decided to make a career of teaching others to explore and express their own creativity! I get to connect with others and help bring joy into their lives (as well as my own) while we express ourselves through art! It's a perfect fit!

Q: Tell us about your DreamBox style! 

My Dream Box decor starts with a color scheme; pale pink, mint, and gold. I personalized the crown right away by adding my business logo in gold vinyl and a colorful dot garland. Then, I added an inspirational quote about creativity (in my own lettering) to the inner doors. To add a little touch of elegance, I edged a few of the shelves with gold washi tape, and I decorated a few blank areas with gold polka dots. The center area of the DreamBox, above my table, holds a few decorative elements, in addition to supplies, because I wanted an area that was as beautiful as it is functional. Most of my bins are covered and labeled so they coordinate with the color scheme, but I can quickly locate whatever I need.

 Take a look at Amy's DreamBox Tour:

Q: What sort of crafts do you love to do the most? What would you say is your favorite thing to create?

I enjoy making all kinds of things from home decor and seasonal crafts to jewelry and repurposed furniture projects, but my biggest creative passion is hand lettering. I absolutely love turning written words into art, both on the page and off. I letter on just about every surface imaginable: paper, wall signs, furniture, tote bags, flowerpots, and even my shoes!

Q: Which DreamBox accessory is your favorite, and why?

Without a doubt, my favorite accessory is the tool cubby! As a hand lettering artist, the most important thing for my Dream Box to hold is my favorite markers. I need them to be organized so that I can easily find the exact types and colors I want to use, and I also need them to be within easy reach for when I'm filming online workshops.

Q: How do you use your Tool Cubby for all your projects?

The tool cubby fits right in the center of my Dream Box, and it has plenty of space for me to store all of my Tombow Dual Brush Pens and Tombow ABT Markers. Not only do they look colorful and fabulous, I can grab just what I need at a moment's notice. Many folks don't realize that dual tipped markers like these need to be stored horizontally in order to best care for them and prolong their life, but it's true! That's another reason why the tool cubby is a perfect organization solution for me; I'm actually protecting my supplies by storing them in the correct way. I love my tool cubby so much that I'm thinking of getting a second one for my paint markers as well. For those who aren't into hand lettering, this is also a great way to store pens, highlighters, glue sticks, pencils, paintbrushes, and other kinds of crafting tools...but can I say you're missing out? Let me teach you some lettering basics, then you can fill your cubby with markers like I do!

Q: You’ve written several books on hand-lettering, and you also have a new book releasing at the end of this year. Could you give us a sneak peek at what your new book will include?

Yes! My best-selling book Hand Lettering for Relaxation, as well as the others in the series are hand lettering workbooks that teach readers to do my favorite hobby. This newest book, though, is totally different! It's called Practice Makes Progress: My Creative Journal, and rather than being an instructional workbook, it's a guided creativity journal for anyone and everyone. The idea is that it meets you wherever you are in your creative journey...maybe you are someone who doesn't feel artistic at all, maybe you're a professional artist, or maybe you're somewhere in between. Then it walks you through a bunch of prompts and exercises to help you explore and express your creativity in whatever ways you love most! Some of the activities are done right on the pages, while others allow you to go off the page and make something in your favorite way...writing a poem, composing a song, sculpting, woodworking, sewing, painting, or whatever inspires you. Each chapter's exercises are based on a different quote about creativity, which I've hand lettered and illustrated. I can't wait for this book to get in the hands of readers and start inspiring all kinds of exciting things. It releases December 7 (a great holiday gift idea), and is currently available for preorder on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Books-a-Million, Book Depository, and just about everywhere books are sold.”