Parent Profile

Tressa Brotsky - The woman behind the rattle

Tressa Brotsky is the mama of 2-year-old Ruby and a slightly younger company called Dress Me Up, an organic baby accessory and toy line. Before having a child, she describes herself as having two lives, one focused on youth leadership and ministry in the United Church of Canada, and one where she recycled leather to make wallets and wrist cuffs to sell in Vancouver. After graduating with a Fine Arts degree in 2002 from the University of Victoria, she was painting and sculpting before moving to new creative areas.

Tressa says that she found becoming a mom to be very liberating in terms of control. She says that "learning to let go and trust took on new meaning with Ruby" She also realizes that being a mother made her much more confident, which spills over into all areas of her life, including being the owner and designer of her company.

And with motherhood came the reality of the "breathtaking physical vulnerability of my daughter in her infancy." The immediacy and extremity of a new baby in a world filled with unhealthy toxins and items, even (and especially) those designed specifically for her and others her age, made Tressa and her partner Nathaniel even more committed to "creating a healthy and safe home environment for her." And thus Dress Me Up Organic was born using organic and vintage fabrics.

When I asked her how being a mom has hindered her in business and how it has helped her, she says that she is hindered by "simply being run off my feet and exhausted" and realizing that doing creative work from home to be with her daughter still means that she is working and has to have much time away from her. Being a mom has helped her by having her reach out and ask for "help and wisdom and risking and connecting with other mothers and mothers in business."

With a sister in town (who has a beau who is willing to cut almost all the fabric pieces - I'm so jealous!) and her in-laws close by and having a support circle of friends who are "close as family," Tressa has the help she needs with her daughter in the form of childcare 3 days a week and with her business in the form of cheerleading, honest feedback and reminders of staying on track. As for her husband, she does not hesitate to say that he is her biggest cheerleader, incredibly supportive and enthusiastic and never hesitates to help out with either stuffing blocks and rattles or taking Ruby for the evening so that Tressa can catch up.

Working from home means that she sees her husband daily, but she agrees that the time spent together is nothing like it was pre-parenthood. The family makes a point of having dinner together and then having time to sit and talk to catch up. She says that the last 6 months have been particularly challenging because of sudden, unexpected growth and success with her business, but she says that her family has persevered. Her secret is having a list of goals to "work from and towards, and the first is having work that enables me to be home. Reflecting back on that goal helps to keep things in perspective."

As for a typical day at work, Tressa spends her hours like this:
"checking email, filing orders, removing the indelible marker (where'd she find that?!) from Ruby's hand, answering the phone, sewing something, getting a snack, reading a book, bundling up, off to the post office, the library, the grocery store, back home to the story books, me on the computer, lunchtime, naptime, walk to the park ... whew ... papa's home, dinner time - now my sewing time, catching up time, bedtime."

I asked Tressa why her products are in more stores in Vancouver and the States rather than in her home town. She shared that her business grew much quicker than she was expecting it to. She started making her toys and teethers to sell at the community market (you can still find her at the Moss Street Market with her beautiful booth that looks like a store unto itself) and online at etsy. But suddenly retailers started to come to her and it seems the rest of the world was finding out about her before Victoria was (her products have been featured in Mothering, Today's Parent, an impressive pile of other magazines and online at many different sites). She now has products at Timeless Toys in Oak Bay Village and The Good Planet Baby on Broad Street.

As for her family and motherhood, I asked Tressa what changes happened in her approach to parenting or her implementation to her approach to parenting after Ruby was born. We all have ideas about what we will do with our baby and how our days will go, but once that third person is in the picture and has her say, those ideas can be quickly forgotten. For Tressa and Ruby, the change came as breastfeeding. Ruby was born with a cleft palate and did not have the roof of her mouth. Consequently, she could not create suction and could not breastfeed. Tressa says that she was devastated but decided to pump faithfully and bottle feed with her own milk. Ruby dined exclusively on breast milk for her first 7 ½ months! She says, "I was surprised at how often I got disapproving looks and comments for bottle feeding my baby. It made me realize how many assumptions even I had about the 'right way' or best way of doing parenting and mothering, and how little awareness I - and many of us - had of the incredible breadth of experience, reality, challenges and successes many mothers and families have to face."

As we all do, Tressa finds creating balance between work, family and self to be "very challenging. I only find it when I'm well organized and bring myself back to my goals - between work and family, family is first. To be the best mama and partner, I have to take care of myself - eating well, sleeping, knowing my limits, and getting outside. Connecting with nature, even if it's just the tree growing out of the sidewalk, and always creating something. Today I'm making a felt board for Ruby to work on next to me while I'm sewing. Finding connections between my work and her discovery and growing imagination; that's key."

And as for advice for other mamas who want to start their own business, Tressa suggests three things. First is to create a schedule - or rather, two schedules, One for you and your family and one for you and your business. Next is to get connected, with both other moms and people in your industry. And the third is to ask for help. You will find it from your partner, family and friends and you will need it for both child care and visits and also for "encouragement, honest reflection and cheerleading."

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