Ancient Egypt: Love at First Sight!
I’m Lisa, the Seshat (Scribe) of Pyramid Printworks. When I was in the third grade, my class went on a trip to the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago. Other kids were excited by the dinosaurs and bugs, and I fell in love with Ancient Egypt.
Back then, the museum was still rooms lined with wooden cases filled with hundreds of fascinating objects. I was enthralled by the wonder of these ancient things, the people who made them, the culture they represented, and the whole vintage vibe of the museum experience. I didn’t want to leave… it felt like home.
Harwa, Doorkeeper in the Temple of Amun
At the Field Museum is a mummy named Harwa. He’s displayed standing up, and you can gaze directly into his face. He looks a little uncomfortable, but I love this mummy! Harwa inspired me and no doubt many many others to learn about Egypt and expand our worlds. When I go to the museum, I talk to him, and remind him that he is loved and honored and that he made a difference in the world.
As a budding young artist, I took inspiration from the aesthetics of Egyptian art. I read everything I could on the history, language, and culture. In high school, art, fashion and Egypt became my main focus in life.
Egyptology Colleagues 1994
I continued my studies in art, history, and Egyptology into college and beyond. My favorite experiences were the interactive classes, research studies, and lengthy discussions on Ancient Egyptian language and life with noted Egyptologist Frank Yurco at the University of Chicago. I studied fashion design and illustration at the Ray Vogue College of Design at the Apparel Center in Chicago, where I learned the structure and craft of apparel making, the art of fashion representation, and how to bring an idea from thought to draft to reality. And then…
Pyramid Printworks: Inspiration + Action = Success!
Then in 1990, I had an idea… there were personalized cartouche necklaces on the market for many years, but no one had ever put people’s names in hieroglyphs on t-shirts before. I got so excited by this concept, it became my driving desire to make it happen. After almost two years of effort and experimentation, I created the designs, found the right printing process, wrote my business plan, built and tested the processes, and started offering them to the public.
Original Ad in Smithsonian Magazine 1992
In late 1992, I placed a tiny little ad in the back of Smithsonian Magazine. I stared getting calls and orders – by mail, as was the way in those pre-internet times. One day, I went to the mailbox, and there was a letter from the buyer of a big gift company asking to put my shirts in their catalog! This was a dream come true! I had done a goal-setting process as I was starting the business, and in it I had written that one of my goals was to sell my shirts through that exact catalog!
First Catalog Feature Q1 1993
Things took off from there, and I sold tens of thousands of shirts through that catalog, and through my own direct mail promotions. Then in the mid-1990s, the creator of the printing process I was using passed away, and with his death, the process and materials died too. At the time, there was no other way to make high quality custom shirts at a reasonable price, so I set things aside, focused on other opportunities, and waited for the technology to catch up to my vision.
Opportunities & Obstacles: Pivot and Pivot and Pivot again!
Then in 2014, new printing processes had proven to be viable and retail-ready, so I began offering my basic designs on “Print-On-Demand” platforms like Redbubble, and later Amazon. I expanded my offerings to include my “Egyptian Revival Style” Paw Print designs.
I continued to revamp my Custom Cartouche and Hieroglyphic art – an immense project that included transferring my original drawings from floppy discs (!!!) to my MacBook hard drive, having the drawings changed from the now obsolete FreeHand format to Illustrator, and basically recreating over 700 unique illustrations… all while traveling extensively for my work and volunteer gigs
And along the way, I experienced a few unexpected health challenges: Colon Cancer in 2016, Lung Cancer in 2020… Yikes! And then the Pandemic hit, with all the issues so many of us have encountered… as well as the supply-chain, delivery, and other obstacles most small businesses have experienced during this time. It’s been an interesting time, to say the least! But we must persevere! I’m so grateful for the support of my family, my friends and colleagues on instagram and other social platforms, my clients and customers, and for my sweet dog Renni.
Renni Chihuahua
Now, here we are in 2023! I’m really proud of the beauty and authenticity of the art and the excellent quality of the products I am able to make. Each one is custom created to order by our printing and sales partners at Amazon and Redbubble. It’s been quite a journey, and there’s so much more to come!
Next: What the Future Holds!
Projects in the works:
- Continuing to expand my range of beautiful Egyptian themed products for people to enjoy and celebrate Egyptian history and culture.
- Designing a line of dog clothes made with recycled and upcycled designer fabrics and fittings to reduce garment waste and keep a few more usable items out of landfill.
- Continue supporting Animal Rescue organizations (Pasadena Humane Society, A Purposeful Rescue, Harley’s House of Hope, Tranquility Trail Rabbit Rescue, Big Guy Littles World Chihuahua Sanctuary, Arizona Humane Society, and others).
- Creating an awareness project product range celebrating the endangered Egyptian Vulture, the profits of which will go directly to support organizations helping to save this beautiful, remarkable bird that was so important to the Ancient Egyptians.
Thank you to everyone for your support!
Lisa and Renni
The Pyramid Printworks collection of Ancient Egyptian themed shirts & accessories is available online at Amazon and Redbubble! Offering t-shirts, masks, hoodies, bags, mugs, throw pillows, wall art, and many other awesome items – there’s something for everyone!
Get T-Shirts, Long Sleeve Tees, Hoodies & PopSockets on Amazon, with Prime and Free shipping on eligible orders!
Click here to shop Ancient Egyptian & Egyptian Revival Paw Print Shirts on Amazon now!
Get Apparel, Home Goods & Accessories & Stickers: https://pyramidprintwrx.redbubble.com
Thank you for choosing an original from the Pyramid Printworks Collection!
Note: our designs are only sold via our storefronts on Amazon and Redbubble – any of our designs being sold on other platforms are stolen and counterfeit!
