About Step Into Life Studio
Traci Wagner, founder of Step Into Life Studio, is a painter, textile painter and creator of functional, wearable art. She uses traditional painting materials and techniques on nontraditional surfaces, transforming hats, earrings, and other everyday objects into original works of art.
Traci particularly is drawn to hats because of the way they in itself can be a keep sake and form someones identity. She prepares the hat by priming the surface much like a traditional canvas before painting and then sealing the finished piece. For some designs, she creates the artwork on hand-primed fabric, paints and seals it, then carefully sews it onto the hat. Every hat is individually handcrafted using traditional painting techniques adapted for wearable art. She will often add the finishing touches to wide brim hats such as leather details.
Her textile work extends beyond hats. Traci uses professional-grade textile paints on clothing and functional pieces, bringing the same expressive approach to surfaces meant to be worn and used. Her paintings on traditional surfaces such as canvas and wood are also transformed into functional art through printed textiles and products, including coffee mugs, bags, clothing, and fabric by the yard. She then takes that fabric and hand-sews it into wearable pieces such as neck warmers, giving her original artwork another life.
Her love of color comes from a deeply personal place. Color has always been something she has felt as much as seen. She has always been drawn to art, design, fashion, and the way color can completely change how we experience the world.
In 2020, after the sudden loss of her soul-dog, Maggi, during an already isolated and uncertain time, it felt as though all the color had disappeared from her life. Ironically, the darkest, most colorless year of her life was the catalyst to the beginning of the artwork she creates today.
To say an artist was inspired by her dogs might sound cliché, but it has some validity here. Traci's artistic path stems from seeing the energy of life through color and experiencing how those colors can disappear, only to return more vividly than before. It's about how we move through life and how it can sometimes be experienced in a monochromatic existence until something enters our world, allowing us to see it in full color again. Her dogs are what caused her to experience this and transform it into what she creates today. When Zelda and Moku entered her life with their goofy personalities and seemingly endless joy, they reminded her what color felt like again. It is this that brought her to realizing she was experiencing life and color in this way and she didn't just want to experience it she wanted to paint it.
Step Into Life Studio was created from realizing our lives, emotions, and the way our souls move through the world can be described in color. It represents how we step into life and choose to see the world around us.
That is also why Traci creates art on unconventional, functional surfaces. She believes art shouldn't only exist on a gallery wall. It should be treasured, worn, carried, and woven into everyday life and individual identities. She chooses professional-grade paints, finishes, and carefully selected materials so each piece is created to be both beautiful and lasting. Every wearable and functional piece is made with the hope that it becomes part of someone's everyday life for years to come. A painted hat, a favorite mug, or a pair of hand-painted earrings can become a small reminder to live with more color, joy, and intention.
While her creative journey was deeply shaped by her dogs, her work isn't about dogs alone. She paints what makes her feel something, brings her life, curiosity, and joy, hoping that what resonates so deeply within her will spark something in someone else.
Her greatest hope is that when someone wears or uses one of her handcrafted pieces, they feel just a little more radiant, a little more connected, and a little more inspired to step into life vibrantly.
