“Follow your hand,” Somporn Intaraprayong tells her textile artists who sew, weave and dye materials for use and display. The self-taught textile designer learned to be self-sufficient, to trust herself, after a very rough start at an early age. With experience and empathy toward others like her trying to provide for themselves and their children, she has taken her creativity, passion, and discipline across her native Thailand to teach struggling women to sew. Many of Intaraprayong’s artists have been rescued, others averted trouble when they joined this community. Some have since become distinctive designers, creating high end art cloth using traditional techniques. Intaraprayong trains talented seamstresses as artists and guides them to draw sustainable income. They sit in small groups, sharing and learning from one another, innovating on age-old practices to create stunning contemporary art. Her zest for preserving traditions is matched by her boundless creativity. From Intaraprayong’s finest, we have four exemplary geometrics in gradations of indigo, stitched in naturally spun cotton. “I encourage the seamstresses we work with to ‘follow their hand’ when doing the embroidery,” says Intaraprayong. “And not to worry about whether it’s perfect or not - to relax the mind and let your hands wander. If your hands and mind are happy, then the art will be perfect.” Her Tapestry of Faces is a striking contemporary design in luxurious and thick hand-spun cotton colored with an array of indigo hues.Putting a premium on teaching traditional work, Intaraprayong now has workshops throughout Thailand. Together, she and her seamstresses have also set up scholarships for students at two schools in her village, and hope to support them through college. Some of her trainees — former day laborers — have become so skilled and financially sound, they have successfully branched off to start their own small enterprises. Intaraprayong designs are prized by textile experts and fashion mavens, alike.