Respira Collective | Breathing New Life
love the idea of reclaiming. Taking something that does not necessarily have any spiritual value and making it something that breathes spiritual life into everything around it. That is what Liz Machlitt did with her custom snare company, Respira Collective. What started in high school with ulterior motives is now something that is not only flourishing with a more than impressive clientele (including August Burns Red’s Matt Greiner, I The Breather’s Morgan Wright and Brad Paisley’s Ben Sesar…?!? That’s right!) but it is igniting fires of inspiration and passion everywhere word, or snare hit, reaches.
Here is another incredible example for the collection of normal people are mixing their gifts and talents with hard work to change lives around them. And if you haven’t caught on yet to this theme be sure to check out past Issues over at the Magazine Archive.
So I think the first question needs to be what drove you to want to create snare drums? Where does your passion come from?
Liz Machlitt: I started making drums when I was 15. Music and drums were my life and I wanted to have a cool sounding and looking drum, but with a cheaper price tag. A friend and I started making our own, and started a company. I left that company, went to college and got saved. My life changed! My world was no longer music – it was, and is, for the Lord. A year after I got saved, God started putting the thought of building drums back in my life, and the idea of Respira started. By focusing solely on snare drums, I get to have more time to create something meaningful and different. I’m not having to worry about all the other drums I’m going to have to work on and finish.
My passion comes from breathing and the One who gives us breath – Respira means “to breathe” in Spanish, and breathing is, obviously, necessary for life. But we cannot breathe without the lungs, heart, veins, and other parts of our body working together, collectively (1 Cor. 12:17-20). This, to me, is proof that God loves us and created us with purpose. And with that purpose comes my heart with Respira, and sharing that with others.
And then why not full kits?
LM: I love making full kits! I recently made one for Morgan of I, The Breather. But kits require a lot of time, inventory, and stress. I’ll make them from time to time on special occasions, but my heart is definitely snare drums. I’d rather specialize on one drum than four (or five or six!).
“I’ve had the privilege of working with Matt Greiner of August Burns Red, Morgan Wright of I, The Breather, Brian Scheideman of Abandon Kansas, Evan Shubrooks of Free The Fallen, and a few drummers from The Rock Music, an amazing music ministry started by my church here in Salt Lake.”Who are some of the drummers you have had a chance to work with?
LM: I’ve had the privilege of working with Matt Greiner of August Burns Red, Morgan Wright of I, The Breather, Brian Scheideman of Abandon Kansas, Evan Shubrooks of Free The Fallen, and a few drummers from The Rock Music, an amazing music ministry started by my church here in Salt Lake. Other drummers that have been very encouraging and supportive of Respira are David Puckett (The Crimson Armada), as well as Ben Sesar (Brad Paisley), and Felix Pollard (Taylor Hicks, Lionel Richie). Most importantly, a friendship has been created with all of these drummers. They understand that Respira is more than just snare drums. I feel super blessed!
Walk us through the process of making your snares…
LM: Someone will usually contact me with an idea for sound and design for a snare drum. We will then spend some time coming up with a concrete plan, and when we are both excited on it, will move forward. That’s when I ask myself, “How is the best way to go about this?!”. I love including and reaching out to others so they can share their passions, so I might ask an artist to come in, or ask for finishing advice from another friend. It is definitely not just me with these snares – the advice, help and encouragement from others is just a part of the process as anything else. The finish work on the shell comes first, then drill, assemble, and ship out!
Prayer is a huge part of the process as well – God always teaches me something different with each drum made. I usually write verses on the inside of the drum that He reveals to me during that time. When I made Morgan’s kit, God put on my heart to write the books of 1 & 2 Peter on the inside of his whole kit. And “ironically”, that kit came with a lot of trials – nothing seemed to be working out the way I wanted it to, according to “my plan”. I began doubting everything – Him, Respira…I wanted to give up. But God was SO faithful and it came out better than I could have ever imagined – even if it didn’t work out the way I thought it would. Then I felt really silly. It was awesome!
And you do some design on each snare, correct? What usually goes into that?
LM: Yes – I highly encourage people to do something meaningful and unique as far as design! Something you can look back on in 30 years and still say, “Yeah! That rules, even though I’m old now”. This is one of my favorite parts of the process, because I need God’s direction and help the most. As much as my flesh wishes I could do everything myself, I definitely can’t, especially when my painting skill is equivalent to that of a kindergartener. Which is awesome, because it’s humbling and allows me to reach out to others for help and to share their amazing skills and passions. Whether it’s my friends Anthony and Pablo who are amazing urban artists, or my friend Lindsay to use her handwriting for a wood burn snare project, or my friend Melody to write “Love Never Fails” on a drumhead, or my friend Derek to print and send a decal to me – all of it symbolizes the body of Christ to me.
You all donate a portion of your profits, right? Why? And how do you decide where that money goes?
LM: Yes! We do this because giving is just as important (if not more important) than receiving. Respira is here to help others, in all facets. Even financially! Right now, our donations go to Come&Live! This ministry and the people that run it are amazing. They are doing great things for the Kingdom. I pray Respira becomes as bold as C&L!
I would love to start working with other charities/causes though, so if you know of any please contact me!
When you think about it there are plenty of secular drum companies and snares are just made of materials, so what do you feel gives something the ability to be a ministry that is not necessarily spiritual to begin with?
LM: 1 Samuel 16:7 says, “People look on at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” I think it’s just that – the heart behind it. Whether it’s music, shoes, clothing, candy, or anything else, it’s the heart behind those things that, I believe, make it a ministry. Respira is something that God placed on my heart to further His kingdom, not for personal gain, financial profit, or worldly things. The ultimate goal is to share the love of God and see people saved, through the vessel of music, bands, drums, conversations and relationships.
The people that play Respira help in this. My friend Mike bought a snare back in March, and a couple months ago started emailing me, asking questions about God and sharing that his Dad had gotten really sick. I called up Morgan, who was going to be touring around where Mike lived. Morgan invited him out to the show, hung out all night, prayed with him and showed God’s love on him. Mike was stoked. I bought him a Bible and Matt and Jake from August Burns Red wrote him encouragement cards that I sent with the Bible. There are quite a few stories like this, and that is definitely the heart behind Respira!
How scary was the first step in starting Respira? And what has the Lord shown you since starting this company?
LM: I think the scariest step was leaving the old company I had in high school. It was my baby, my life, my everything. I wanted to take it as far as it could go – and then go farther. It completely consumed me. And then it got taken away from me. I felt so lost. But that freed me to pursue college, where the gospel was ultimately shared with me and I got saved.
I was able to look back at that part of my life and say, “Wow! That was totally idolatry. That should never happen again”. And a year later God started molding what is now Respira Collective. Now, the scariest part is making sure I don’t revert back to that old way of thinking. God is definitely showing me humility, patience and how important community is. My boyfriend Alex is a huge help in this – he is a big part of Respira and has shown grace and love to me, even when things get really busy or I want to give up. He kindly brings me back to earth if I’m getting too ahead of myself or stressing out too much. He’s amazing.
How would someone go about getting a hold of one of these snares?
LM: Email me (respira.collective@gmail.com)! We’ve been asked to be in a few drum shops, but I think it’s too soon. We are praying about it. Also, if anyone needs prayer, or wants to get involved with Respira, or has any questions or anything to say, email is the best way.
Any additional thoughts?
LM: Yeah! Please check out the amazing bands at The Rock Music (www.experiencetherockmusic.com) and all the Respira artists. They encourage and inspire me. Also, if any bands or individuals are in the Salt Lake City area ever, let me know! My church family and I love hanging out, being in fellowship, and doing outreach at shows with bands. Thank you for reading, God bless! 
www.respiracollective.com | www.myspace.com/respiracollective | www.facebook.com/respiracollective | www.twitter.com/respiracollect | respira.collective@gmail.com
