The Artfire artisan interview series continues with Vicky who makes some pretty funky bags and jewellery.

Your name
VickyVK :: Artfire shop ::

Where in the world are you?
I currently live in St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada.

Briefly describe yourself and what you make
I am currently a stay at home mom. I have a daughter who is almost 2 and another little one due in June. My husband is a teacher in an elementary school. We have been married for almost 6 years. We have moved quite a bit over the years, but now with the children have decided to settle down for the time being.

I design, make and sell jewelry and handbags. I work with a variety of materials. I especially like to work with stone, wood, bone, and metal. I make casual, hobo style type handbags. Most of my items are one of a kind and are not recreated. I like to create things that give the wearer confidence and allows them to also feel that they are one of a kind!

Who or what inspires you?
What a difficult question! I find my inspiration comes from all over the place. I am always checking out other people's jewelry and handbags as well as what's in stores. I look at fashion and beading magazines. I also just sit and look at my supplies and play around with them until something really clicks. Most of the time I just go into a fabric or beading store and look at the available materials, and allow that to inspire me as I put the pieces together.

When / how did you learn?
I mostly taught myself how to make jewelry. My mom also makes jewelry so she helped me in the beginning, but I spent a lot of time looking at other jewelry, checking out magazines and just fooling around with my supplies.

About a year ago my mom gave me her old sewing machine. I made a few projects with it but it was quite an old machine (she had it from her mother) so it quit on me. I decided that I did enjoy the bit I had done and splurged on a brand new machine. I also decided to take a sewing course at a local college so I could learn the basics. Just like my jewelry making, I have learned a lot by trial and error as well as from tutorials on the internet!

Why do you 'bother' to make things by hand?
My husband and I always wanted me to stay home with our children at least till they were in school, and I consider my 'crafting' as my creative outlet. I really enjoy designing my jewelry and handbags and feel really good when I've created something unique that I can be proud of. I think I would go nuts if I spent my whole day cooking, cleaning and caring for children with nothing else (though I LOVE my daughter). This way I can get fulfillment another way. It also helps us financially, my business helps pay for those 'extras' like holidays in the summer and Christmas gifts.

What is your craft ”philosophy”?
Hmmm. I suppose my craft philosophy would be somewhere along the lines that my products must be unique and of good quality. If I make something that I'm not happy with, I want to take the time to make it right, even though someone else may not even notice. I want to know that I did my best to create a super item.

Have you always made 'stuff'?
I suppose I've always been creative, but more so in school and writing. I never really saw myself as a 'crafter' or 'creator'. Now that I have tried it though and found I can be successful doing it, I want to create more and more!

Is your art/ craft a business as well? Any advice on running an arty/ crafty business?
Yes, I sell my jewelry and handbags. My biggest advice on running such a business is to be patient! It takes time to learn the ropes on how to create a quality item as well as to promote it. I have been selling my items now for approximately 2 ½ years and I'm still always learning. Be willing to fail and try again. Be willing to listen to the advice of others, and learn which advice works best for you. Be willing to be critiqued. Most importantly, you must love what you are doing.

If you could make any project without limits to cost, materials or even skill, what would it be?
I would love to design and make my own clothes. I'm not usually happy with what malls and stores have to offer and love to wear something unique. I have bought quite a bit of clothing from other 'crafters' , but would like to be able to make them myself!

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Pretty and colourful jewellery is the work of Sheila Hendricks. This is the fifth part in the Artfire artisan interview series.

Your name
Sheila Hendricks :: Artfire shop :: blog ::

Where in the world are you?
Small rural farming area in Indiana

Briefly describe yourself and what you make
I am 38 years old, happily married for 20 years to my high school sweetheart. He spoils me so bad and I know that I am so lucky in that regard. We have 1 son who will be going to college this fall. I work full time outside the homebut my passion is my jewelry making. Right now I do simple stringing but would love to branch out into other techniques although I am not patient enough for weaving stitches. I think that I like the almost instant gratification of the stringing. I can work on a piece for an hour or so and it is done. But with other techniques, it takes many hours. I get to impatient for that...or maybe bored?
Who or what inspires you?
As silly as it sounds, I will be in a bead store or looking on line and see a bead or a finding and think "That is it!" I will take that bead and make something. I also do ceiling fan pulls and rosaries. For me, I can design based on ideas from a person. They can say " can you make something for my daughter for her prom? She likes simple dainty things and her dress is red. " I can do that as well.

When / how did you learn?
I started in the summer of 2007 and am self taught. I was at a store and they had a bracelet finding kits that you just bought the beads and the kit separately. The bracelet findings kit had directions but basical it was the wire with a clasp on the other end. I simply strung the beads, fed the wire through the clamp and it was done. So I bought a few magazines and used those to expanded that concept into necklaces and eventually earrings. Originally the bracelets were a fund raiser for my sister's mission trip that she does every year. But in making that first set of bracelets, I was hooked. My beading addition was born. I am a beadaholic and I know it!
What is your craft "philosophy"?
I think that nice jewelry should be affordable. For me, this is not my only income. So this is about doing it because I enjoy it, because I love it! I hope that I will sell enough to be able to fund the next project. Everyone should be able to afford jewelry that is not one of 5000 that a store sells. Everyone is unique and their jewelry should be too!

Have you always made 'stuff'?
I have always felt the need to make something. I have made baby quilts for all the nieces and nephews. I have tons of material in a tote that I have stored for several years but have not opened in just as many. I should probably find someone to give it to that could use it. I also enjoy writing, but have never been able to complete the first "book". I have the story in my mind and can play it like a movie, but getting all the details to paper is another step. I can't knit or crochet regardless of how much I practice. My dad makes it look so simple. He keeps telling me to just keep the tension even, but it always ends up in tight little bundles! It is not so simple!

Can you reveal a little about your creative process?
For me, I am a little all over the place with the creative process. Usually, I just take out beads and start laying them out. If I don't like the combination, I will swap out beads. I continue doing this until I like the initial results. Then I just continue working the piece and eventually it is just done. Sometimes it is easier if I have a color scheme to work from like someone orders red. But sometimes my best pieces has turned out from just randomly working with the beads. I have yet to determine an exact "Style" but I am beginning to think that "Style" is eclectic!

Do you have a designated craft space? What does it mean to you?
I am luck that I have a spare room that I keep all of my stuff in. It is messy and I don't even attempt to clean it up. I know that it will look just like it is in a very short time. I may eventually get some better storage in there as right now it is just a computer desk that is piled high. Although, when I am working on a piece, I will go get a fold up table and set it up in the living room and actually work in there. For some reason I can't work in the spare room.

Is your art/ craft a business as well? Any advice on running an arty/ crafty business?
To sell at a local antique mall, I had to have a tax id. So in the eye of the State of Indiana, this is a business. However, according to the tax guy, this is just a hobby as I am not making enough money to make it a business. I will still continue to do it as I love it. For me, it is about actually making the jewelry and hopefully, people will see it and love it as much as I do. My only advice is that people should do it because they love it! If they don't love it, then it just becomes a job and I think that not only do they loose something but what they are creating will loose something in the meaning and possible in the quality of the end product.

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Time for the fourth 'instalment' in the Artfire artisan interview series. I hope you're enjoying the company of all these lovely ladies! Today we hear from Shelley who makes bears and jewellery.

Your name
Shelley K. Bossert, the NCTeddyBearLady :: website ::

Where in the world are you?
I live in the mountains of Western North Carolina

Briefly describe yourself and what you make
I make miniature teddy bears, bead knitted pouches and an eclectic line of jewelry focusing on gem stones, pearl and even weave beading

Who or what inspires you?
When I am making bears, it is always people who get my creative juices flowing. When I am designing and making pouches or jewelry, it is all about texture and color. I can see a flower, a seed pod or even a spot on my freckle on my grandson’s face and I’m off to turn a shape, pattern or color into something unique and seductive to the touch.

When / how did you learn?
Most of my basic skills came from my grandmother. She is the hero of my young life. After she died when I was 14, I learned from a variety of very talented artists including a Concentration Camp survivor I met in Belgium, her blind neighbor who taught me to assemble knitted garments almost invisibly and a dear friend who has the best eye for color I have ever seen. I took what I learned from these amazing role models and forged a place for myself as an artist by alway choosing ”the path less traveled by”. I work hard to make each of me designs uniquely my own and completely unlike anything I have ever seen before.

Why do you 'bother' to make things by hand?
There is something primal about hand work. Every time I sit down to a new project, if start by touching and examining my palette whether it be yarn, fur or beads for pleasing feel and texture. The feel a kind of siren call as I discover my fingers discover the beauty and texture of beads/fur/fiber. If I were to mass produced my work, I would never feel that spark of excitement that comes with plying my skills to produce something that touches others as it touched me in the making.

Can you reveal a little about your creative process?
I start with an idea that grows until I can no longer resist selecting materials to give it life. Once I have my palette before me, I sometimes sketch where I wish to go from there, but more often I just worry the various components of the planned project until I find the starting place. Sometimes that start is a color but most often it is a texture. Once begun, I work in an almost frenzied way putting things together and taking them apart until I have found a combination of color, texture and design elements that please me. My husband often jokes that I take apart a great deal more than I put together, but if I don’t see a magic kind of harmony in the beginning of a piece, I know I will never find it in its completion. So I rip out whatever I have done repeatedly until I hit on the magic combination. Once that happens, I find it difficult to stop until it is done. It is sort of like getting lost reading a particularly good book. You just can’t put it down.

How do you motivate yourself?
I had a friend gave me very good advice years ago when I first talked about opening a crafting business. She told me to set me alarm and get up every morning, shower, dress and get ready to go to work just as if I were driving across town rather than just walking down the hall. I took her advice to heart and find that keeping a regular schedule is all the motivation I need.

How do you deal with crafty mistakes?
If it truly is a mistake, I take it apart. Sometimes, what looks like a mistake is really a creative opportunity. The hard part is knowing how to tell the difference. If I’m not sure, I set my project aside and come back to it later with new eyes.

Is your art/ craft a business as well? Any advice on running an arty/ crafty business?
Yes, it is a business and has been, non stop, since I was seven. My advice is to be fair and honest in all you do. If you are just starting out, find a mentor and learn everything you can form them. Work regular hours and don’t fail to pay yourself fairly for your time and effort. If you don’t value your own work enough to do that, how can you expect customers to do so?

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Here's the third 'installment' in the Artfire artisan interview series. Something I don't often feature: photography. Very lovely and beautiful photography by Joanna.


Your name
Joanna :: website :: blog :: Artfire shop ::

Where in the world are you?
Currently I live and create in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Briefly describe yourself and what you make
There has always been some type of creating in my life. I have been knitting since I was 7, I have been drawing, crocheting, creating flower arrangements and household decorative accessories. And then, few years back I have discovered photography. Since then I have been taking pictures showing nature, details of plants and flowers,sometimes insects, etc. I like to take pictures of items that have interesting shapes, where light and shadow can create really original looking forms. I try to experiment with my subjects and style- bringing out specific part of the image.

Who or what inspires you?
I find inspiration in almost anything around me. I appreciate everything that surrounds me and try to capture as much as possible of it in photographs. Of course- nature has always been in the center of my attention- I am finding always so much details of interest there.

What is your craft ”philosophy”?
I believe in creating what you love the most, of sharing it this way or another. I also believe, that there is always something you can learn, I guess I would call it being student forever. I don’t think there is limit to expanding your horizons, that there is always something new you can implement in your creative process.

Can you reveal a little about your creative process?
My creating process start with photo taking. Usually I plan location, but hardly ever happens, that I plan what I am going to shoot, meaning exact look and composition. I take more than needed. Afterwards I usually choose a few pictures from the whole set. To give you an idea about proportions- it’s maybe up to 10 from about 200.

But I never delete the ones I haven’t chosen. It seems, that sometimes it takes time to notice some different qualities, something, that I haven’t noticed before. So there are some images, that have been discovered few months after beeing taken, and there are some, that are still waiting for their discovery.

What impact (if any) has the internet had on your craft?
The Internet is big part of it. Here I present and sell my photographs, this is how I find out about contests and exhibitions, this is how I promote it too.

Do you make art or craft? Is there a difference?
I think it is really hard to distinguish difference between these two right now. And everyone has different definition for it. Which is fine. I myself would like to think, that I am creating art.

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Here's the second 'installment' in the Artfire artisan interview series. Sonja, from the US, who makes jewellery.

Your name
Sonja :: website ::

Where in the world are you?
Akron Ohio

Briefly describe yourself and what you make
I am a (slightly) older than 40 married mom and I make jewelry.

Who or what inspires you?
Almost anything can inspire me from nature, to color combinations to everyday life. I have a pendant series that was inspired by a painting in a restaurant that we were having dinner at. My husband is very patient when I whip out the pen and start drawing on a napkin lol!

Why do you 'bother' to make things by hand?
Because I love to do it. I have to have something in my hands to do and hand made is good for the environment, generally better made than most mass produced items, made with love and good for my soul.

What is your craft ”philosophy”?
Make the best piece that you can, with the best materials that you can afford and never stop learning and improving what you do.

Fondest craft-related memory?
Crayons. I loved crayons as a kid and opening up that big box of colors was opening a world of possibilities every time. I still love a beautiful box of crayons although I color with rocks, glass and metal now.

Is your art/ craft a business as well? Any advice on running an arty/ crafty business?
Yes, and I hope to build it into a full time business and quit my day job. Although I am sure that is still several years away.

Be prepared to work very hard, learn every aspect of your business inside and out and be prepared for it to take some time to get off the ground.

What impact (if any) has the internet had on your craft?
Without the internet it would have taken me much longer to learn what I know and to start a business. I am not sure that this could be business without the internet since most of my selling takes place on line.

If you could make any project without limits to cost, materials or even skill, what would it be?
A new wedding ring set for myself and my husband. While I could do a simple one now, I would love to make a really complicated but simple set using several techniques and stones that I cut myself. He has been sooo patient with my obsessive need to create and so supportive in letting me try out new things until I found my real passion that I would just love to make something that is a testament to that.

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This is the first in a series of interviews with fellow Artfire artisans. We kick off with Michelle who makes soaps and other fine products.

Your name
Michelle Ortiz :: blog :: Artfire shop ::

Where in the world are you?
Currently located in Northern VA in the Washington DC area of the US

Briefly describe yourself and what you make
My name is Michelle and I have been making soaps since 2005. Although I work outside the home, I also have my small online soap business part time. I am a very quiet person and pretty much keep to myself most of the time. I don’t have any friends I hang out with or spend time with, I am pretty much a loner. I do have one special friend that I met online several years ago and she has become a very good friend. I love action packed movies, and scary movies. I love playing the Sims 2 game in my spare time and reading. I just recently bought the Wii console game which I love.
Who or what inspires you?
Curiousity inspires me. Why? Because by nature I a very curious person and that inspires me to what to figure things out and look for answers. So that sort of inspired me to venture into the bath and body industry. Just plain ole curiostiy. My husband inspires me to be all I can be as well and he tells me that there are no limits as to what I can do.

Why do you 'bother' to make things by hand?
I have always been the type of person that fixes things by hand. I repair things in my house by hand, I put in a new floor, paint, and did some plumbing myself. I guess making things and doing things myself gave me satisfaction that I can do things myself istead of buying it or having some else do it.

What is your craft ”philosophy”?
My craft philosophy that there is never a limit to what I can do and long as i try it. I would have never learnd how to make soap and bath products if I never tried it.

Have you always made 'stuff'?
No I haven’t always made things. I never thought I was good at anything til my husband pointed out to me all the things I have redid in our home. It made me realize that I can do other things if I put my mind to it and just try it. I also make glass pendnats on the side too.

How do you motivate yourself?
When I see how customers acknowledges my products and tell me how wonderful they feel after using them. That motivates me to want to do more and to do what I have to to please my customers.

How do you deal with crafty mistakes?
Whenever I mess up on something like a bad soap batch, most of the time I won’t sell it, I will just use it myself or give away to family members. I had a soap batch turn this really ugly color and thought no one would want to use this ugly soap LOL. So I would just give it away.

Labels: artfire, interview