business cards

Recently I've been working on some business cards. I've put this off for a while due to commitment issues (I can't ever decide on a design without changing my mind a week later) but finally found some motivation. The white card on the left side of these photos is a business card I picked up in one of my Favorite stores in Montreal. After keeping it in my wallet and admiring it for months I decided why not use it as my muse. I took some similar scraps of linen paper and drew my design by hand, taking inspiration from Heritage.

Then I worked in photoshop to create the actual file that I can use to print from. I'm trying to 

decide which of the front design's I like better. There's only a subtle difference; my name placement, 

but the way your eye moves through the info is important.

I'm thinking of getting a stamp made to go with my cards, this way I can stamp my info onto fabric tags to stitch into the clothing I sell. Perhaps a good strategy to get customers coming back to my Etsy store?

A New Take on Spinning

I know I've shared pictures and videos about my hand built spinning wheel, but I've been itching to open the studio doors and show how it came about. As an artist process is fascinating, revealing, and inspiring to me, hence I've decided to post my notes, sketches, and thought process regarding this awesome project.

I made this contraption for an assignment in my SculptureI class last spring when we were told to make something out of found objects. (Leave it to me to make that simple guideline incredibly complicated)

The idea was born from a synergy of my interests of the time;

-stuff made from bike parts

- Wool obsession combined with daydreaming about how I could make my own yarn to save money

 - eagerness to take advantage of both having a teacher and having awesome tools (saws, drills, a welder, sandblaster, etc.) 

Then there's also the practical side of me wanting to make something I'll either get use out of (functional art) or make money from (marketable art?)

My original plan was to build a traditional spinning wheel using bike parts and scraps. That later morphed into a new design using an exercise bike to spin the yarn because

                       a) I had only two and a half weeks

                       b) had never welded before

                       c) I knew absolutely nothing about how to build a spinning wheel (or how they worked)

                       d) Free cycles had an exercise bike for grabs

                       e) my professor met my ambitious idea with more skepticism than I'd hoped

above: trying to piece together the parts of a spinning wheel, and the bike parts I'd use

you can see above, that I had a hard time figuring out where to attatch the bobbin/flyer, and that the bike itself needed tuning up and parts added. I finally had a clever bike mechanic give me the idea of placing a wheel perpendicular to the front tire, so that the motion of that front tire pedaling would propel the wheel touching it, which would then turn a string attatched to the flyer, which would then turn the yarn! The best part? I can sit comfortably on the bike and have the bobbin/flyer right in front of me.

I feel like the end result is a testament to the power of google, and teamwork. I made use of my resources; people, internet, and tools to create a tangible version of my vision. I went back and forth from a yarn store to a bike shop, asking questions and drawing connections, bouncing ideas around, figuring out the engineering involved, and essentially piecing a puzzle together.

for a while I thought I'd have to make actually construct the bobbin and flyer. Thankfully Joseph's Coat (a yarn shop) was kind enough to give me a broken one I was able to fix up (found object sculpture!). In the end I only had to make the bar it sits and spins on, (you can see in the video) by welding some scrap metal together, and pipes, drilling some holes, etc. and attaching it to the handlebars. Oh and to the lower left is an insight into my crazy to-do lists. Talk about frantic. 

The final product may seem simple, but you can see from my sketches I experimented with many designs and threw out multiple ideas before finally finding the right one.

I hope I didn't make this too confusing! The details are sometimes hard to describe and explain but hopefully the pictures balanced that out.

Update on Upcycled

Upcycled recently underwent some remodeling, and in the process requested a new artist statement/bio/ and photo  from each seller. The requirements were to describe who you are, what you're doing, and why you're doing it in 100-150 words. I just finally finished putting mine together and thought I'd share.

I’m a native New Yorker with the classic story of coming to Missoula and falling in love with the mountains, people, and place. Aside from making these Steampunk accessories, I sell vintage clothing, décor, and knick knacks on Etsy, and spend my days blogging, sipping coffee, and thrifting. I’m inspired through and through by the environment, nature, and the Montana mountains which is evident in the things I make and surround myself with.

I love the challenge of reusing before buying first hand products or materials. Upcycling is not only ethical, but pushes you to be creative in new and different ways, and brings a meaning and story into your creations. This jewelry you see is made with as much recycled material as possible; with wire from Home Resource, and beautiful rustic and distressed bike parts found in the bins of Free Cycles.

With each purchase you are making a statement of support for sustainable transportation, Upcycling, local artists, and your community bike shop, not to mention a statement of  Missoula swag! 

Oh and did I mention I'm now selling in Rockin Rudy's?

also, I now have a pinterest so follow me!

AND new goal; New posts come out every sunday

Notes to Myself

Here's a glimpse into some of the weird stuff I jot down in my Moleskin journal;

I'm such a sucker for finding nostalgia in old entries. This brings back the good days of fall 2011 and the start of my blogging, etsy store, and consignment adventures.

Also, here's a tid bit you may not have known about me before this post; I have THE worst handwriting, In my journal I actually try to make it as neat as possible and it's still somewhat illegible. I'll never forget in 10th grade when my history teacher handed back an assignment I'd written by hand and referred to my penmanship as "Serial Killer handwriting" because according to him no letter is ever the same as the last. This notion has stayed with me ever since. I doubt he could have predicted the effect that statement would have on me.

A Proud Introvert

"when psychologists look at the lives of the most creative people, what they find are people who are very good at exchanging ideas and advancing ideas, but who also have a serious streak of introversion in them, and this is because solitude is often a crucial ingredient to creativity."

This is a very interesting video on a topic that's not talked about enough. I have always known myself to be an introvert, no matter how often I've tried to deny it or reject that part of me. Like Susan says; society makes us feel like there's something wrong with us if we're the ones standing alone in a corner at a party, or prefer to sit at home on a saturday night reading. It's important to recognize though, and she supports this, we should never negate our "self" but rather embrace that because it allows us to be the best version of who we are. 

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m by no means an extreme introvert. I love hanging out with friends, and being around people. I’m also known to a select few as an assertive and dominating personality. I certainly go through phases of being super social and outgoing, but I also go through intense stages of being antisocial and quiet. So I've always had a hard time stating plainly that I'm introverted. However, I’ve continually come to realize my inclination towards introvertedness is a major part of my character, and I believe that there's nothing more definitive about who we are when we're removed from the presence of others.

I really do value my alone time, for me it’s a refuge, a sanctuary, and a necessity for my sanity. It's in moments of solitude that I truly feel freedom of self. Being by myself has been most revealing to who I am, has helped me to grow, and has been essential to my productivity and creativity.

Not just anyone can stay within four walls by themselves for hours at a time and make stuff. This is what I DO. Etsy photo shoots, jewelry making, painting, these are a few of my most time consuming tasks that require focus and many hours of being by myself surrounded by just my work and my goals. I have learned to become grateful for the fact I have no problem being alone for long stretches of time. Turns out, when I shut out the world, it gives the creative freak of nature in me full reign, which has mostly been rewarding.

Power to the introverts!
We will one day rule the world.

Etsy, RISD, and Creative Entreprenuership

“Creative entrepreneurship is the marriage of inventiveness to an evolving climate. 
A creative entrepreneur is an ever-curious, ever-mindful explorer, seeking to bring 
a product or service to viability, and adapting their thinking as the business grows.”

Etsy is encouraging art students at RISD to be creative entreprenuers. Interesting blog post about it below 

http://www.etsy.com/blog/en/2012/entrepreneurs-out-of-art-school-students/?ref=fp_blog_title