Late Shout Out: Featured Seller.

One of our own team members was a featured seller on Etsy's blog! Congrats to theangryweather on her beautiful feature!

Here are a few highlights from the post:


How would you describe your creative process?

Most of my ideas come out of the blue. I can be reading a book, cooking, or just walking around and then they hit me. So I just take my sketchbook and start to draw. When it comes to working on a piece, I start drawing the design, cutting shapes, sawing, filing, hammering, soldering, cleaning, polishing and so on until the piece is completed. I’m a bit of a perfectionist, so it can be a long process.

Where would you like to be in ten years?

I’ve never been the kind of person who makes plans for the future (for better or worse), but I do dream a lot and I’ve discovered that when mixed with the right ingredients, those silly dreams turn to reality. So, when think of the future, I see my family healthy and happy and I see myself in a big, bright studio of my own, full of windows and jewelry making tools and machines, creating fantastic things and making a living from my work. Just over a year ago, when I opened my Etsy shop, I was dreaming of becoming a featured seller one day. Here I am.

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Congrats from all of us Iveth!

Featured Member: erindollar

Tell us a bit about yourself.
My name is Erin Dollar, and I'm originally from Portland, Oregon. I am primarily a fine artist (obsessed with printmaking, especially relief and silkscreen), although for the past few years I was also making fake beards for a living. I'm 25, I just moved to Los Angeles this year, and I'm enjoying all the sun and warm weather.

Apart from creating things, what do you do?
I try to spend as much time as possible making new work, but I also have a part time job at the library. Luckily I shelve books in the art section, so I am surrounded by inspiration five mornings a week. I have also been known to take a nice leisurely bike ride on nice afternoons.

What first made you want to become an artist?
I am happiest while printing, so it seemed like a no-brainer to me that I should just continue doing that after I finished collage. I have held lots of other "day jobs", but never been as pleased with my work as when I can concentrate on printmaking. For me, it's all about pursuing what keeps me happy.
Please describe your creative process:
Afternoons and evenings seem to be the most conducive to making new work. I like to spend the morning doing more administrative stuff (answering emails, shipping orders, etc.) and then use the afternoon to make new work. I usually listen to music to keep me focused on the work, and I try to keep the computer in a separate room while working on art endeavors, it's just too easy to get distracted! Also, there is nothing like having a huge, clean desk to spread out your materials on... so nice!

What handmade possession do you most cherish?
Probably a tie between my smile glass from WarauKoppu http://www.etsy.com/shop/WarauKoppu or the many amazing drawings my boyfriend has made for me... his imagination never ceases to amaze me.

What advice would you give to artists who are new to Etsy?
Join a team! I have learned so much from my teammates, and made a few friends along the way. Teams are a great way to create connections with successful Etsy sellers, and to promote your own work.

What are your favorite features on Etsy? What new features would you like to see?
I love making treasuries. Besides being a lot of fun, I think it's good practice for keeping a curatorial and editing eye, which can be useful in making my own artwork. As for new features, I would love if Etsy would make it easier to search my favorite shops... I have so many favorites after three years, it's starting to get a bit unmanageable.

How do you promote your work?
I promote my work by blogging, mostly. I had a facebook fan page, but I am afraid I haven't been very diligent about using it. I like to think of treasuries as a promotional tool in a way... it can introduce new people to your work and build connections with other Etsy sellers.

In ten years, where would you like to be?
Printing in my enormous, fully stocked studio, and having great meals on the porch with my boyfriend and my cat.

Featured Member: littlewrenpottery

Tell us a bit about yourself.

Hi, I'm Victoria and I live in North East England, I'm 25 which is relatively young (inexperienced!) for a potter. The North of England isn't particularly well known for its handicrafts more for its industrial coal mining and ship building past. The internet really helps me to connect with people who wouldn't otherwise come into contact with my work. I also really love a good curry, bad jokes and rocking out!

Apart from creating things, what do you do?

I actually have an alter ego, during the day I'm a mild mannered graphic designer and by night I'm messy clay strewed potter. So I spend a lot of time at work but when I want to relax I love baking, knitting, watching TV and reading the odd good book.

Sometimes I really wish there was a mystical extra day in between Sunday night and Monday mornings.



What first made you want to become an artist?

Like most people I was very creative as a child, I loved drawing and making things seemingly out of nothing. It was my ambition in life to own double sided tape so cardboard tubes could be magically stuck together. As I got older I moved into fine art but soon got jaded with the scene until moving into graphics when I was at Uni.

During my time at Uni I got quite heavily into the crafts movement and it wasn't until I graduated I discovered pottery, I think it was love at first sight.

Please describe your creative process.

My creative process tends to be quite haphazard, mainly due to the amount of time I have to spend crafting. I don't often sketch my ideas which is a bad habit of mine, strange considering I'm actually a designer!



I usually have an idea in my mind of what it is I'm going to make and with every piece I throw its trying to get as close to that ideal as possible. I only ever stick to one shape per session this helps to keep my mind focused as I work, throwing rewards repetition. I quite often get asked how much can I throw. Well, in 2-3 hours I can throw half a bag of clay so give me four hours and there goes a bag.

There are many stages in ceramics where something can go wrong, its a real challenge every time and I think that's what keeps me coming back.

What handmade possession do you most cherish?

I bought my grandmother a handmade glass swan for her birthday one year, she used to keep it in her presentation cabinet and she really loved it. When she died it was the only thing that I really wanted from her house, every time I look at it it reminds me of her.



What advice would you give to artists who are new to Etsy?

I've been on Etsy about two years now and I'm still learning. If I was to give myself advice it would be improve and improve everything all the time. Photos, descriptions, keywords they can always be better.

Also sometimes buyers have problems and you've just got to roll with the punches, its difficult not to take it personally but you always have the opportunity to exceed expectations.

What are your favorite features on Etsy? What new features would you like to see?

I love the relatively new function of being able to search within your geographical location for other sellers, I sometimes leave buying gifts until the last minute and it helps if you can get it local.

I'd love to see the ability to offer multiple shipping options to different places in the world, for example you might want to have expedited shipping which costs extra in comparison to the normal cost.

How do you promote your work?

I spend an awful lot of time online - twitter, facebook, blogging, chatting on forums and just being on Etsy eat up a large proportion of my day.

I also occasionally send out email newsletters during promotional times and I try and connect with the press at large to get in magazines and newspapers. Recently I've been thinking about doing more craft fairs just to get myself 'known'. I have found that promotional efforts are cumulative, your looking to reach customers but they might not want to buy from you now - give them a reason to remember you when they do.



In ten years, where would you like to be?

I'd like to be spending less time at work and I'd also like a dedicated studio thats not inside the house. I currently work in the attic it tends to get quite messy and there's no running water or power points so there are plenty of trailing wires everywhere - health and safety be damned!

I'd like to be more dependent on me rather than my job and it sometimes seems to me that in modern life we're at odds with ourselves - trying to be self sufficient and having a happy life or working 9-5 and getting the money but no time to spend it. I'm sure there's a happy medium in there somewhere.