1.)Tell us a little bit about yourself! (name, location,pets, family, etc.)
I’m Louise from Glasgow in Scotland. I am currently working as a retail manager for a new lingerie company in the UK which caters to my whimsical, romantic side perfectly. I live with my great boyfriend and pygmy hedgehog Eddie Spaghetti who will be celebrating his first birthday this month on Valentines Day.
2.)How did you become to be an artist?
I have always been interested in art and the creative process but I guess I lost that after high school. 2 years ago at Christmas I was given a beautiful button bracelet that I adored and was devastated when it broke. The boutique was unable to source a new one for me and I began to pick it apart looking for parts online to fix it. I took some classes at college in jewellery making and this grew legs and became something that has now become a big part of my life. I started selling at the end of October 2010 just to test the water and now plan to make it a part time and hopefully full time income over the years.
3.)What inspires you?
Inspiration comes from many sources and I guess I am a magpie when it comes to shiny, pretty things! I plan to make one piece and think of something else I like and something else and before I know it I have lost the plot completely. I have started to keep a journal and a sketch pad and this is helping to channel me into a more focused frame of mind in order to get my collection complete. I do love altered art pieces as I like to use a lot of images in my items.
4.)What is your creative proccess like?
My little office has been set up now, it’s like a harry potter cupboard under the stairs but it shabby, chic and perfect. I usually have specific ideas in my head about what I want to achieve but this can change as I go along. My mood generally dictates the direction of my work and I like to think of each piece as telling a little story...so I usually have a few lines in my head or a poem to help me along the way.
5.)What do you do in your free time?(besides creating)
I love world cinema, exploring new places, reading and swimming.
6.)What would give as advice to someone just starting out on Etsy?
Use the forums to your advantage. You can find lots of kindred spirits and valuable advice. Use the critique forum for honest feedback on your store and read every email that etsy has to offer on marketing strategies as they have some great advice. Doing your homework will get all your hard work shown to a wider audience, oh and always remember to cost your work correctly, never undersell yourself or your designs:)
7.)How do you promote your work?
Right now I am actively promoting through twitter and this is proving useful for hits and views. It is a new process for me so its still in the early stages of whether it will be effective in more sales. I am staying a bit under the radar at the minute while I work on a full collection and await my new logo then after that it is promote, promote promote!
8.)In ten years, where would you like to be?
I would like to be living the dream....working at what I love in the design industry....preferably from a little farmhouse in Tuscany sipping a nice glass of chianti as I work. Necessary in the design process of course!
9.)What handmade possesion is closest to your heart?
I’m not really sure if it counts but I have this beautiful old and each page has scraps in it that my mum has been collecting since she was small. I love looking through these beautiful vintage images and I blame this on my love of using altered art in my creations
10.)What would you like to see more of on Etsy? Less of?
I would like etsy to feature more new sellers. I feel that generally when I click into the homepage you see a lot of people who have already found their market and some get featured quite frequently. Come on etsy, we have so many wonderful designers out there, lets celebrate that.
check her stuff out HERE
here's a sneak preview:
Thank you for including me in ur lovely blog!:) x
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