What inspired you to go into the craft business; do you still have a day job?

What do you like best, coming up with idea, creating product, or sales?  Lets just say I like everything but the sales.. which is the most important part when you are actually trying to make a living!

What has been the major influence in your creative process ? Digital Cameras and Photoshop, without a doubt!

Do you ever need to recharge yourself to inspire you, and how do you go about it? Yes all the time! Running a small business is exhausting; I take walks and do Kundalini yoga every day, it’s the only way I stay sane.

Describe your creative process when designing/making your product line. I usually start with key words and ideas that inspire me and take it from there into the visual realm. I like to think of myself as a curator of vintage imagery as well as a collage artist. It’s all about translating feelings and ideas visually .. Iconic and striking images that people feel connected to are the best sellers always, so naturally I’m always looking to make and collect art that transmit that kind of strong feeling. I have so much fun with it, its truly my favorite part of this business and why I do it.

Have you ever developed a great idea which has wound up on the editing room floor ? Oh tons.. most of my favorite ideas are out of my league when it comes to production. Its a challenge to produce affordable handmade goods in the United States.. I love intricate detail and that always comes with a price!

Are you constantly experimenting with new ideas, or do you stick with what is successful? I used to experiment constantly and that’s truly my great love. I’ve been sticking to what’s successful for a while now though because I finally realized the importance of a strong foundation and system for running things.. I hope to branch out into new accessory territory in 2012, though– I’ve got plans! 11:11 bags are the new frontier, and then shoes – GOLD shoes! Stay tuned..

http://www.eleveneleven.net/

http://blog.eleveneleven.net/

http://twitter.com/jamilastarwater

http://www.facebook.com/1111enterprises

I was inspired to quit my day job and pursue art after following the work of some professional illustrators. It’s encouraging to see others making a living with art and that still drives me today! I start every morning with a loose line drawing (I work on a large wacom tablet, called a cintiq, so I draw directly on the computer) and I take that and create layers and layers of color, shadow, and light.

As much as my work is on the computer, it is completely handmade. I don’t believe that traditional methods of art are any better or worse than digital (and vice versa). Its simply another tool, much like different sizes of paint brushes, or different kinds of paper. Because I created it on the computer, it doesn’t cease to be art, or cease to come from me or my imagination…!

One of the best things (there are too many to name just one) about working for yourself is making your own hours. I absolutely love that! The down side of that is knowing when to stop. Another thing I love is meeting people, whether they are lovers of art, or other creators… The community I am surrounded with is so loving, supportive and well, amazing!

“Give me a museum and I’ll fill it.” – Pablo Picasso

Website: http://e-nidhi.com/
Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/nidhi

What inspired you to go into the craft business, do you still have a day job? My entire life I have loved drawing, painting, creating and making art. Ever since I was a little girl I always wanted to be able to sell something that I made by hand- I would make homemade stationary and greeting cards and “sell” them to my mom and relatives. As an adult, I finally decided to take the plunge and really try to come up with a product that people would buy with my designs on it- I started out with baby clothes and have since branched into adult clothing, aprons and reusable bags.

Yes, I still have a day job, I work part-time at a local bar/restaurant a cocktail server in downtown Santa Cruz where I have worked for over 3 years.

I get inspired a lot by nature, especially the ocean, where I spend as much time as I can whether at the beach or surfing or kayaking- which is reflected in a lot of my designs (waves, octopus, jellyfish, shark, seahorse, etc.) and also fruits and veggies because I love to grow food and love the Farmer’s Market environment. I usually think of a design and spend some time drawing examples of it and when the outline comes out nicely I make myself my stencil and then go from there with beautifully colored fabrics to accentuate the appliqué on whatever I am making. I think of a lot of the designs while falling asleep and then I get up in the morning and work on them…. I also LOVE to do custom order designs for friends on American Apparel hoodies. That started out as a favor for a friend and has really taken off, so I have gotten a lot of priceless ideas from them. I try to use organic or American Apparel products to embellish in order to keep my environmental impact low.

What’s the best thing about what you do? And the worst? The best thing is constantly feeding my inspiration and creativity. It’s so satisfying to create something from my own mind and hands, put my energy into it and then have it be received with a squeal by whoever receives it. I can’t really think of the worst thing about it…. I guess the hardest thing for me to do is to focus myself and make myself have a really organized approach to my products. I tend to want to make each piece completely unique and different and then move on to the next design, but for the sake of festivals especially I really have to work hard to make myself have consistency in terms of offering the same design/color scheme in all sizes. Organization is the hardest thing for me when it comes to creating art and selling it. But I think that one-of-a-kind quality is also one of my strong points and makes my products appeal to shoppers who don’t want a cookie-cutter gift or purchase.

I have a Kittybeast Facebook page- please check it out for news, photos, upcoming events, etc: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kittybeast/

For BazBiz shoppers who visit my etsy shop www.kittybeast.etsy.com after the show, I have a 10% off coupon, just use the coupon code BAZBIZ. Thanks for checking out Kittybeast and enjoy the show!

Can you briefly describe yourself and maybe a little bit about your business?

What I create are journals. A simple place to keep thoughts and memories. Two things make my journals special. First, they are made from discarded books, so each one has a different theme, a different flavor. Sometimes you can find a title that just starts your creativity and you’ll write for hours. Sometimes you’ll find one that reminds you of a friend and you just have to give it to them as a gift. Finding just the right journal is inspiring. Secondly, almost every part of the journals I make are from discarded materials. The book covers come from the library’s thinning out process, and the paper is outcast and remains of the printing industry. I am pleased that I have developed a useable “green” product.

Tell us about the process: It starts with finding discarded books. Libraries are the best source, but there are estate sales, schools, and believe me, once people find out you’re looking for old books, they give them to you. Man do they give them to you. This creates a problem, because only one in ten is usable. Getting rid of other peoples unwanted books is “trying.”

Finding the right covers is the fun of the process. It is like a treasure hunt. I love imagining which of my customers will fall in love with each cover.

Separating book covers from the text is simple, but creates a new problem. Getting rid of huge mounds of text blocks. I have tried recycling, but they want me to cut the spines off. So sometimes when I feel brave I cut off the spines and take the text to the recyclers, sometimes I put the whole thing in the recycling bin and hope I don’t get a nasty reminder letter from waste management.

Cutting paper, punching holes and putting in the binding is so ordinary I often do it without having to think about it.

Now it is time for the fun. Getting the chance to join the other craft vendors at getting involved with the excitement of interested customers at the fairs is awesome. The time goes by so fast, and every minute of it is fun.

Do you still have a real job? Not by choice. There just aren’t too many employers looking for old, bald, overweight bookbinders. For now I am happy doing “the craft” full time. I keep thinking that the craft thing will take off and support me, but that is a dream. I have a good product, but production cost and the bad economy is making it difficult. And now a large number of people have “pirated” my idea. I am sure I have to get a real job someday.

What inspired you to go into the craft business, do you still have a day job? My craft was inspired by my work at the California Academy of Sciences and graduate degree is in conservation biology. While pinning bugs for the Academy, I thought it would be cool to make some of my own and give them as gifts. Then, while in school, I learned about butterfly farming, which is a conservation tool that provides impoverished populations with an income and incentive to preserve rainforest.

I am inspired by the miniature world and when I see a dollhouse miniature that would look nice paired with a real beetle — my creative juices get flowing. I love placing insects in human-like situations, which gives them personality and lets people see them in a different perspective.

What’s the best thing about what you do? And the worst? I love seeing people’s positive reactions to an animal that they previously despised. The worst thing is the long hours — it is a lot of work making the displays and keeping up with demand.
You can see my work at:

Website: http://bugunderglass.com/
Shop Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/BugUnderGlass
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bugunderglass

I’m an artist but I’m not very disciplined when it comes to making art. Making scarves started out as a practice to develop a work discipline. It worked. Now I make scarves in the fall and art in the spring. The vintage fabrics I use have printed or woven patterns. I back those fabrics with solid color fabrics, so the creativity is in the selection of backing fabrics. I have a good eye for color.

The best thing is going out searching for fabric at estate sales and yard sales. The worst thing is sewing velvet. It’s so difficult to sew.

www.thescarfmoment.blogspot.com

What inspired you to go into the craft business, do you still have a day job? Every artiest I met at the fair inspired me to do this. They all love what they are doing and i think that was a huge motivation for me. And Yes… I still have a day job. I am an animator at a game company in the bay area. I think my day job and my personal work inspire each other to create more artwork that I need it.

Describe your creative process when designing/making your product line. Most of my products are prints. The inspiration for all the drawing I do for the prints comes from a variety of places. Every day life could be an inspiration and some silly movie clip could lead you to do something crazy. So everyday I always try to capture that moment when I got an idea. After I finish, I made those to prints, postcards, etc.

What’s the best thing about what you do? And the worst? The best part of having a table at the art fair is I get to meet and talk to a lot of people. Also it’s an amazing feeling when you get a chance to see the people who love your artwork. I don’t think I have the worst experience yet?

To see more for my artwork sale please take a look
My etsy shop : http://www.etsy.com/shop/hediun
My facebook page :
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Eunjung-June-Kim-Atelier/214059751967871
my personal art blog : http://junesketch.blogspot.com/

This event will feature emerging local talent, where the public is invited to buy local and support local business by doing their holiday shopping here! We’ve got a great line up of vendors and are looking for a few more wonderful additions!

As per the norm with our events, there is no vendor booth fee and admission is free to the public. The Winter Pop-up will take place in the heart of the Mission District, accompanied by music and local food vendors.

The Details:

What: Winter Pop-Up {Art & Craft Fair}

Where: 22nd & Mission

When: Saturday, December 10th 11am – 5pm

Why: Support local businesses and artists while providing the public with a fun and unique shopping experience! This is a community event as well as a design and vendor fair.

The only requirements are that you bring your own table/set up (clothing/shoe racks, lighting, etc.).
Each vendor will have an allotted space of 5′x10′.

We ask that you arrive with enough time to be set up and ready to go by the start of the event at 11am.

If you are interested in being a vendor, please reply to this post with the following information:

- Your Name
- Company name (if you have one)
- A brief description of the items you sell
- Your average price point
- Any links to photos of your work (website/ blog/etsy, if you have one)
- Any questions you may have about the event!

Reply to: comm-6er68-2708046673@craigslist.org
Please make the Subject of your email: Winter Pop-Up Application

We have provided this listing on our Blog as a service to our fellow indie crafters and designers. This show is not affiliated to Bazaar Bizarre San Francisco. BBSF Blog makes no guarantees or warranty as to the accuracy, completeness or authenticity of the information contained on this post. Please direct all questions using the contact information as listed on this blog post. DO NOT leave questions here on our blog as they will not be answered by the show organizers. See our Terms of Use section for more information.

What inspired you to go into the craft business, do you still have a day job? I can’t stop making things and unfortunately I can’t keep them all. So I decided to share them with everyone. and Yes. I still have a day job. But I am in the creative field all day.

What do you like best, coming up with ideas or executing them? I like the moment I finish a project is the best!

What’s the best thing about what you do? And the worst? best -  meeting cool indie creative open mind people. worst – dealing with crazy weirdos.

What are your creative influences? people i meet, on the streets, books, movies, and music. These are text book answers. I often see my next project in my dreams.

What’s the best advice you have been given about your business or craft practices? Don’t quit when times are down. And be nice to your fellow crafters.

How do you stay inspired? Running into people walking around the city(sometimes out of the city) wearing my bags and accessories.

www.chibiland.com

Naturally, I sew. To me, sewing is like a puzzle and I’m addicted to the challenge of putting the pieces together in any way I want. Needle to thread, fabric in my hands, the cush of the rotary blade as it pushes into layers of cloth— I’m intoxicated by all of this. Hence why I sew for a living. And sewing makes up about 1/2 of Nothing New. The other 1/2 doesn’t come so naturally….

Thrifting. I was really lucky to have a thrifting friend throughout my childhood. My best friend Shannon and I had limited funds to outfit ourselves, and she was always taking me to new thrift stores. I loved her company, but wasn’t very fond of the stores. They were a bit dirty, smelled funny and you had to dig. I remember saying to Shannon, “I got this great jacket but I can’t put it on. I just can’t shake the fact that someone has worn it before.” Can you believe me?! But Shannon kept dragging me to those thrift stores and little by little I began to relax.

It took scads more friends carting me along to the thrift stores and garage sales before I began to really accept them on my own level. College was an even better teacher, what with the need for $20 couches and the like. I learned about Craigslist and Freecycle. I learned about waste, fossil fuels, exploited labor and my carbon footprint. I learned about mass-produced products and ethically I just wasn’t down. I made myself into a thrifter, and it took a really long time. Now I’d even call myself a Thrifting Queen, but that title has been earned.

Now transforming old discarded items into new treasures only adds to the challenge (and thus my delight) of sewing. I’m picky – everything has to be washed immediately, sometimes even twice. But I can take the old dresses and curtains and rip them apart to use them like fabric from a bolt, or I can use elements from them that I like. I pride myself in finding the ugliest possible dresses – the test is if they make me laugh – and turning them into something beautiful.

My first impulse is still to buy new. Being a child of the 80′s, I can’t help it. But I can deal with that impulse. I have to remind myself that I have come to expect instant gratification, but that is a modern, western phenomenon not available to everyone. I can usually wait. I have to tell myself to step back, take a breather, and think of the environmental impact of something new: shipping, fuel, materials etc. Then I tell myself to consider getting it second hand. And you know what? It usually happens way faster than I expect. And I’m into all that crazy manifestation business, you know- the Secret, you create your own reality, etc- so that usually plays in my favor as well. I don’t always catch myself in time. I’ve had plenty of experiences that set me back, but they have only served as lessons. I still buy way too many new things, but Nothing New allows me to combine both my passion for sewing and my concern about our environmental impact- and make a small solution available to the lovers and dreamers like me.

Love my blog: http://www.nothingnewtreasures.com/blog

Shop etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/nothingnewtreasures