Weekly Interview with an Artist.
When did you first get into crafting? Karen: "I honestly don't remember ever not doing crafts! My grandmother (who lived with us) was always arranging flowers or putting together something for her candy shop displays, or working on embroidery for the church, and I was always right there - "helping") All of the women in my family have always enjoyed arts and crafts."
Do you find a lot of inspiration for your work, if so where do you get most of your inspiration from? Karen: "I have a pretty good imagination, so I can take inspiration from just about anything in life and translate it into something. If I had to pick one thing, I would have to say nature though. There is just so much incredible beauty in the world around us."
Can you describe your creative process? Karen: "It varies to be honest. Some days, I'll just start sifting through beads and components to find things that go together, while other days, I'll sketch out a design first and then adjust it along the way. Occasionally, I'll get a little obsessive about a certain technique like wire-wrapping or working with clay and that's all I'll do for days."
What do you love most about what you do? Karen: "It may sound weird, but I love that I have the responsibility for my successes and failures. When I was working for someone else, I was limited by corporate rules and protocol. I love the hard work that goes into having a business, and I love that I can combine a creative outlet with business, both to make some money and to share my creativity with the world."
What are your plans and hopes for your shop in the future? Karen: "This is my day job and will continue to be my day job (barring any unforeseen events) through my golden years, so I'm hoping to continue to expand my presence both online and in shops that would like to offer my work."
Other than crafting, what do you like to do during your spare time? Karen: "Spare time? *Laughing* I am one of those people who rarely has true spare time. I'm always finding something that needs to be done! When I make the time to not be working, I have to say that spending time with my grandkids is my absolute favorite thing to do. They are just amazing little people! I love how quickly their personalities develop, and seeing the world through their eyes just gives me a wonderful new perspective on life. Talk about an energy and attitude boost!"
Is there anything you'd like people to know about you and your shop? Karen: " Special offers, sales, future plans etc. Through the end of August, I'm having a "Dog Days of Summer" sale, so if you stop by and use Coupon Code DOGDAYS you'll receive an extra 15% off your entire purchase. Sometime before the end of the year, I'm also hoping to open a more generic craft store to offer some of the other crafts I engage in, like knitting, crocheting, painting, etc.! Stay tuned"
Here are some of My Favorite things from Karen's Etsy Shop mysticwynd
Join BESTeam - Boosting Etsy Shops Team The Boosting Etsy Shops Team's goal is to provide marketing support for each others' Etsy shops by writing WEEKLY features on our blogs.
Thank you so much for featuring my shop! I love seeing other people's favorites from my work and appreciate the work that goes into the feature!
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MysticWynd on Etsy
Mystic Wynd
what a great feature. Karen is a special person.
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-ourhometoyours
It is so nice to read the interview questions and what Karen says. Thanks for a glimpse of this artist's personality.
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