Funky, Fun, and Full of Life

Conventional is not the word I would use to describe the next artist I interviewed. She is bold, resourceful, and inventive. She has a unique talent for taking thrift store finds, and breathing life into them. Darkstar Handmade is definitely a shop you want to visit while on Etsy, if you are eco-friendly soul, who won't mind the attention from the fabulous threads!
To me, her designs are a metaphor for life: It doesn't matter what it was, or where it came from. What matters is now. What can YOU make from what you were given? Lemons to lemonade, indeed!
If you visit her shop, and for some chance do not find what you were searching for, she does custom made. In fact, I was thinking of putting in a request for myself in my favorite color. Tie dye.



1.)Have you always been a creative person?

oh yeah!! My family is very creative and resourceful so my upbringing and education was very supportive of my overactive imagination and the arts. I grew up with limited technology, no computer or television, so I occupied my time with my imagination and my hands. I was homeschooled as a child which definitely nurtured my creativity and defined who I grew up to be.The idea of handmade goods was very present in my upbringing as well. I began playing music at a young age and it became an enormous part of my life, and my development. So much of my childhood was spent outdoors, and I loved exploring in the woods and building hideouts. My brother and I built some pretty impressive structures: treehouses, bridges, and a whole network of fortresses! I have some amazingly selfless parents who gave me an incredibly rich childhood and I took it for granted that not every kid grew up the way I did, so thanks Mom and Dad!

These pants would be great for yoga practice or bellydancing! Check out all the eco-friendly creations at her shop, Darkstar Handmade on Etsy.

2.)When did you decide to sell your items?

I've been creating things and re-vamping old clothing in to new creations for as long as I can remember. After a brief stint at art school and later graduating with a BFA in 2012, I decided I wanted to take my craftsmanship higher and bring my designs to a broader audience. At the time, I knew several people selling their work on Etsy and it seemed like a wonderful community to become involved in. Full of vibrant, passionate, creative people just like me!


3.) How would you describe your creative process?


My creative process is definitely quirky. It is constantly changing as I let the fabrics that I find inform my designs, lending to one of a kind pieces. One of the strangest yet most successful elements is that I hardly ever use patterns. I let the shape of the materials and the amount of usable material make decisions for me. My process consists of equal parts wackiness, spunk, spontaneity and experimentation. Inherent in my process are flaws, but I've learned to embrace them and I feel they are a meaningful part of the finished product. We don't purchase handmade goods because we wish they looked mechanically produced, at least I don't. Thus, I think we all enjoy seeing the artists hand at work in their items.

4.) If I wasn't doing this, I would be..........

If I wasn't doing this, I would be a shell of who I truly am! Making clothing, for me, is so much more than just making clothing. It is a necessary creative outlet and provides constant daydream possibilities!

Such innovative and playful designs

5.) What/who are your inspirations?

My biggest inspirations are color and the materials I work with. I am OBSESSED with color! I love finding seemingly ugly patterns and color combinations in thrift store piles and bringing them home and playing with their colors. I'm also hugely inspired by nature. I am lucky enough to live in beautiful western Montana and am constantly in awe of the rugged landscape that surrounds me and makes me feel so small and insignificant. I think life itself is also an important and indisputable inspiration. As artists, we are keen observers of our surroundings and our emotions and it is impossible to deny that our work tells a story or our life experiences.

6.) How do you work through a creative block?

I usually work through a creative block by spending ridiculous amounts of time and money at my local thrift stores, bringing all my collected goodies home, and dumping them in a huge pile on the floor of my sewing room. I then crank up some tunes and begin sorting everything into piles of appealing colors and prints. At the end of this process, I'm left with a colorful assortment of "project piles" and I dig right in and begin cutting. Works every time!


https://www.facebook.com/DarkstarHandmade
https://www.etsy.com/shop/DarkstarHandmade

Spreading the Love

    I love to write about my thoughts and feelings, my experiences, my worldview, my passions, dreams, and the like. But, I also love learning about others and their creative journeys; their life story and passions. I feel invigorated when someone shares how they got started in painting Indian Goddesses, or designing floral headpieces. I believe we are here to find our authentic self, to tell our own story, but I do believe we are here to showcase the talent of another, and thank them for their contributions. I believe we are here to learn from and help one another, how ever big or small.
 
   With that in mind, I began contacting artists on Etsy, ones that felt particularly drawn to. Those I felt a creative kindred, and who were able to successfully convey their feelings and passion for our shared interests, like nature, fairy tales, mythology, and the Divine Feminine. I was pleasantly surprised when I found my mailbox full of kind souls, willing to open their shops and hearts, and be a part of my bloggy-blog!

    What follows is my interview with sunny and sweet Andrea, of Storybook Artifact. I was intrigued by her shop and personality, and happy to feature such a unique Etsy shop. With the holidays quickly approaching, (my birthday in less than two weeks should be a national holiday) Storybook Artifact is one little shop you shouldn't overlook!

Storybook Artifact is a cozy one-stop shop for all of your heart's desires; where your dreams and aspirations are captured in that "just what I was looking for" storybook artifact! Able to be passed down through your family's generations, these vintage or hand-crafted treasures can help to express your story; becoming a timeless family heirloom.

www.etsy.com/shop/StorybookArtifact

www.storybookartifact.blogspot.com

www.facebook.com/pages/Storybook-Artifact/215125658512667

1.Have you always been a creative person?
I have always been a drawer. Ever since I was a little girl I'd sketch up some lady's portrait. To me, my mother was the fairest of them all, and my role model later in life: simple and true to life. She was always doing some craft: sewing, painting clothing or canvas, ceramics, latch hook, etc. She also loved being a mother and would do hands-on activities with my sister and I like writing poems. Today, I am a mother myself, and find my children to be my road; whatever creativity sparks from their projects generally will find a place in my Etsy shop:

Upcycled Repurposed Baby Headbands:
www.etsy.com/listing/164667503/blushing-baby-eco-fascinator-headband

Montessori Tummy Time Toy:
www.etsy.com/listing/164555765/alice-looking-glass-toy-for-baby-tummy


Back to early me "drawing", some sketches I have in my shop are from my early (teenage) years.

2.If I wasn't doing this, I would be......
I'd be making a house a tidy cozy home: i.e. chores. Yes, I have to balance my priorities. Generally I am multi-tasking.

At this time of year my local performing art center has a fall series of performances that are free to the public, it is their Brown Bag It "fall series", where you may bring your lunch to snack on while you enjoy a little concert playing: such a wonderful experience for kids. ... Picnics and walks in the park, activities at the library (performances, story-time, workshops, etc.) and checking out free movies and books ... Trips to thrift stores, used bookstores, yard sales, and estate sales ... Camping, biking, hiking, swimming, fishing, and canoeing. Love it all!!!


4.What is the one thing you would like others to know about you? What do you believe your purpose to be?
That my true soul purpose in life is simply being a loving nurturing mother. Career comes second. I am currently in school now: to get to a stopping point with a degree in biology. However, my aspirations past this point are vague in that realm. For as of now, I am in a moment to savor life's gift of bliss with my ever-changing children.

5. What is your favorite fairy tale?
Alice in Wonderland, but this is more of a fantasy story: not an old folk tale retold for generations. With this in mind, I'd have to say Hansel and Gretel.

Willow recommends

https://www.etsy.com/listing/124006659/plum-velvet-dress-jacket-handmade-by?ref=shop_home_active

If you liked this interview and shop, please visit her on Etsy for more items. Please share and spread the love.. You know you want to!

Just Breathe

This is where I grew up; the stream down the street from my Grandparents. I thought it was such a magical place. I loved spending weekends at their house, especially in the spring and summers. I was never one to be cooped up in the house for long, so I would spend most my time exploring the flora and fauna in their small village. I could spend hours up and down the creek beds, looking for crabs and frogs.


There are large willows along the water, where I got my name. It was a tree that captivated my attention. It wasn't like the dogwoods or oaks I would climb, but unique. They gave me shade on hot summer days, and hypnotize me with their swaying branches. I would tell them my secrets, and they would answer with a whisper of leaves. Maybe it was the dryads inside. I saw the magic in them, and they in me.


Some of the best memories of my pap were on that very wall in the photo. He would take my sister and I fishing, sometimes my cousins, too. He was sometimes impatient when my sister refused to bait the hook. She wasn't the tomboy that I was! But, he had his special way of talking and pronouncing things, singing silly songs and making me smile. It wasn't 'fishing,' for example, it was 'feeshing.' They aren't scissors, they're 'skissors.' Just the little things.

I remember one time, when he caught a particularly robust bass, he asked me to carry home. In my hands. While it was still all alive and wiggly. I made it about two steps, when I dropped the thrashing fish in the red dog gravel. He was more than a little annoyed. But, typically Pap doesn't stay mad for very long. I would give him the pouty lip, and the watery eyes, thinking he was about to yell as my dad would, but Pap just gave me a sideways glance, faux anger from the corner of his eye. Then, he would smirk, and I would smile in return. I would give everything I have to see that look again.


I think a lot about growing up with my grandparents, and how lucky I am to have lived so close to them. I was mostly a tomboy and just a touch girly girl, but I absolutely loved the time outside with pap. We walked at least five miles a day in the summers, and spent hours at the park, watching him drive golf balls back and forth.
They both passed on just this past May, and it's been difficult for my family. Winter is coming, and cannot spend much more time by the wall and under the willows. I know Mother Nature needs time to rest, and I need to turn within for healing. I look forward to the spring, though, when I can call on pap's spirit to join me on a walk. Sometimes, I feel such despair, but if mythology has taught me anything, I know hope lies just below.

 Rest in peace, Pap. I hope you're fishing and playing golf. And goosing Gram ;) xoxo