1)How did you first hear about Etsy?:
I belong to a yahoo group for mosaic artists, MAO, and I started noticing that a number of the members had Etsy accounts, so I clicked on several of their links and checked out their shops. After reading in a few posts that the other artists considered their experience with Etsy a positive one, I decided to take the plunge.
2)Tell us about a little about yourself and your favorite craft/art!:
Though I spent 10 years as a reading teacher, and I am also a poet and small time poetry editor, I have always liked to make things by hand. I took a number of community art classes as a child, and when I and my sister were having babies I went through a mad quilting craze, mostly turning out baby quilts.
I always enjoy designing and working on mosaics, and just the last few weeks I have been really getting into painting again, leaving a mosaic 3/4s finished on the kitchen table while I run out to the deck to play with all the paints. Of course, I woke up Sunday morning with ideas for a new series of collages combining painting, photography and collage in my head and spent a 2 1/2 hour car trip sketching out ideas.
In connection with my recent painting spree, I just opened a second etsy shop for fine art: www.AnitaBarnard.etsy.com.
3)How did you get started as a designer?:
I have always designed something: quilts, mosaics, the building of my deck, my garden, paintings and collages.
I was doing mostly mosaics a few years ago when I got a pretty little bracelet from a friend for Christmas. I looked at it and thought, I can do this. Then started wildly ordering semi-precious beads online. That can get dangerous!
4)What inspires you to create?:
Just the world around me: the way things grow: vines and leaves, architecture, colors, the work of other artists, thoughts about poetry, myths, stuff happening in my life, and the natural beauty in the stones and glass, etc in my jewelry and mosaics.
5)How do you get the word out about your shop and Etsy?:
I have only had the shop for a month, so mostly by word of mouth, but I also write about what I am doing with my art in my blog. www.13moonsart.blogspot.com And I have a small Etsy mini on the blog showing some of my items. I also participate at least a little in the Etsy forums. I am thinking of ordering a set of the little Moo business cards that some of the other Etsy artists have; they're pretty cute.
6)Any advice you would give to aspiring designers?:
Do what you love to do. It's not worth it if you don't get some personal satisfaction from it.
Don't get discouraged if success isn't immediate.
Learn something about the business aspect of being an artist or craftsman and about promoting yourself...which I am trying to learn about now.
Connect with other artists in your medium and others, online and in your community if possible; the support and dialogs are great; they really understand what you are struggling with and what you are excited about.
Don't forget to check out 13Moonsart's shop:
www.13Moonsart.etsy.com
