Tell us a bit about yourself.

My name is Angie Davis. I live on an island in the Mississippi River in downtown Minneapolis. My live/work studio is in a building that was built in the 1950’s as a school bus depot. Our loft used to be the service bay so in my studio I’m surrounded by remnants of mechanical lifts, floor drains and antique power washers. I share my space with my betrothed, a few listless felines and a 90-pound mutt named Gertrude.

My formal training is in architecture and I practiced primarily custom residential design until I was idled professionally when things slowed last year so I turned to product design and handmade objects as a place to put my creative energy. I grew up on a farm in Iowa surrounded by traditional craft but in my adult life, I tend to tilt toward a modern aesthetic. This duality seems to come together in my work as I favor traditional materials and techniques but tend to pare down my patterns and designs to a simple, modern object.

Apart from creating things, what do you do?

My mother owns a small fabric & quilt shop and I spend a bit of time watching over her foray into online retail: managing her online shop and creating email marketing campaigns. It has been a great exposure for someone whose favorite color is grey to able to touch and photograph bolts and bolts of colorful quilting fabric. I will sometimes make small stacks of coordinated fabrics and keep them next to me while I work. My AutoCAD software is now used for drafting intricate quilt patterns instead of drawing buildings even though I’ve never made a quilt. I’m a consummate planner.

In my spare time I enjoy going to the movies at 10 in the morning, collecting vintage suitcases, dreaming of my future garden, and catching the occasional show of whoever happens to be making their way through town. I’m fascinated with aerial images, architectural plans and maps (as can be seen in my second shop ‘Gertie Byrd’) and recently, I gave up my long-held aspirations of becoming an early riser as I’ve realized I’m just not wired that way.

What first made you want to become an artist?

Growing up, I spent a lot of time in my mother’s shop so I was exposed to all types of domestic crafts like sewing, quilting, and needlework but the real break-through for me happened during my first year of architecture school when I found myself surrounded by other people with similar interests and I was given a vocabulary with which I could talk about design in the context of both visual and spatial studies. We were designing buildings but we were also making elaborate models with obscure materials and experimenting with drawing and the manipulation of images in different ways. It was an incredible experience and it really helped me define my creative process and my personal aesthetic.

Please describe your creative process how, when, materials, etc.

I tend to work in my head a lot. My best ideas come when I’m trying to fall asleep, washing dishes or sitting in a movie theatre. By the time I put pencil to paper, I already have fairly complete ideas about the object and how it is constructed. I never set out to make something just to have someone buy it and I don’t make something just because I have the materials on hand. I try to be as true to my design sensibility because in the end, I think it makes not only the best product but an enjoyable process.

The production of my work is done in waves. I will set up a mini assembly line and focus on one process at a time. For an item like the laptop sleeves there are 7-8 steps that can be done prior to the final completion. I tend to save the final push until after it is purchased because I like to have a name attached to the project as it gets finished. I think it makes the process more personal and it ensures that your item gets my full attention when it is needed most: right before it goes out the door.

Our live/work space has wonderful light all day and ample room to spread out. In the middle of my studio, there is an 8’ long table that is large enough to accommodate my laptop and extra monitor, my sewing machine, cutting mats and an ironing board. At the end of the studio was once a tall garage door that has since been filled in with windows and looks out onto our yard and the woods behind our building. It is a great space and it’s easy to spend time there.

What handmade possession do you most cherish?

I have embroidered tablecloths and dishtowels from my Grandmother that are really quite special to me. So special, I don’t let anyone use them. But probably most cherished in our home is the all of the art that we have collected from our wonderfully talented group of friends and colleagues.

Name your top five books, movies, songs/musical groups, and web sites besides Etsy.

Books: Hemmingway’s A Moveable Feast and A Pattern Language by Christopher Alexander. I enjoy books that research sources of creative and cognitive ability. Blink by Malcolm Gladwell is one of my favorites. I also enjoy reading essays but the best essays I know of have come my way not by reading but by listening to NPR programs like This American Life or Fresh Air while I’m working.

Movies: Wonder Boys, Shaun of the Dead and Hitchcock’s Rear Window. Also, anything that pairs up Bill Murray with Wes Anderson including (but not limited to) The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou and The Darjeeling Limited.

Musical Groups: Too many to name but these are in fairly heavy rotation… M. Ward, Andrew Bird, Bright Eyes, Death Cab, Laura Veirs.

Websites: grainedit, apartmenttherapy, lynda, designspongeonline, craigslist (I like to look for apartments in random cities)

What advice would you give to artists who are new to Etsy?

Allow yourself to try different crafts and techniques to figure out what suits your process and personality. Invest in good tools. Research sources for supplies and materials and buy from local and/or independent business owners whenever you can. Make friends with your postal workers. Make customer service your highest priority and stock your shops with items you would buy yourself.

What are your favorite features on Etsy? What new features would you like to see?

I’m excited about the new feature that will give us the ability to rearrange our shops. I think it’s going to improve the look of our shops and change the way we think about our collections. I would like to see the process of creating a new item to take less time either by allowing uploading of multiple photos and tags at one time or the ability to duplicate a current item and make minor modifications.

How do you promote your work?

I promote my work by promoting the work of others… what goes around, comes around. I have connected with a lot of talented people and they inspire me daily. There are a few blogs and magazines that have been very generous in the attention they’ve given to my work and I am thankful for all of the positive notes I’ve received.

In ten years I’d like to be…

Sitting in my modern pre-fab house, working on one of those intricate modern quilt patterns using colorful pieces from my own line of quilting fabric and taking breaks to weed our vegetable garden in the early evenings.

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