Featured Seller: PeekoApparel

PeekoApparel

Story by PeekoApparel

Published on Aug 09, 2010 in Shop

Photo by PeekoApparel

Tell us a bit about yourself.

My name is Brook Fung. I am a graduate of the Alberta College of Art and Design in Textiles/Fiber. I currently live in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. I work from home, where the whole lower level has been turned into studio spaces. Half belongs to painters, DJs, and me with the little production shop pinning it down on the other side!

My work consists of handmade goodies. Often, I choose to work with materials from pre-existing clothing that has been designed, drafted, cut, and even sewn by me! Because I have been fortunate enough to get more work than one human can possibly handle, I also have a lovely sewing lady/friend who helps me get caught up with orders. It is nice to have the company. My first year I was working alone, and it was hard to constantly be self-motivated. Now that I have a sewer who joins me at times, it makes for a great vibe and helps get things done efficiently. Plus, a part of me loves to know I am able to create job opportunities for the local peeps.

I am addicted to creating, playing around with new ideas and coming up with new designs. Most of the time, I find I have too many ideas and not enough time to execute them.

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Apart from creating things, what do you do?

Even if I am not creating for Peeko, I create in other ways. Creating never stops for me: pretty much everything I do revolves around it. I bake, sing for fun, lurk around flea markets, love adventures and taking photos. I travel as much as I can, read books, make stationery, go for runs, laugh with friends, eat vegetables and collect suitcases. All of these things connect back to my inspiration and what moves me to create.

What first made you want to become an artist?

My first artistic tendencies began at the age of three when I started drawing on the back of chairs, imagining them as drawing easels. I must have picked up on that from Bob Ross. I also believe that by collecting debris from the streets at a young age, and being fascinated with found objects, I was destined to be a mixed media artist.

il_fullxfull.121172401.jpgPlease describe your creative process.

I am very much inspired by my surroundings. Generally, I get my ideas from the materials, be it color, texture or print. I always start with a sketch of a design and choose my material. If it’s reclaimed, I deconstruct the piece and put it all back together again in a different order. It’s a similar approach to a puzzle, in that it makes you think and it’s a process to get to the final outcome.

What handmade possession do you most cherish?

My collection of handmade ear jewelry. It’s rare to find ethical, quality, one-of-a-kind pieces for lobes as big as mine!

I also love handmade baked goodies — my mouth cherishes that the most!

Name your top five books, movies, musicians, and websites besides Etsy.

Music:
Honestly, I am not all that music savvy, though I know what I like, which is a lot of variety. I am not a fan of folk music (sorry if I broke hearts). However, I do love classic vocal jazz, and of course I can never really get enough of electro indie/dance — that’s when my moves come out!

Movies:tall.jpg
In the Mood for Love
Bubble Boy
Me and You and Everyone We Know
The Life Aquatic of Steve Zissou
Beat Street

Books:
Hand Job by Michael Perry (I am obsessed for typography)
By Hand: The Use of Craft in Contemporary Art by Shu Hung and Joseph Magliaro (Great fiber art)
Fruits (Amazing Japanese street fashion)
Embroidery (European embroidery magazine)
Craft, Inc: Turn your Creative Hobby into a Business (Had it when I was traveling, and it was the motivation for what I do today.)

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

Be patient and hang in there. Break everything down into steps and make a checklist of what needs to be done and the goals you want to achieve. Don’t expect to be able to do everything at once. Take your time so you don’t get discouraged. Do not be overwhelmed by the amount of work that is involved and take each day as it comes.

Consider your work as your firstborn: you adapt to its needs, you learn through mistakes, and you grow with it when it grows. So prepare yourself. Take a leap of faith. The more you do it, the more things fall into place. It’s okay that it takes time, and it doesn’t happen over night. Also, don’t be afraid to ask for help. It’s important to keep a good flow as much as possible, mostly for your own sanity.

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

The front page Treasury! I love how it gives you the opportunity to see other people’s work. I rarely get to take advantage of what’s lurking around on the entire website. The front page is a nice way to showcase other talents, ideas and artists’ work that I would have never have found myself.

Truth be told, I often just check in to look at the front page and see what inspires others. Shopping by theme and Color are always nice!

I would also say I am a fan of the Forums. It’s a great source to ask questions and connect with other Etsy members, or even just to get yourself out there socially.

How do you promote your work?

Facebook and local artist markets. Truthfully, I am so busy trying to catch up on orders and making products for the next market show that I rarely have time to make an ad and put myself out there. Luckily, Etsy is a wonderful community that has made it virtually painless for me to promote myself.

In ten years, where would you like to be?

I will have tons of added stamps on my passport and will be living somewhere with my adopted dog, that’s green and doesn’t snow.

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