Featured Seller: Sian

sian

Story by sian

Published on Feb 17, 2012 in Shop

Photo by Sian

Tell us a bit about yourself.
My name is Sian Keegan. I moved to New York City from Connecticut in 2003, and am currently based in Brooklyn. I run a shop called Sian on Etsy where I sell my handmade stuffed animals, wedding cake toppers, and digitally printed fabrics. One of my most popular items is the 3-D Pet Portrait, where pet owners send me photos of their dog or cat and I make them a stuffed animal in their pet’s likeness. I started making my stuffed animals after I finished school in 2007, and have been doing it full time for just over a year. My first craft book, How to Make Stuffed Animals, will be published this summer.

I pronounce my first name and shop name like “shawn.” Lots of people understandably have trouble with that!

Apart from creating things, what do you do?
I worked as a textile/surface designer until about a year ago and still take on freelance work in that field from time to time. When I’m not making things for my shop I love hanging out with my dog. We’re lucky to live near Prospect Park in Brooklyn and spend a lot of time there. He’s a great running partner for having such short legs. I love going to movies, comedy shows, and trying out new bakeries and lunch spots in my hood. I have a shameful Real Housewives habit that I indulge every now and then. I listen to a lot of comedy podcasts and hip hop while I’m working. You may not have guessed that many of the creatures in my shop were created to the sounds of Jay-Z and Kanye.

What would be the title of your memoir?
Extremely Long and Incredibly Short: The Ollie Keegan Story. The first sewing pattern I created was based on my dachshund, Ollie. Wanting to capture his unique personality is part of what inspired me to make stuffed animals.

Where does your inspiration come from?
Anything sweet, simple, and without ego is inspiring to me. I just love cute things.

A lot of inspiration comes from materials as well. I found a spool of vintage trimmings in an antique store and held onto it for years before I found the right use for it, as veils for my wedding cake toppers. If you see a material that speaks to you, grab it and wait for the ideas to come later!

What does handmade mean to you?
There is a feeling of permanence when I purchase something handmade that I don’t get from purchasing a mass-produced item. When someone puts so much care into their work, you want to hold onto it for a long time.

Who has been most influential in your craft?
My mom and grandmother have always been very crafty. They have both gone through a lot of phases, like sewing, quilting, crocheting, cut paper, painting, macrame, scrapbooking and needlepoint, to name a few. My grandmother used to keep a scrapbook of cute dogs she clipped out of magazines. They still help me source recycled fabrics for my work from local thrift and antique stores in Connecticut.

When did you know you were an artist/maker?
During my senior year of high school I remember struggling to figure out where I should go to school and what I should study. One of my teachers just told me to go with what I’ve always been interested in, and that’s when I chose to go to school for design. It seems so logical now, but it’s easy to make big decisions like that more complicated than they need to be.

Looking back, I can see little hints from my childhood. My first grade teacher once let me take home a box of markers over the weekend which I brought back to school all dried out and squeaky the following Monday. Before that, I remember crying when my mom dropped me off at preschool for the first time and completely chilling out when I saw there was Play-Doh. I also remember taking friendship-bracelet making at summer camp to a whole other level.

How would you describe your creative process?
I often start by typing little notes to myself into my phone for new stuffed animals, color stories, or pattern ideas. I try to get them down as soon as they come to me, which is often right before I to go to sleep at night. I know its a good one if it still makes sense in the morning. Sometimes it helps to sketch the stuffed animals first, but most of the time I go right into pattern making.

If you could peek inside the studio of any artist, designer or craftsman (dead or alive), who would it be?
I have such a soft spot for Maurice Sendak. I saw a great documentary about him, Tell Them Anything You Want, and he recently did a Fresh Air interview that just killed me. His honesty and commitment to his work are inspiring to me. In the documentary he shows Spike Jonze a collection of beautiful wooden toys he and his brother made together in their twenties. I relate to being drawn to a child-like aesthetic as an adult. There is a sweet, nostalgic quality in his work that I really love.

What handmade possession do you most cherish?
I cherish all of them! Some recent favorites from Etsy include jewelry from Odette New York, tops from Leah Goren, and bags from Forestbound.

How do you get out of your creative ruts?
I’m most creative when l feel happy and relaxed, and most of the time a walk around the neighborhood will do the trick. A little escapism helps a lot. There is a movie theater just around the corner from me that I sneak off to if I can. Having a good book going is great, too. I recently finished the new Miranda July book It Chooses You and I can’t recommend it enough. Over the holidays I got really into knitting, which is good for feeling productive while giving your mind a rest.

Where would you like to be in ten years?
I’d love to have written more craft books and maybe even a children’s book. I like the idea of sharing the satisfaction I get from making these things with other people. I hope I’m still making my animals but would like to branch out into the other things I’m interested in, like textile prints and illustration. I’m so lucky to be doing this for a living, but it would be great to be doing so on a more solid foundation with more time to travel and experiment with new projects.

I think nearly everyone who lives in NYC has a dream of spreading out in a bigger, quieter place somewhere. I feel committed to Brooklyn for now, but I keep that thought in the back of my mind!

Featured Seller Archive

Discuss: 265 comments

Seller's Items

265 comments

Sign in to add your own