Tell us a bit about yourself name, location,
affiliations, personal stuff.
Hi there! My name is Vana and I am the designer and founder of Le Papier Studio, an online boutique specializing in custom elegant silhouette creations. I live in a suburb outside Chicago with my husband and our 4 year-old son. In March of 2008, I launched my dream job; a small women-owned business that expresses creativity and inspiration, all the while allowing me to fulfill my most important job; being a mom.
Professionally trained as an architect, I have always been artistically inspired by the sweet and simple moments of life. These special memories, especially those shared with family, are what shapes my personalized illustration style and design sensibility.
Apart from creating things, what do you do?
I have a hard time separating myself from work. I keep a blog, where I share my journey and the journey of other artists on balancing motherhood and creative work. I like doing pencil drawings of places I visit. One can purchase all my representational drawings on my second Etsy shop. Aside from that, I like to cook, go on walks with my boys, visit with friends, attend church, and go on occasional trips. When our son goes to bed at night, I like to crawl in the couch and spend some time with my husband.
What first made you want to become an artist?
According to my parents, I was born to be one. At four years old I could draw pretty much any cartoon character not only on paper but all over the walls. My parents nurtured my creativity from a young age and allowed me to freely express myself. I graduated with my Masters in Architecture and shortly after that I realized how much I loved the design aspect of the profession. I never thought of myself as an artist but rather someone who had a talent to draw and never stop thinking about design and how it related to everything around us. It wasn't until later, when I started selling on Etsy that I began seeing myself as an artist or someone who is always involved in creating something artsy.
Please describe your creative process how, when, materials, etc.
I find inspiration in the simple moments in life and it is there where I draw my designs from. My desire to capture the innocence of childhood is captured on my unique line of personalized stationery and artwork, invitations and announcements (for all of the occasions) utilizing custom, one-of-a-kind elegant silhouettes. It is the little things and the small moments in a given day that mean the most to me. Much of my work process depends on the particular day. I hardly stick with a plan. Usually I have a few hours each morning to answer emails, work on filling orders before I have to switch gears and be a mommy to my 4 year-old.
I do most of my creative work at night. I am pretty much a night owl. I give much credit to the long nights in the architecture studio during my college years. Believe it or not, the best ideas come to me when I am the busiest. I always keep a moleskin close by to sketch out my inspirations.
I have been in love with silhouettes since I can remember but only in the last couple of years they have been a strong design element on my work. I get excited every time the idea of applying my silhouettes onto a new surface pops in my head; the most recent one I had was transferring them onto throw pillows.
What handmade possession do you most cherish?
My mom embroidered several sets of linens as a gift to me when I got married. They mean so much to me. I also cherish a ring my father gave me on my wedding day (a family custom). We share first initials. I treasure all the love letters my husband and I wrote to each other prior to getting married.
Name your top five books, movies, songs/musical groups, and web sites besides Etsy.
Movies:
1 Amelie
2 The Notebook
3 Big Night
4 Bella
5 Le Violon Rouge
Books:
1 The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
2 Back to Basics: A Complete Guide to Traditional Skills, Third Edition
3 Geography of Home: Writings on Where We Live by Akiko Busch
4 The Orthodox Study Bible: Ancient Christianity Speaks to Today's World by Thomas Nelson
5 Father Arseny, 1893-1973: Priest, Prisoner, Spiritual Father, author Unknown
Songs/Musical Groups:
1 James Blunt
2 Travis
3 Eva Cassidy
4 George Dalaras
3 Haris Alexiou
Websites:
1 Soule Mama
2 Edyta Szyszlo Photography
3 SmittenSticks (shameless self promotion!!)
4 Daily Candy (everywhere)
5 Arkitektur
What advice would you give to artists who are new to Etsy?
Before you open an Etsy shop, read very carefully all the policies, terms/agreement in order to familiarize yourself with how things work around here. The Etsy team has done a superb job at categorizing everything, from questions to tips etc. Once you open a shop, spend some time writing your own shop policies and product description and do so with the buyer in mind. Things that may seem like a common sense to you might not be such in the buyers' eyes.
Work hard and be patient... Good things DO come to those who wait.
Last but not least, don't underestimate good photography! After all what's a good product without a great photography?
What are your favorite features on Etsy? What new features would you like to see?
I love everything Etsy has to offer. The community of sellers is amazing. Besides some very talented people you will always find the most genuine and helpful crowd.
My favorite feature on Etsy is the Gift Guides. It's the first place I go to when I need to purchase something unique. I would love be able to download an iPhone app for Etsy....oh and a way to keep track or repeat buyers.
How do you promote your work?
I keep a blog where I talk about my work process. I use several social networking sites (Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin) as well as I advertise in a few blogs.
In ten years I'd like to be...
Somewhere by the beach, doing what I do but spending more time with my family. |
