Tell us a bit about yourself name, location,
affiliations, personal stuff.
My name is Sarah and I’m a fiction writer and graduate student working on an MA in Creative Writing and Literature. I live in beautiful (but frigid) Montreal. When I was a teenager, I thought I’d grow up to be some sort of fabulous, wandering bohemian, but it turns out I’m happiest when I’m home with my beloved husband and three spoiled cats. I’ve been working on my first novel for several years and need to finish it soon before people stop believing that I’m really writing one. I spend a lot of time with people I invent: the characters in my book and the dolls I make. Should one worry when dolls are the more tangible of one’s imaginary friends? I do also have some lovely, flesh and blood friends.
Apart from creating things, what do you do?
I teach English Composition to undergrads; most of my students are forced to take the class as a requirement for their degrees be they in linguistics or accounting, so trying to make it not suck is a constant challenge, especially when teaching lesson plans with names like “Solving Modifier Problems” and “Using Verbs Effectively”.
I love books – anatomy textbooks, costume encyclopedias, fairy tales, modernist novels. I like to pretend I live in a time before cell phones were invented (yet strangely, that imagined time does have the internet).
I try to finish my book.
What first made you want to become an artist?
I’ve always wanted to be an artist, I just wasn’t sure what form my artwork would take. I suppose it’s the only thing I’ve ever been good at, and the only thing I enjoy doing for any length of time. I’ve had various wage-slave jobs over the years (waitress, nanny, teacher) but I always find myself rebelling against whatever job I have because I struggle with authority, bureaucracy and schedules. To me, being an artist means freedom and joy, and I’ve always wanted those things; I’m most calm when I am making things. Also, when I was a kid, my parents’ artist friends always had the coolest clothes and the best parties.
Please describe your creative process how, when, materials, etc.
I have a room of my own, in which I can (and do) make a huge mess. I have three tables set up: one for writing, one for painting/sculpting and one for sewing. But usually all three end up covered in fabric, clay, pins, books, paint and body parts within an hour.
I work mainly in either polymer clay (an oven-bake clay) or Paperclay (an air-dry clay). I individually sculpt each doll without using molds, and I hand-make all of their clothes and accessories, so each doll is very time-consuming. Recently, I’ve been making less traditional dolls and moving towards what I call ‘deconstructed’ dolls that have bases instead of fully articulated legs. I’m also experimenting with 3-D illustration: using clay built up on a flat surface to create an image, instead of paint alone.
What handmade possession do you most cherish?
Do I have to choose just one? A rag doll my mother made for me (the doll had a dress from fabric that matched one my mom made for me); a cabin in the woods my Dad built for my near his house in Cape Breton; a poem my husband wrote for me on handmade paper.
Name your top five books, movies, songs/musical groups, and web sites besides Etsy.
Movies:
Blood Tea and Red String
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf
A Streetcar Named Desire
The Lord of the Rings (Except for the talking trees and excessive slow-mo hobbit romping.)
Frances
Books:
Lolita (Vladimir Nabokov)
The Waves (Virginia Woolf)
Dorothy L’Amour (Lynn Crosbie)
The Bloody Chamber (Angela Carter)
Mopus (Oisin Curran)
Musical Groups:
Joanna Newsom
Kate Bush
Neko Case
Antony and the Johnsons
Scout Niblett
Websites
Dame Darcy
The CBC - especially ‘Ideas’ and ‘Writer’s & Company’ and ‘Definitely Not The Opera’
This American Life
The Costumer’s Manifesto
The Victorian Web - pseudo-academic nerd heaven
What advice would you give to artists who are new to Etsy?
It’s been said many times before, but taking good pictures is sooo important; the shop makeover series is really helpful in that regard, and there are plenty of online tutorials. Also, I believe in doing what you love until you find a way to make it work; early on, I tried making things that I wasn’t that excited about because I thought they might sell better, but in the end I think that indifference is transmitted to others. The things I love the most are always the ones that get the most attention.
What are your favorite features on Etsy? What new features would you like to see?
I love the blog and the Handmade Portraits (and not just because I was in one!); they are what make Etsy feel community-driven, personal and unique and more than just another business or online selling venue. I read every single “Quit Your Day Job” article, drool a little with envy, utter a few self-recriminations, then file away the advice for…very soon, I hope!
I would love to be able to offer custom shipping options, and to be able to organize convos which have or have not been answered.
How do you promote your work?
Promotion remains my weak spot. I find things like Myspace and Twitter quite baffling, so I try to stick to things that don’t frighten me. I have a blog and a pro account on Flickr, where I’ve joined several doll groups. I belong to the Art Doll Only street team here on Etsy; I love having a community of doll-makers with whom I can share ideas and techniques. I’ve gone through periods of spreading myself too thin, and it just totally turned me off marketing, so I think it’s better to choose 2 or 3 things that you can reasonably manage.
In ten years I'd like to be...
Living near my family in the Cape Breton woods with my husband, going for daily walks by the ocean, surrounded by kids, animals and art.
Check out the Handmade Video Portrait of blackeyedsuzie and read the Storque article here!
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