Tell us a bit about yourself name, location,
affiliations, personal stuff.
Hello there. My name is Amy Mueller and I live in an apartment in Seattle, Washington with my sister, Jenny, of Orange Peel Enamel. I grew up in the bluffs of Wisconsin and moved to the Pacific Northwest about seven years ago, trading the bitter cold for grey skies.
If I won the lottery, I would buy myself a little cottage on the coast where I could fall asleep to the sound of the ocean. I find the crispness of the fall air inspiring and treasure the warmth of a woolen scarf. Naps are a necessary but guilty pleasure. I like things to be tidy. I have a weakness for pickled foods. I am terrible at recalling names.
Apart from creating things, what do you do?
I am a Massage Therapist and an Instructor at a massage school. Creating things takes up the rest of the time, the before, after and in-between. I love all three of my jobs and while managing time can be a challenge, each aspect of my work feeds and balances the other.
With any leftover time, I sew, read, cook, watch movies and hang out. I try to go to yoga but sometimes forget. Goodwill is just a few blocks away so I stop in quite a bit. When it's warm out, I tend to my garden.
What first made you want to become an artist?
I don't think I ever thought about becoming an artist. I have always had an affinity for making things with my hands and so when I have ideas that I want to implement, I try them out. Some turn out and others don't but I always learn a great deal in the process.
My business began because I had a collection of antique photographs and I wanted some way to preserve and display them. Seeing bar tops that encased mementos made me think that resin could serve a similar function in jewelry. A new twist on the locket emerged and Adorn Jewelry was born.
Please describe your creative process how, when, materials, etc.
How: I find my inspiration in nature a good deal of the time and I try to have a camera handy to document and capture ideas. Even though I have taken hundreds of bird photos from across the country, many of my photos end up being birds that come to visit my yard. They are then processed in Photoshop but they are all original photos that I have taken.
If you have ever been to the Pacific Northwest in the winter you know where I got my inspiration for my moss jewelry. The moss blankets the rocks and creeps out of the cracks alongside the houses, just begging to be on display.
When: The when is whenever. I have my other two jobs and so my jewelry work fills in the other time. I tend to be most productive in the evening in terms of e-mailing and packing up orders, while the hands-on work usually gets done during daylight hours. Depending on what I am running low on, this might include doing a batch of resin pendants, or wire wrapping bird nest necklaces, or creating faux stone and moss rings.
Materials: silver, resin, beads, photographs, faux moss, glue, polymer clay…
What handmade possession do you most cherish?
A blanket that was actually crocheted for my older brother when he was born. I guess that I kind of borrowed it when I was a child because it became Amy's blanket. It has numerous holes worn through but is cherished all the more. And no, I'm not giving it back.
Name your top five books, movies, songs/musical groups, and web sites besides Etsy.
My favorites come and go depending on my mood but some well-worn contenders include…
Books:
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy, The Bone People by Keri Hulme, Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood, Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins and Birds of the Pacific Northwest Coast by Nancy Baron & John Acorn
Movies:
Amelie, Stranger than Fiction, Whale Rider, Dancer in the Dark, My Neighbor Totoro and David Attenborough's Life of Birds. Well, any of his series, really. I find them visually stunning and his voice so relaxing.
Music:
Long Winters, The Shins, The Beatles, Tom Waits, Andrew Bird and Yann Tiersen
Websites:
Flickr for its convenience and entertainment, decor8 for its inspiration, 3191 for its poignancy, Hulu for its entertainment and Instructables for its instruction.
What advice would you give to artists who are new to Etsy?
Find a niche for yourself and create a brand around it. Don't do what everyone else is doing just because it is trendy or popular. If your art is wearable, wear it and gift it to friends to wear. Always have business cards on hand. At all times.
And I'm sure you've read it here many times but in case you haven't, the secret to sales on Etsy is…drum roll…beautiful photographs. Seriously. Get yourself a good camera and find a friend that can help you compose your shot.
What are your favorite features on Etsy? What new features would you like to see?
I like that the front page is chosen from treasuries that are curated by sellers and I find most of my favorite sellers and items via the front page. Time Machine2's 'Just Sold' is very informative to find out what is selling. I do love my Favorites lists and so I am anxious for the organizing tool to be implemented so that I am able to sort through them. I yearn for the day when the search function is able to bring up the items I am looking for.
How do you promote your work?
I post photos on Flickr and try to keep my blog updated. I am lucky enough to have had numerous blogs as well as Better Homes and Gardens promote my pieces online.
Jenny and I both make jewelry and so we typically share a booth at local craft fairs and make connections with customers and other artists.
I promote my work to Retailers on Trunkt and have been picked up by shops from my portfolio there as well as from my Etsy shop. Most of the jewelry that I wear is made either by me, my sister Jenny, my sister-in-law (Heather of Petit Oiseau), or my mom (a metalsmith) and so I carry multiple business cards to hand out to people that admire the pieces.
In ten years I'd like to be...
I am open to wherever my business may take me but I want to remain a small, independently owned business so that I still have the time and energy to commit to my massage and teaching.
Oh, and perhaps I will have won the lottery and be living in that cottage by the ocean… |
