Tell us a bit about yourself (name, location,
affiliations, personal stuff).
My name is Chelsea Groves, I'm 25, and I live just outside of San Francisco with my husband, Charlie, and our dog, Delilah. Bird Nerd Industries exists in our den, where I can usually be found sitting among tiny bits of cut paper with paint smudges on my arms and/or legs.
This is the (highly condensed) story of how all this came to be: I took Advanced Placement Studio Art in high school, which allows high school students to get a head start on acquiring college credits. I worked all year making a portfolio, submitted it with full confidence, and...failed. I was crushed and sort of gave up on creating art for a while and I decided I'd be an art historian instead. After college, I was wandering around in the "real world" with my wonderful, but essentially useless in all practical senses, degree in Art History. I was lucky enough to eventually get a job in graphic design, which awakened something in me, and I started creating art again. The result was my "Bird Collage One" and I haven't stopped creating since.
What is the first thing you can remember making
by hand? How and why did you make it?
I spent a lot of time as a child hanging out at my mom's office after school. I remember using office supplies to make a nice family of butterflies with paper clips for the bodies and post-it note wings. I also had several outdoor "installation art" pieces, one where I used a broom to sweep away acorns and leaves, creating several winding pathways under a large tree.
What inspires you? Where do your ideas come
from?
OK, obviously I like birds, but I think there's more to it than just thinking that birds are pretty or cute or whatever. I'm a somewhat quiet, introverted person and sometimes little things can hit me in big ways. One of the things that makes me happiest in the world is when I am outdoors and a bird perches close by on a branch and silently stares at me before flying away. It's as if all of nature has stopped for a moment and said "Well, hello there. I see that you exist."
Also, I think I use my work as a way of expressing my true self, which is doesn't often come across to others because of my calm, quiet nature. The colors are bright and vibrant, the lines are swirling, the patterns are bold, and sometimes the birds have silly little back-stories or personalities.
What are your favorite materials?
Paper! I especially love Japanese decorative papers and those big collage packs you can buy at craft stores.
What have been the most valuable lessons learned from other artists on Etsy?
When I first encountered Etsy I was astonished to find that many sellers were doing this as their full-time job. My mom always jokes that she wants a job where she sits at home and people send her money, just for being her, but I had no idea that people could actually do this.
The common thread between those successful sellers was that they each seemed to have a consistent and distinctive style. They obviously loved what they were making, and they made lots of it. So, I used those principles in building up my own shop and am now ecstatic to count myself among those full-timers.
Why should people buy handmade?
Because when you buy something directly from the person who makes it, you're not just giving them money, you're also saying, "Hey, I like what you do. Keep being you." It makes them feel good, it makes you feel good, and you get something well-made to cherish for ever and ever. Also, people make really cool, weird, beautiful stuff that you'll just never see in a soulless big box store, so if you don't buy handmade, you're missing out on all that, well...soul.
What features/services would you most like to see on Etsy?
I get a lot of custom work requests, so I'd really like to have the Alchemy feature back, but I know that's already in the works. Really, Etsy has worked very well for my needs and I can't think of anything I'd like to change.
Apart from creating things, what do you do?
My husband and I moved to the bay area from South Carolina about 6 months ago. In our free time we mainly explore the endless amount of awesome things there are to see here. Some of my favorites have been visiting the Japanese tea garden at Golden Gate Park, walking through Muir Woods, and seeing the elephant seal pups and Point Reyes.
Read any good books lately?
Oh yes, I am always reading something. Recent favorites have been Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke and Underground by Haruki Murakami. The latter is a fascinating, in-depth look at the 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway.
In ten years I'd like to be...
I don't have any concrete goals at the moment. I just want to be as happy as I am now, still creating.
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