Tell us a bit about yourself (name, location,
affiliations, personal stuff).
My name is Machiko and I am a married gal and have a lovely 11 month old baby daughter (who is also my quality control manager). I live few blocks away from Six Flags amusement park in Illinois, where we can here screaming from the rollercoaster from our yard in the summertime. My background/schooling is in Ceramics. I received my MFA in Ceramics in 2002 and was able to show in Chicago for few years. Clay is an awesome material. I used to think that nothing could come between clay and I. And here comes my daughter. Now, I want to make anything stuffed. She could be just sitting there drooling, and I just want to make things to somehow relate to her. So my shop was born. I don’t have a studio. Ironically, our kitchen is no longer a kitchen since I invaded it with making faux foods.
Apart from creating things, what do you do?
I try to be a better mom each day. Also, our house is not finished so home improvement is always on my mind. I am also trying to learn about plants and flowers. I am from Tokyo where green is sparse, and my husband has a Midwestern upbringing and has a super green thumb.
What first made you want to become an artist?
There was really nothing romantic about my choice of wanting to work with my hands.
I was not a social person and art class always gave me assurance I didn’t have to talk much. It could have been a natural process of choice. I value manual labor because I think it keeps me disciplined, and making thing keeps me grounded for some reason.
Please describe your creative process (how, when, materials, etc).
When I am out, I try to make that time for observation. It can be from what baby toys to what people eat, and sometimes the idea can form months later. The environment is something no one can ignore and I think my work develops accordingly. I think about the food I grew up with or foods that have great aesthetics (in my mind). I try to take the essence of what that food is and try to make it simple, but well made. I draw out few templates for some. My choice of material is felt and fleece. I like the colors and hand sewing makes shapes easy to shape. To me, fabric definitely brings warmth and somehow humor. Maybe, that notion is from felt and fleece having a long history of stuffed toys that are geared towards children.
What handmade possession do you most cherish?
Knitted blanket that my mom made for my daughter.
Name your top five books, movies, songs/musical groups, and websites (besides Etsy).
Books
The Merchant of Marvels and Peddler of Dreams by Frederic Clement
Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson
Fast Food Nation by Eric chlosser and Richard Linklater (I think)
Paul Klee Rediscovered
Ben Nicholson
Lately, my favorite books are lots of pictures with big letters.
Movies
Memento
Sling blade
Fargo
The Sting
Midnight Garden of Good and Evil
Just to name a few…
Songs/Musical Group
Mason Jennings
Brett Dennen
My Chemical Romance
Damien Rice
Cake
And the list goes on...
Websites
…I got nothing.
What advice would you give to artists who are new to Etsy?
Well, I am pretty new to Etsy myself so I have to go with what I learned on Etsy so far. I have not yet had the pleasure to look at many shops as I like but from what I have seen, I can tell some stores really like what they make. And, I like those shops. So, I guess, keep plugging away and hope that some people will share your quirkiness.
What are your favorite features on Etsy? What new features would you like to see?
I like the fact that the seller (or customer) can be from opposite side of the world or next door. Etsy is one great humongous community.
If there is a sorting button on sold sales, that would be great. I was in a shop where she sold hats, bags, and other stuff and I wanted to see what kind of hats she had made previously. She had sold a lot so I had to go through all the pages. Well, I guess I am just lazy.
How do you promote your work?
I am embarrassed to say- I rely on word of mouth. And Etsy.
In ten years I'd like to be...
Happy, Healthy, and Hardworking.
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