Tell us a bit about yourself name, location,
affiliations, personal stuff.
My name is Sandra Comas, I was born in Figueres, in Catalonia. After having finished my studies at the Art Academy in Barcelona, I came to Rome where I met my boyfriend. Now we live in Turin, a beautiful town in the North of Italy, with our dog Mika.
I began to appreciate vintage materials from the 70's while going through the clothes markets in Rome. I developed a real passion for searching and collecting them, then I decided to use them and I started to make bags, purses; so about a year ago I created Ninù with the idea of giving new life to materials that already had a history to them. In my shop there are both unique items that date back to this "beginning" and other items made with natural materials in limited series. I like to create new things all the time, in fact designing is the part I like best: so starting this month in my shop you will also find clothes.
Apart from creating things, what do you do?
I also create illustrations (leixida.Etsy.com) and I paint. I have just finished illustrating a story that I hope will be published soon, and this month there is also the inauguration of a collective exhibition where there are some of my photographs, in the city I was born in and that is the capital of culture in Catalonia. In my free time, I like to meander through stalls and small markets with my boyfriend and look at old furniture to restore, go back home to see family and friends, cook and bake pastry, watch films, and read, read...
What first made you want to become an artist?
I have always been fascinated by all kinds of manual arts and crafts, so during the years I have done knitting, ceramics, photography, sculpture... choosing the right path was difficult! My mother tells me that I always wanted to learn any manual craft I came about. I remember the first time someone gave me my first blank sheet of paper, no lines... it was wonderful... a treasure. It’s a pity that growing up we
start to experience things in a different way, we get used to having so many things... I also spent many hours sitting next to my grandmother watching her knit, learning from her.
Please describe your creative process how, when, materials, etc.
I am chaotic in my work, I don’t think there is a precise order in witch things come, not even in the way I organize my time. I can go on working for hours, but fortunately my boyfriend comes along with a plate of pasta and forces me to take a break. One thing is certain: I don’t organize my time properly, I don’t like to, while designing, cutting the materials, sewing... though I think I should, I would probably get more things done. Sometimes I start things that then get put aside for months.
Ideas come to me when I'm not really thinking, sometimes while I'm going through the stalls something makes me think of a new shape for a dress... I immediately look for a piece of paper, a pen, something to draw a sketch so that later I can remember it. Then I end up with so many different drawings that I made in a hurry, I can’t make them out any more, so the original idea becomes something else. It’s interesting to see the transformation. The moment I fall asleep is also a good one for new ideas. Other times the materials themselves suggest new ideas. As for the materials, I like using natural ones, especially cotton, linen and wool.
What handmade possession do you most cherish?
The one I cherish most is a blanket that my grandmother made my hand, using crochet. It is a real manifest of the hand-made. It’s multi colored and made with left over wool collected through time. It’s spectacular.
Name your top five books, movies, songs/musical groups, and web sites besides Etsy.
Books:
The Razor's Edge by W. Somerset Maugham
The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
Rayuela by Julio Cortázar
Tu rostro mañana by Javier Marias
Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami
Movies:
Sunset Boulevard
Barry Lyndon
Belle de jour
Il sorpasso
City of God
Songs/Musical groups:
PJ Harvey
Joaquín Sabina
Morcheeba
Belle and Sebastian
Ludovico Einaudi
Websites:
illustrationmundo
thesartorialist
craftzine
sandbag
thingsofrandomcoolness
What advice would you give to artists who are new to Etsy?
The photos are very important to attract attention at the beginning, but then it is also necessary to work on one’s own style. One must spend time on the photos because they are the entry ticket and they must reflect one’s style. I’m very lucky, all my photos are taken by my boyfriend and his work is excellent, I have received many compliments.
Then of course you must love what you do, so you should concentrate on what you like, on what fulfills your creative attitude, and not on what you think might sell the most. Finally, be kind and nice to your clients, they make it possible for us to work on what we like.
What are your favorite features on Etsy? What new features would you like to see?
I like everything about Etsy. It’s stimulating and rewarding to be part of this community. I can spend hours reading the articles on the blog, I find them very interesting, or looking at the Treasury where one can always find incredible things. There is one thing I would like: to be able to trace things, or at least the seller, among my favorites that have expired.
How do you promote your work?
I’m not very good at this... a good idea is to have a mailing list to publicize new items, or to make sure that you always carry with you some cards to give people. Now and then I sell my things on a stall, especially at the Gran Balon in Turin, with my friend Lilia. It’s a good way to meet people, to get out of the studio! I was also lucky to be mentioned by a couple of blogs like Indie Fixx
and Cloud 9 Design, and now this interview. Thank you! I also think that to keep a blog wouldn’t be a bad idea, something I don’t do.
In ten years I'd like to be...
Maybe in the countryside near where I was born, in the beautiful Empordà, with a larger family, studio, and a bigger Ninù. But hopefully with the same fulfillment and happiness, I wish to carry on the creative work that I like, and hope to be lucky! |
