The ‘Daily Artisan Spotlight’ is a regular feature on Mindless Pursuits intended to provide insight and exposure to the tons of talented artisans working today. Please comment and give them some encouragement and check out their work! If you would like to be in the Spotlight, click on the ‘Free Press’ link above!

What is your shop?
hi.cutie.pie (http://www.hicutiepie.etsy.com)

What is your art/craft?
Mixed media art! From the art work, I also create prints, notecards, keychains, and mini art-to-go necklaces.

Describe your style in 2 words:
Uplifting, whimsical

What is your favorite piece and why?
“We Grow Together”, a piece I created after I met up for tea with an old friend who always finds a way to inspire me. I came home that evening and let my feelings project onto a new creation. Beginning with a recycled canvas where I once painted images representing loneliness, I took my old college math notes, found papers, buttons, fabric, yarn, thread, ink & paint and covered the lonliness I once felt, with my new feelings of gratitude for the journey I have taken along with my friends. We have grown together, and continue growing in a positive direction. I decided to keep this piece. It’s very close to my heart.

where she lives…
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sonyagallardo/1095120561/in/set-72157600636911193

What is the most memorable piece of advice you’ve ever received?
It’s an oldie but goodie… “you have nothing to lose”.

I like this one for its directness and simplicity. The meaning I find in this advice is this: take a chance, take a risk, and allow yourself to be vulnerable. I have nothing to lose. I like to sit and ponder this idea and think of ways to apply this into different aspects of my life. We all like to feel safe inside our own box that we create, but when you make the effort to step up and out of that box, stretch your limbs and go for a walk, we are challenged to take long strides on the streets of Vulnerability. It’s in vulnerability where you learn a lot about yourself, about others, and about life.

What is the one piece of advice you’d give?
Make sure that the work that you do mirrors who you are. When your art is a true representation of you, everthing feels whole, complete and right. You will show pride in your work, and your work will show pride in you. It’s an energy that’s felt and that people respond to.

OK. Maybe not THAT drastic. I hit a crux point of priorities, scheduling, finances and reality this week that is impacting my business plan going forward. Of course, that doesn’t mean much because I never really had a business plan! Like so many entrepreneurs, I jumped into my craft and art selling life without a lot of forethought, mostly because craft shows had been fairly easy to do and then I stumbled across Etsy, which seemed ideal as a start-up. Like most entrepreneurs who follow this unplanned path though, I’ve hit many stumbling blocks and instead of stepping back and evaluating what I need to do, what my goals are, and how realistic my lack of planning was, I’ve just kept pushing ahead blindly. Having been the Chief Technology Officer of a Fortune 50 company and a business consultant, you’d think I would have known better. I didn’t. I got caught up in the ease and excitement of being an online seller and left my brain at the keyboard. Thus, it’s time to re-think my approach in the manner I would use for others. I’m going to be sharing my thoughts hoping others can draw upon this for their own needs as well and will state up-front that this needs to be a multi-part series so if you can, hang in there until the end! Part I will be posted this weekend and will discuss the need for proper business planning, if you are just attempting to sell as a hobby or as a business. Look for it and I’ll see you then!

The ‘Daily Artisan Spotlight’ is a regular feature on Mindless Pursuits intended to provide insight and exposure to the tons of talented artisans working today. Please comment and give them some encouragement and check out their work! If you would like to be in the Spotlight, click on the ‘Free Press’ link above!

What is your shop?
MKP Art Jewelry (http://www.mkpjewelry.etsy.com)

What is your art/craft?
Art Jewelry

Describe your style in 2 words:
Eclectic, fun

What is your favorite piece and why?
“Possiblities” I made this last year for a artistic challenge group I belong to. The theme was for mother’s day. I thought about mother’s day, and being a Mom myself, what it meant to be a mom. Some wonderful way it twisted in my head and I ended up making a piece of what it FELT LIKE when your in the process of becoming a mom for the first time. All the worries, all the hopes all the fears as you feel the little thing moving inside of you….. I wanted to design something that showed what that means inside a woman’s head. I sketched this out, and then did a dummy up in copper, wanted to make sure I could capture what was in my head. And this pendant is the result. It’s made with sterling silver wire, and a hollow lampwork bead by Jodie Marshall. I stuffed the lampworked bead with Swarovski crystals, all of my favorite colors, as many as I could fit and still have them tumble about like snow in a snow globe. Then I wired the ball between her hands, like a soon to be momma feeling for her child’s kick. Then I added just a thin red line in her face.. her smile. And realized it was a happy piece, and it dwelt on only the hopes and dreams of the soon to be born child.. it dwelled on the happy possibilities of that child The “baby” actually rotates on the frame, and I realized it was kind of like a lottery ball.. just like being pregnant you never know what number was gonna come up!

What is the most memorable piece of advice you’ve ever received?
I didn’t recieve this directly, I was listening to NPR and the guy being interviewed was a photographer. He was talking about his influences, and one of his idol’s told him to always leave a corner for the viewer to turn. This really hit me.. he was talking about photography, but it applies to any art.. always leave some of the story for the viewer to create within themselves. That’s the best kind of art, that invites the viewer to be apart of the story.

What is the one piece of advice you’d give?
Don’t be afraid of mistakes. you will make them, both business-wise and artistically. Just accept that, and try new things without getting hung up on if it’s “good” or not, or sellable or not. Just create for creation’s sake. You learn so much by not being afraid to try.

The ‘Daily Artisan Spotlight’ is a regular feature on Mindless Pursuits intended to provide insight and exposure to the tons of talented artisans working today. Please comment and give them some encouragement and check out their work! If you would like to be in the Spotlight, click on the ‘Free Press’ link above!

What is your shop?
alisonkelleydesigns (http://www.alisonkelleydesigns.etsy.com)

What is your art/craft?
I designs and make unique handcrafted jewelry for any occasion.

Describe your style in 2 words:
Colorful, unique

What is your favorite piece and why?
My favorite piece has to be a necklace that I call “Square Rainbow Necklace”. It’s very colorful and goes with just about anything you are wearing. I love this piece because of it’s colors. It makes me feel very happy just looking at it. Color has always made be smile and makes me feel alive. What can I say, I’m a lovers of colors.

What is the most memorable piece of advice you’ve ever received?
A good friend of mine gave me this book called “Meditations For Women Who Do Too Much” with it came a simple saying “May you live everyday of your life”.

What is the one piece of advice you’d give?
Being an artist is not always easy. It can come with many financial burdens. Balancing your creativity while trying to earn money is not easy. In some ways that can take away from your creativity. Don’t ever let that happen. Money will come and go, we all need it and want it. If you are lucky enough to have a tallent that you can share with the world that alone is priceless. Be true to yourself and to your art.

The ‘Daily Artisan Spotlight’ is a regular feature on Mindless Pursuits intended to provide insight and exposure to the tons of talented artisans working today. Please comment and give them some encouragement and check out their work! If you would like to be in the Spotlight, click on the ‘Free Press’ link above!

What is your shop?
From Sweden With Love (http://miinna.etsy.com)

What is your art/craft?
I edit digital photographs, mainly taken in magical Sweden where I was born and raised. I love playing with colours and making them look a little vintage. My biggest passion in photographing is capturing nature and the wonders of the world.

Describe your style in 2 words:
Alternative reality?

What is your favorite piece and why?
Hmm. My favourite piece is probably one that hasn’t been added to my shop yet, but will really soon. It’s from a walk in these wonderful cherry blossom days we have in early spring, because it’s still early spring here, and the colours came out so soothing and bright and could make anyone happy.

What is the most memorable piece of advice you’ve ever received?
In crafting? Probably to never use a flash, but that is probably a really shallow piece of memorable advice. But it’s very true.

What is the one piece of advice you’d give?
Hmm, well I couldn’t say I have much experience in a lot of different crafting, but in art, and especially photography I would probably pass on the very good advice I got myself. Also, I would like to say that even though nature looks better natural, and some might say that computer editing would give a false impression, there is nothing natural in a photograph anyway, and illusion is perceptive.

And to take really good prints, you need to your camera everywhere. You never know what to find

The ‘Daily Artisan Spotlight’ is a regular feature on Mindless Pursuits intended to provide insight and exposure to the tons of talented artisans working today. Please comment and give them some encouragement and check out their work! If you would like to be in the Spotlight, click on the ‘Free Press’ link above!

What is your shop?
Xabia Jewels (http://xabiajewels.etsy.com)

What is your art/craft?
Handcrafted jewelry for special occasions and everyday wear.

Describe your style in 2 words:
Functional and unique

What is your favorite piece and why?
My pearl wrap rings is my favorite. They were chosen to be featured in the swag bags that were given to celebrity guests that attended the Grand Gala event of the Kentucky Derby this year. Here is article link:
http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/200805030430/COLUMNISTS18/805030464

What is the most memorable piece of advice you’ve ever received?
Pace yourself!

What is the one piece of advice you’d give?
Do not let the negative words of others discourage you from doing what you love. Do not be afraid to shine.

Let’s start at the beginning. What is your earliest crafting memory?
The earliest thing I remember doing was tearing old sheets into strips with my mom. We then sewed the strips together and rolled them into balls to crochet rag rugs. I was so excited by the idea of giving old things a new life.

What did you want to be when you grew up and why?
Growing up Catholic I wanted to be a nun at one time. I guess after that I went through the usual thoughts of teaching or nursing. As an adult I realized that mothering was the most important thing I did and anything else was added to that. Read More

Well, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, animals, vegetables and minerals… I have a PC that is back up and running and am able to actually work on my blog again! Unfortunately, the possessed PC took some serious casualties with it when it was exorcised. I’m a technology Geek but I’ll keep the explanation simple: the part that manages how hard drives store their information went bad, not just a single drive. This COULD have been good news, in a sense, because all I would have had to do was replace that part, but it wasn’t good because when it went bad, it wrote gibberish all over the hard drives. As I was copying everything I could off to another drive in the system when it seemed like the first was starting to go, I thought I had a good backup but because it was the controller for the hard drives, it wrote gibberish on the backup drive as well.

The result? I lost ALL of my data that was on the PC. Every last little bit. All of my financial records, all of my address book, all of my emails, all of my patterns that I had created on the PC. The works. So computer-wise, I am essentially starting from scratch again.

The worst news for this blog is that my prepared file with all of my Daily Artisan Spotlight posts was also lost, along with all of the emails to re-create it. So I have a few DAS posts that are already online and thus weren’t affected so they’ll run, but then I’ll be out. That said, I am NOT taking new submissions right now. I’ve decided that I need to complete the program that will automate those posts so that I don’t need to do anything on my local PC for them to be scheduled and run. I don’t want to risk losing them again. So you will see that the ‘Free Press’ page has been removed and I removed the ‘Be Reviewed’ page as well while I work on getting things back to where they need to be.

I apologize for the inconvenience for all of those who had submitted. I hope you’ll bear with me as things move forward.

The ‘Daily Artisan Spotlight’ is a regular feature on Mindless Pursuits intended to provide insight and exposure to the tons of talented artisans working today. Please comment and give them some encouragement and check out their work! If you would like to be in the Spotlight, click on the ‘Free Press’ link above!

What is your shop?
magicouture (http://www.magicouture.etsy.com)

What is your art/craft?
Primarily, I craft unusual jewelry from glass, stone, and wire. I’m known for very outlandish rings.

Describe your style in 2 words:
Eclectic extremes

What is your favorite piece and why?
I have a ring called Honeywine Brass Ensemble that I dearly, truly love. It feels wonderful on the hand and design-wise, it just “flows.” It reminds me of an ultra-fantasy take on a musical instrument and the colors are so deep and rich and sultry.

What is the most memorable piece of advice you’ve ever received?
Don’t give up. As far as advice goes, you can’t beat that, really.

What is the one piece of advice you’d give?
Let your art be what it is. Often, I’m tempted to make the sort of things that might have a broader appeal but I feel like I would lose the integrity of my art.

The ‘Daily Artisan Spotlight’ is a regular feature on Mindless Pursuits intended to provide insight and exposure to the tons of talented artisans working today. Please comment and give them some encouragement and check out their work! If you would like to be in the Spotlight, click on the ‘Free Press’ link above!

What is your shop?
pink ric rac (http://pinkricracdesigns.etsy.com)

What is your art/craft?
I’ve been crafty my entire life. My earliest memory was making my own stickers. A little scotch tape and a drawing, and I thought I was the coolest. I’d put them on my jean jacket and strut my stuff. Today my crafts are a little more advanced… I’ve been a painter, a writer, a friendship bracelet maker, a soap maker… and more recently an embroiderer, a sewer and a knitter. I like to dabble in everything. My husband says I stretch myself too thin. I like to think I just have a lot of interests.

Describe your style in 2 words:
Preppy and fun

What is your favorite piece and why?
My favorite piece would have to be my yellow circles zippered coin purse. I distinctly remember getting everything right in this wallet. It all came together for me on this one. Plus, the yellow and hot pink just make me smile.

What is the most memorable piece of advice you’ve ever received?
My dad once told me that “there is always going to be someone smarter, richer, healthier, funnier, etc. than you”. I remember thinking that it was horrible advice. Wasn’t my own father supposed to think I was the best and everything?! But now that I look back, I have to think it was the greatest piece of advice I’ve ever gotten. As a perfectionist, I tend to push myself to the limits. I’m tremendously hard on myself. But I have to remember that I can’t do it all. I can’t be perfect. No one is. I can’t try to measure up to someone else’s standards; I can only be myself. That’s it. And that’s fine by me.

What is the one piece of advice you’d give?
Patience is key.

It’s going to take a while to hone your craft. It’s going to take a while to sell your craft. It’s going to take a while to see profits, if any. Be patient and good things will come.