Welcome, Pippit and her Etsy shop GIFTBEARER! As I looked through Pippit's shop, all I could say was WOW!! She is one talented lady, and her work is truly exquisite! It has a life all its own!
You really must take the time to visit her shop and all of her other links, which I've listed below the following interview.
What led you to start creating your art/craft?
I have always been into art ever since I was a young child and decided to focus on jewelry when my son was born, as I was deciding what to do for a career.
How did you decide what medium you wanted to work with?
I was considering what type of art would be easiest to sell and I loved working with wood so began cutting cross-sections of pressure-treated pine, attaching hooks and shaping them into earrings; leaving some with natural wood grain, and in others experimenting with different paints and fingernail polishes. I enjoyed making those so much that I started taking various classes in other jewelry-making techniques, including beadweaving, and metalwork.
What aspect of creating your art/craft do you find the most enjoyable?
I love working with PMC, although the technique used for my Budding Vine bracelets is very time-consuming (requiring 15-20 coats of metal clay slip applied). I also enjoy stone-setting, and working with copper, forging and forming metal from flat sheet and wire into contoured shapes, and I absolutely love it when people appreciate my work enough to buy it. Compliments are great, but the best compliment is when people are willing to pay for something you've put all your time and heart into. That incentive inspires me to do more and come up with new and exciting pieces.
If you had to choose a fruit OR a vegetable, to describe your art/craft, what would you choose, and why?
I think a star fruit would best describe my art because it is unique, esthetically pleasing, and not like others. Also, people like to hold my pieces in their hand, and a star fruit is one of those shapes that is comfortable to hold. The edges are rounded although it's very three dimensional. I have always preferred making 3-D shapes instead of flat ones.
If you had to choose one other medium in which to display your “creativity”, what would that be, and why?
I also paint and particularly like to do watercolor. Be sure to watch for some of my paintings on Etsy. I plan to open another store for those. My first subject matter will be a series on Carmella (my dog) of which I have taken tons of photos capturing some great perspectives. I may also sell some copies of these photos as well. My Nikon D-40 digital SLR camera has been a great investment! Carmella is a special needs dog adopted from an animal shelter and I need to use my nogin to make all the sales I can in order to pay for her medical expenses.
What message, if any, do you want to convey with your art/craft?
I strive to create each piece as though it had a soul of its own; more like a living thing than an object. My hope is that the character of each one will connect deeply with those who look and resonate on a deep level. Several people have actually told me that a piece of mine has had a healing effect on them and has fulfilled an important emotional need in them. If/when that happens I know I have hit the mark!
What advice do you have for other artists/crafters?
Don't sell yourself short just to make a sale. If you have a product that you can sell inexpensively and still make a reasonable profit that's one thing, but your job as an artist deserves compensation as much as any other job in the work force, and your time, skill, and effort should be respected and appreciated. As Suze Orman says, "Don't put yourself on sale." It takes alot of courage to do what you do not working for somebody else, and you must take care of your bottom line if you're doing your art professionally and not just as a hobby.
Thanks, Pippit for taking the time to not only share your stunning work, but also your thoughts and ideas with everyone! Visit Pippit's links below to get a broader view of her fantastic creations!
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