Monday, March 18, 2013

This is me



 (original post from Tumblr)

You may know me as the girl that posts a lot of DIY and animal related stuff with the odd funny pic thrown in. And that does pretty much sum it up. Barely a day goes by when I don’t create something and I love animals… and jokes (and unhealthy food). There is a story there though. When i was 4 years old i told my parents very seriously that i wanted to be a heart attack when i grew up! Although I didn’t grow up to be an architect, I did eventually saunter into creative pursuits in a very roundabout way that is trademark Me.

I’ve always loved to draw etc. but i found that the very strict art classes in school did not get my creative juices flowing and i was actually pretty terrible with a paint brush or pencil. You were expected to draw and paint a certain way, there was no room for doing your own thing (although I suppose I could have done my own thing but i was a real teachers pet that did not want detention ‘lines’ a slap on the wrist or even a dreaded F on coursework) you might know what its like, art classes in primary school (and secondary - high school) are very regimented. Although my art teacher did ask was I interested in going to an art college, at the time I said no. I lost my passion for it in those years.

My main artistic pursuits as a teen consisted of designing random things on the computer. Looking back, i think the reason for this comes down to ‘I did my own thing, not what was expected’. When i was around 21 I had an experience where i should have lost the use of my arm (but didn’t) I suddenly felt the overwhelming urge to use my hands. This is the type of urge I’ve gotten very familiar with! I enrolled on an art, craft and design course in Dublin and quickly flourished. My alternative approach to art was encouraged. I loved that course.

I did start making cards a few years before college. I was recuperating and discovered an art form that is whatever you want it to be! A cousin of mine was getting married when I was in college, I was a bridesmaid and I wanted to do something special as her gift. I also knew she wanted a wedding with a difference so i offered to make pendants and keychains for her 200 plus guests. Necklaces for the little girls. All in her wedding colours. These would be as an alternative to the more popular sugared almonds you get on the dinner tables at reception. I had never made anything like this but knew i would figure it out. Which i did with the help of the lovely bloke at BDI Bray. I created them everywhere, even on the bus on the way home from college! When i was finished this - after a few weeks I was getting itchy palms to get busy again. So I went out for more beads and the rest is history.

Although making cakes is just something I do for me (well…. for everyone in the house!) It’s just one more creative outlet. I was in a coffee shop one day, eating my favourite toffee apple cinnamon muffin. I thought to myself ‘I really would love to be able to make these’ so i googled for a recipe and walked into Tesco for the ingredients. Been fattening us all up since.

That brings me to ‘why Etsy?’ Well I have heard of Etsy before, I travel in creative circles so I was bound to have heard of it and I did dip my toe into those waters in 2009 or so. But I didn’t start an Etsy shop until 2012. I heard about a baby through a friend. Kasey needed life saving treatment. I’ve been there and people went all out for me, so now it was time to give something back. So I thought to myself ‘I can use my creative skills here’ and set up my Etsy shop. I quickly learned that I enjoyed this, and it gave me a great excuse to keep busy which is very important! I used to run online auctions (on a forum) for animal rescues. This used to work very well but this was 10 years ago and the net has changed a lot. Etsy seemed like a much better idea for 2012.

To me, my creating is about making the world pretty, it’s about expressing myself in a way I normally cant. It honestly does keep me sane although many would dispute whether or not i was ever sane in the first place. It’s cheaper than therapy too!

My Etsy shop

No comments:

Post a Comment