Sunday, February 14, 2010
Switching Things Up
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Sweet Plum Vintage Jewelry Company Owner Dishes on Inspiration and Her Business
I'm introducing a new feature on my blog: Q&A's with creative types who are doing something interesting and unique that deserves attention. Cara Rosaen, Ann Arbor resident and owner of a handcrafted vintage button jewelry company called Sweet Plum Vintage, kindly agreed to let me feature her first.
**Note to readers: Cara is graciously offering 25% off your first Sweet Plum Vintage purchase. Mention that you read this post in the comments section of the checkout and you'll be refunded 25%. Ladies - it's a good excuse for a Valentine's Day purchase for yourself!
Now, on to the questions...
Your jewelry made from vintage buttons is so creative and artsy. How did you decide to focus solely on vintage buttons?
Have you always made jewelry? Was there a point in your life where you knew you were destined for jewelry making?
What motivates/inspires you? It can be a person, Web site, TV show, musician...anything!
1) The natural environment, with all of its organic, textural, awe-inspiring beauty.
2) The vintage pieces themselves: the buttons, old ribbon, old pieces of costume jewelry, watch parts, old buckles, old board game pieces....anything I think could be turned into jewelry.
3) Folk music: Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Nanci Griffith, Alison Krauss, Taj Mahal...any of these people can transport me into a place where my heart sings and creativity can flow.
4) Other artists! Some of my most recent obsessions include:
BroadStreet : http://www.etsy.com/shop/BroadStreet
Kathi Roussel jewelry: http://www.etsy.com/shop/kathiroussel
Did you have a career before jewelry making? If so, what made you stroll down this new path?
Totally. My work offers me the wonderful challenge of having to create something new each time I sit down. Every piece I make is one of a kind, so I have to essentially start from a blank slate each time I want to create a new piece.
Do you have any "must read" books, blogs or Web sites for others pursuing a similar career?
"The Complete Metalsmith" by Tim McCreight
"Craft, Inc: Turn Your Creative Hobby Into a Business" by Meg Mateo Ilasco
Currently reading: "The E-Myth" by Michael E. Gerber (I've been told it is a must read for any small business owner!)
"Apartment Therapy" http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/
"Creative Kismet" http://blog.creativekismet.com/
"Modish" http://modish.typepad.com/
"The Storque" http://www.etsy.com/storque/
Monday, February 8, 2010
Word-Up! Talking Trashing For Kids and Dictionaries
Engaging in good-natured trash talking can be fun, right? Add to that a 70’s-themed tennis tournament (complete with a disco ball) that will benefit The Dictionary Project I’m supporting, and you’ve got Word-Up (Facebook event page).
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Photowalks Detroit Proves There's a Photographer in Everyone
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Interview With Creative Cosmetics Queen Bobbi Brown
- When talking about what qualities she looks for in an employee, Bobbi mentions the ability to communicate. As someone who works in a creative industry, I can relate to what Bobbi said. "Communicating. To me, this is probably the biggest thing. If it’s the right person, I can barely speak and they understand what I’m saying. But if it’s not the right person, they have trouble understanding, because creative people are not like other people. Any other creative C.E.O. will understand what I’m talking about."
- The interviewer asked Bobbi if she could only choose two questions to ask in an interview, what would they be? One of her responses was "what do you love"? All too often, interviews focus too heavily on the job and not enough on the person. It's important to mix in personal questions like "who do you admire/look up to", "what are your passions?", "what do you enjoy doing in your spare time" to learn more about who the person REALLY is.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Dictionaries Needed for Hazel Park School District
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Dictionaries Bring Happiness to Third Graders in Ferndale School District
I want to touch on something brought up in the comments in The Oakland Press article. A commenter expressed her discontent over Oakland County schools receiving the dictionaries because (1) it's one of the wealthiest counties in the nation and (2) the article has quotes referencing how we're helping "Detroit" (it's a known fact that people here frequently use "Detroit" to refer to southeast MI, and some native Detroiters are bothered by this).
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Three Lessons on Success from Lady Gaga
Monday, January 4, 2010
Test Shows You How Creatively You Think
this is not at all typical of me | |
this is not really typical of me | |
this is more or less typical of me | |
this is pretty typical of me | |
this is completely typical of me |