Scoutie Girl

images via mint

i’m a big fan of mint. not the holiday flavor that gives you fresh breath & a chill, but the fabulous design blog run by ellie snow. ellie was recently laid off from her graphic design job and is making a go at being a full-time blogger & freelancer. her etsy shop, hello tenfold, is fresh * clean * sophisticated! read on to find out how ellie found her passion…

you’re a blogger, a freelance graphic designer, a wife, and an etsy shop proprietor. what other passions do you have? and what’s really getting your creative juices flowing right now?

I love taking photos and reading! I just finished Water for Elephants and now I’m reading The Séance by John Harwood. I guess you could say I’m an inspiration sponge, so when I’m feeling stuck creatively I like to sit down with a big stack of design magazines and books.

tell me about an obstacle you overcame (or are overcoming) in turning your passion for design into a business.

Time management and balance are a couple things I’m working on. I’ve realized that although I put a lot of hours into my business, I’m not always being productive. When most of your work is done on the computer, it’s hard not to get side-tracked, or multi-task to the point of being unable to focus on one thing at a time. I also need to get out of the house more during the day, and an exercise routine wouldn’t hurt!

your shop, hello tenfold, has an emphasis on classic typography, sophisticated colors, and modern touches. Tell me about your process in visualizing and designing a new product.

It really depends! Some clients are very specific about the look they’re going for, and I take inspiration from photos they gather for me from wedding blogs and magazines. From there, I spend time looking through fonts and deciding which ones have the right feel for the project, and then I just start “playing” with illustrations, layout, and patterns. Sometimes it’s a quick process and other times it will take many hours to get things right.

what is one thing you struggle with on a daily basis in living out your passion for design?

Design is such a personal process for me, and I put a lot of myself into each project I work on. So, I’m trying to get a thicker skin and not be so hard on myself when the first attempt at a project isn’t perfect. I’ve found having creative hobbies that are totally unrelated to the creative things I do for work is helpful. For example, I love taking pottery classes. I’m pretty bad at it, but it’s nice to let go and make something for the sake of making it, with no expectations for how it should look in the end. That way, I can focus on the process and not the product. It’s easy to lose track of that when you make your living from something creative!

visit ellie at mint or at hello tenfold.

i first met sara selepouchin, the brains behind girls can tell, through handmade in pa. her work is oh-so clever in both design & execution. using her background in architecture, sara dissects everyday objects, diagrams their parts, and turns them into detailed screen-printed images on other everyday objects. her work embodies the adage “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”

i had to find out more about what drives sara’s deep passion for craft & community.

you’re a crafter, a teacher, a lover of everyday objects, a creative community advocate… what are your other passions? what’s really getting your creative juices flowing right now?

well, in all honestly, during the holidays, it’s more a matter of cranking out everything i designed during the year. when i am in design-mode (which i’m looking forward to for january!), i’m inspired by just the amazing little machines and things we surround ourselves with. how things come together to form new things is so intriguing to me. i like to try to make people see everyday things in a way they might not have thought about otherwise. i also really love connecting with other people in the handmade community.

tell me about an obstacle you overcame while turning your passion for craft into a business.

it was actually something of an obstacle that really allowed me to pursue my line full time. i was, slightly infamously, let go from my previous job (as the Etsy Teams coordinator for Etsy.com) quite unexpectedly. since i was completely submersed in the handmade world anyway, and had been printing my wares part time since early 2006, i took the plunge and decided to just work as hard as i could to make it happen and to build girlscantell into a real job. it seems to be working pretty well so far, though it is without a doubt the hardest job i’ve ever had, and completely life-consuming.

your work is based on the beauty & detail of everyday objects – function & art seem to be considered equally. tell me about your process in visualizing & designing a new product.

these days, most of my diagram ideas come from suggestions of other people (you can suggest a diagram at
girlscantell.com!). i do a lot of research in drawing up the illustration (fact checking!), and i’m actually very careful that all of my illustrations are similar in size and scale so that i can print them somewhat uniformly across my line of products. when i’m considering a new product, sourcing materials takes a long, long time – there are a lot of considerations to balance – environmental sustainability, durability, uniqueness, aesthetics, consistency, availability, and of course, cost. i’m always considering what i might want to do next. it’s fun to consider that the possibilities for my line right now seem pretty much endless.

tell me about something you struggle with on a daily basis living out your passion for craft, design, & community.

it’s difficult because i’m constantly battling this need i feel to do more to create a network of professional artisans, especially in philly, where there is so much talent. i’m kind of a ‘grass is always greener’ kind of person in that i’m just about always convinced that i could be doing more or changing things to make drastic improvements – it’s always ‘what’s next?’ with me. i think about opening a storefront. i think about opening a handmade business center. i think about hosting round table discussions. i think about expanding my line into more boutiques. i think about ways to teach more people to print. i think about how my business can contribute to the development of my neighborhood. that kind of thing. it’s a good quality to have (most of the time), the drive to constantly improve, but it also makes for some sleepless nights. it’s exhausting, but exhilarating.

i love all the fabulous designers i’ve met through twitter! [aside: seriously, twitter, what did i do without you?] this week, linda yesline, of aster & sage, answered my call for the next finding passion post subject. i’d not seen her work before, but i immediately fell in love with the bold colors, unique compositions, and clear focus of her line. her passion for eco-friendly crafting also drew me in! linda says her goal is to promote green ideals in two ways: “consumers are exposed to the possibilities of recycled materials, and our products’ popularity encourages fabric mills to manufacture material with recycled content”

you’re a passionate crafter, making handbags, jewelry, and other accessories, who’s also passionate about recycling and frugality. what else are you passionate about? and what’s really getting your creative juices flowing right now?

I adore thrift stores. I love that you can never predict what you’ll find. Thrift stores make me look at products in a different way. Almost everything in a thrift store was once mass-produced and was manufactured to be sold. Now these products are no longer wanted by their original owner, they have less monetary value, and even their utility is called into question. I look at the products and think about what it was, and what it could be… I might find a chipped china bowl that’s no longer good for the dinner table but could be a great water dish for my dog…thrift store shoppers are creative by necessity. I love getting thrown into a situation that forces me to be creative. I look at color and texture and I may not buy anything but I take home a lot of information about what I see.

Thrift stores get my creative juices flowing, but when it comes time to think about new product designs I get my inspiration from the library and from Twitter. I can never get enough information about art, design, cooking, and any kind of non-fiction that catches my interest. On Twitter I follow tons of design people who post links to art and design, and I’m constantly clicking on new links. I’m particularly interested in design from Japan and from Scandinavian countries and I think you can see their influence in my work. I also go to www.urbansketchers.com at least once a day to see what’s new– people from around the world post what they’ve drawn. I am fascinated by the drawings and accompanying commentary from the artists.

tell me about an obstacle you overcame while turning your passion for design & craft into a business.

It’s been hard for me to see myself as an artist. I didn’t got to art school until I was in my mid-twenties, and by then I was pretty sure I wasn’t a ‘real artist’. I didn’t know where I fit in– I graduated with a degree in industrial design, an experience I value dearly, but I never did feel like a designer either. I realized that being an artist is about sharing a unique perspective, so it’s probably for the best that I shy away from defining myself. That would kind of defeat the whole ‘unique perspective’ thing I’ve got going on.

you’re work is bold, colorful, and lots of fun! tell me about your process in visualizing & designing a new product.

I’ve always been jealous of people who make ceramics– all they have to do is order clay from a supplier and they’re done. I’ve spent so many many hours making phone calls and scouring the internet for materials I like. When I find the right material I try to think about what kinds of products would work with the material I have. I play around a lot with color combinations–that’s another limiting factor– I always wish I had better color options! I also play around on the sewing machine to see what ideas might develop. My blossom bracelets and pins came about that way; I had a lot of fabric scraps and I gave myself the challenge to use the shapes I had available.

tell me about something you struggle with on a daily basis in living our your passion for craft & design.

I know that I work my best when I give myself time to be creative every day. But the necessities of daily business: bookkeeping, marketing, production…they all eat into my creative time. I aim to give myself time to draw every day, though that’s a goal and not something I have been good at achieving. But I know that my creativity drives my business, and if I’m not creative it’ll all fall to pieces. So I take guitar lessons, color with my toddler’s crayons…I try to squeeze art into any spare time I have.

The one thing that does help me immensely is meditation. I set a timer for 8 minutes and I allow my mind to wander. It is such an effective way to recharge my brain. Ideally I’d do this every day too, but somehow I don’t always find 8 minutes in my day. Jeez, just admitting that hurts. Thank you, I will now be amending my actions immediately. If I don’t have 8 minutes for myself, that’s my own fault. [So now you know, most of my struggle is between me and myself!]

i first met jean from 3squares while researching crafty locales for my “shop local” series over on try handmade. i, too, share a passion for jean’s jewelry inspiration: food! she deftly & creatively takes everyday food items and creates modern, strong jewelry pieces in their image. keep reading for more information on how jean found her passion!

your line is based on the joy of food and your passion for metalsmithing. what other passions do you have? and what’s really inspiring you right now?

I’m passionate about comforting things. Good books. Old movies. Down comforters. Earl Grey. Cashmere. A robust bottle of red. Pasta. Sinatra. Sounds contrary to my modern tastes, but it’s true. Actually I’m not 100% sure, but I might be channeling my grandmother.

At the moment I am crazy into silk. I have a pile of scraps and more ideas than I can get out of my head, but I’m working on a bunch of new pieces combining metal and fabric. Love the unexpected combination of rustic, oxidized metal and bright, luscious silk.

tell me about an obstacle you overcame in finding your passion for jewelry making and turning that into a business.

I think the hardest part was preparing to take the plunge and quit my job to work full-time on my jewelry. I have a marketing degree and had worked hard to build a solid resume, but I knew I couldn’t keep with it forever – I was burning out. If I was going to make a change, I couldn’t wait much longer. But leaving the security of a “real” job is a scary thing, and I certainly couldn’t have done it without my husband’s support, literally and figuratively.

your work is geometric, colorful, and inspired by food! tell me about your design process in creating a new piece.

Many ideas are inspired by my habit of reading cookbooks. I have a collection of more than 100, and I read them like novels. Really, at least a couple are sitting on my nightstand as we speak. A recipe or ingredient can spark an idea for a shape, color or texture. I generally sketch out my thoughts, and those often mutate into other ideas until I have pages (or envelopes or napkins) full of variations on a theme.

tell me about something you struggle with on a daily basis in living out your passion for jewelry.

I struggle every day with finding the right balance. Funny how when you’re doing something you love, it can really consume you. My daughter tells me when it’s time to put the computer down, and I try and listen. And my husband (a bit of a neat freak) has relaxed his clutter standards a bit.

People talk about time seeming to move faster once you have a child, they grow up so fast. But running your own business makes time zip by even more quickly. For the first time I’ve realized the huge list of things I want to accomplish, and the small amount of time available to do them. But I guess that really does force you to prioritize and focus on the top of the list. At least I’m trying.

The kid says it’s time to put the laptop away now, but thanks for listening scoutie girl!

metalsmithed jewelry by 3squares :: $22-75

inspiration and passion often go hand in hand. khristian howell, a surface designer, photographer, and graphic designer, uses her passion for culture & travel to inspire her work. i wanted to find out more about the passion behind this versatile designer!

you’ve been working as an independent surface designer since may 2008 – you obviously have a passion for design! what other passions do you have? and what passion is really inspiring and motivating you right now?

Travel and education through travel. I never tire of getting on a new train, eating something I’ve never heard of, and laughing with a new friend. It keeps me going and passionate. Its like good food for the soul really. I think it is vital to teach the importance of travel.

tell me about one obstacle you had to overcome to realize your dream of working as an independent artist.

I think all artists struggle with self doubt and fear. In my case, I walked away from a great design job to pursue what my heart was aching to do. It was like jumping off a cliff. The good thing about jumping is that you get to fly, and I plan to stay in flight for quite awhile!

your work is full of bright colors, sophisticated shapes, and fun details. tell me about your process in creating a new design.

Sometimes I will start with a place I am dreaming about and build from there. Often I start with creating my color palette. Color is such an emotional experience to me that many times I might think up a really great color combination and the feeling is what leads me to what the group will be about. This was very much the case with “Mon Sheri” collection. From there I start with a core print and build out a supporting cast of coordinating prints.

what is something that you struggle with on a daily basis in living out your passion for design?

There are times that I struggle with balance. I have recently started scheduling days off and time for yoga and reading!! I know it sounds crazy, but I just get so carried away working because it just doesn’t feel like work. Sometimes I’ll stop and think to myself – wow, I have worked for ten days straight! I am working on getting a handle on it!

find out more about khristian on her website and blog.

all images are copyright khristian howell and may not be used without the artist’s permission.