Crafty Inspirations

Before I started crafting, I frequently visited craft shows to marvel at things that I thought I could never create. Fast forward years later, I am actually making and selling handmade soaps in my etsy shop Nordea Soaperie!

I always wonder what drives a person to choose their craft, and what inspires them to create on a daily basis. I know that I am inspired by my love of food...as strange as that sounds. I LOVE food, and I love to cook. Making soap is simply following a recipe, and I am always thinking of different ways to incorporate food and beverages into my soaping projects. Many of my more popular soaps include fruit purees or liquids like aloe juice and beer.

I asked another member of the EtsyNY team what inspired their crafty creations, and Alison from Koto Designs gave me the following answer:

"I would say that I'm inspired by what I encounter in my day-to-day life. I always have an eye out for anything with a simple geometry that would translate well into embroidery. For example, my brother is a huge bike fanatic and for his birthday I made him a card featuring his super customized bike. I made another (more generic) version for my etsy shop for all the bike lovers out there."

To see the beautiful work from many more members of the EtsyNY team, make sure you come to the annual Holiday Handmade Cavalcade which will be a two-day event kicking off the Holiday shopping season! This show will feature artisans from all over the tri-state area. Don't forget to mark your calendars, December 1 & 2 in Brooklyn, NY....Hope to see you there!

-Nordea
nordeasoaperie

Getting the Creative Engine Humming Again

We’ve all had them…those days when our creativity eludes us. And it can show up in a variety of ways. We may feel like working and just not have any new ideas. Or we may have the ideas, but lack the motivation to get to work. What’s an Etsy seller to do? 

Well, how about turning to other Etsy sellers for some advice?  The NewNew Blog asked some of our very own members for tips on how to get the creative engine going again when it begins to sputter. Here’s what they had to say. 

From Erin of Harp and Thistle Stitchery

When I get stuck creatively, I will build up my stock of made-to-order pieces that are my best sellers. Inevitably, while working on an old standard, new ideas will pop into my head. Another favorite thing to do is go for a long run. The endorphin rush always seems to help get those creative ideas flowing!

Avocado Embroidery Hoop

From Aneta Hayne of Stitchinnetka
None of us likes to get stuck creatively. The moment you feel that void and lack of creative power, it seems like everything slows down and loses its meaning. I think the best thing to do is to consciously recognize this state of emptiness and acknowledge it. Everything happens for a reason, and sometimes it simply means that it's time to take a break, meet up with your friends, go jogging, take a good yoga workshop, or cook or bake something. That usually works for me; just turning my attention to something completely different does wonders.

I know that it might be frustrating if you have a certain deadline for your project, but a lot of times you can create amazing things within minutes. It all comes down to having an open mind. And sometimes our mind just has to be submerged into nothingness. After that phase, there is always some sort of inspiration that will roll into your lap. Sometimes it's a new custom order; other times it’s somebody’s birthday when you can make a special little gift. After that, new ideas can bloom.

Just remember to always start small and let yourself spread your wings again. Even doodling or making silly crafts with kids does wonders. Just be patient and kind to yourself.

Prayer Flags Party Decoration

From Paulette Brooks of Paulette Brooks All Access Art

Creativity isn't just something one can summon up. You're born with it, and it manifests itself at any time it cares to ...especially at unconventional times, like when you see some debris on the sidewalk, and it inspires you to turn that debris into a gorgeous necklace. Creative people can't help themselves...creativity will always rear its head and show its fancy face. Unfortunately, nowadays, that face gets smothered under endless distractions and duties...emails, jobs, texts, bills, and so on.

My biggest problem is not in how to summon up the creativity but how to summon the time to allow for its expression. I can't seem to stop the flow of “creativity,” it's there in abundance...it's finding more time in my life to allow for it that I'm tackling.

Amethyst Garden Magical Pendant

How about you, dear readers? Do you have any advice for the creatively stumped? What's your secret to unlocking all that gorgeous creativity inside? Let us know in the comments!

By Mary Ann (maryannfarley)

Artistic Process: What inspires you?

"Inspiration....
Everyday objects.
Typography & letterforms.
Shadows & outlines that appear when I close my eyes.
Motivation.....
I just want to make simple things but make them in my own way. Great
design at a fair price.
I can't sit still... I'm always designing something even if its not
feasible to make at the moment. (I have my heart set of large felt
rugs i just need to find a way to cut them)."

-Jen
Peppersrouts

Artistic Process: What inspires you?

"I get inspired a lot by nature and architecture. I find the use of stone, glass, metal and wood to create structural elements a fascinating thing, and I try to replicate the juxtaposition in my designs on paper. Oftentimes I will be walking along on the street, especially in NYC where there are so many beautiful buildings, I will see stonework or some design element that would intrigue me and take a mental picture of it."
-Lisa
Pretty Stationery for Beautiful Souls - Fubabee

Travel inspired designs

ahhh, going away, the wind in your hair, the lure of a boat on the sea....
Fubabee captures it in a card









Dripstick has a whole line of Travel Inspired prints, from Toyko to Seattle.












LoveForever has this great map inspired card.















-Kimm
KimmChi.etsy.com

New York inspired makery

We all get inspired while on vacation, the site sounds and smells of a new environment always seem to get the creative juices flowing. Many times a place can inspire you to create - and New York is no exception. Inspiration abounds in the city that never sleeps! See below for some {NewNew} examples of New York inspired design.

Bungaloe
This shirt is a hand print of the elevated line that carries the A train into Rockaway from Manhattan
AWESOME
Keepin it local!













I love this print from ArtByIris, it's totally how I remember the Bowery. She has many paintings that reflect the city aesthetic.











Brooklyn inspiration by WabisabiBrooklyn.
















Or this super cute I Love New York Lariat by EmilyEJewelry












-Kimm
KimmChi.etsy.com

Crafty Dads

I've heard and read lots of interviews with artists and crafters, and usually when the question "why are you creative" comes up, moms get the credit for leading by crafty example. But in honor of the month in which we tip our hats to dads, I'd like to take a little peek into how the fathers (and husbands) of some {New New} members have inspired, collaborated with, and otherwise conspired to make us want - and need - to make stuff.

The Art Stick
Brooklyn based artist Kimm of KimmChi, who makes unique jewelry, tote bags, and tee shirts, had this to say: "I grew up with a very crafty dad - everything was art to him, and everything was inspiring. He once found a branch on the street and was so taken with it that - I kid you not - he covered it in canvas and painted it a very unnatural metallic copper. That was 25 or so years ago. He still has it, as adults we have taken to calling it the "Art Stick" - the ever-inspiring art stick."

Tailor Made
May of May Luk Ceramics cited both her father and her husband as inhabiting the crossroads of craft and good old fashioned labor: "My dad was a tailor before he retired, so he can be considered a craftsman. But in Hong Kong, he is just another worker in a sweaty shop (not sweat shop, just hot in temperature). Back then when Hong Kong was still manufacturing goods, most people worked with their hands. He tried to teach me how to make patterns when I was a kid but I never got it. I sewed one shirt and the collar was lopsided. I enjoyed drawing fashion when I was a kid but I never picked up fashion design. He did tell me not to do things that everybody can do. I do get that from him; I try to have a very strong individual style as a person and in my designs. Now I am married to a graphic designer. Graphic design and typography used to be crafts but are no longer considered so."

Love of Craft
Jen of JT Stitches talked about her father's inspiring handiness: "My father has always been a very handy man. I can always remember my father building something, sometimes ripping down a room and totally rebuilding it. He's has made backyard and pool decks, rebuilt bathrooms, and has helped a many members of my family with home based projects. These things just come naturally to my father. He's not in construction professionally; he is retired from the New York City Police Department. My favorite example of his handiness is: when I got my embroidery machine a couple years ago I needed something to prop it up to make it easier for me to embroider large pieces. I gave my father the measurements, showed him a picture of what I had in mind and he made it for me, adding detail to the edges and engraving the bottom, To Jen Love Dad."



Jack of All Trades
Karen of Karen's Monsters is married to a man of versatile craftiness: "My husband Joe is one of the most creative people I know. He calls himself my idea guy. He has come up with half the ideas behind the monsters I make, he names each one, and he just recently designed the t-shirts I'm having printed. When I first started selling, he made me the most awesome sign (see attached photo). And now he's gotten into making hula hoops. We spend most evenings up on our roof hula hooping now. Since he was little he's always liked making things and I'm happy to have him putting a lot of that creative energy into my crafting business. Though I'd love it if he could have a work space to make all of the big ideas he has."

DIY Dadoo
Kari of ikyoto talked about her father's DIY influence on her: "While mom was the one in my family to pass on the sewing skills that I use every day, the DIY attitude of my dad (aka Dadoo) has made quite an impression as well. Long before I was born, he was clinching his title of "super geek" by building a hat with it's own built-in fan. An impish prank that got him in trouble in elementary school was a handmade valentine to his teacher. The box said on the front "You pierce my heart..." upon opening shot out a little dart and continued, "Did I pierce yours?" He has helped me on many projects over the years including learning black and white photography in the bathroom lab, team effort handmade paper, and soldering together a theremin kit. For this I'm forever thankful, with a bonus thanks for the fact that I always know what to get him for Father's Day: some kind of instruction manual!"

Here's to the paternal (and husbandly) influence on craftiness!

-MaryAnne, wabisabi brooklyn