The long awaited day has arrived! After months of admiring her work, I'm so pleased to present Deidre of SugarSnapBoutique in this week's Artist Spotlight.
Deidre: Thank you for having me, I really enjoy what I do. Working with felt is a lot of fun, it’s a such a wonderful material with great characteristics. It doesn’t fray, it can be folded, layered, and shaped very easily and adheres well to itself with many different types of glue and thread. I first started working with felt by selling it to other handmade artists in my etsy supply shop, so taking it to the next level with my own designs was a no brainier.
B: I agree, I just started working with felt about a year ago, but I instantly loved it. When I sit down to work on a project, it's so relaxing, but there's no guilt, because I'm being creative and productive as well. Where do you find your inspiration to create so many different pieces?
D: I like staying true to myself by not restricting my creativity; if I want to make something I make it. But, to keep it in the realm of something that will sell, I try to stay on trend. I search blogs and social media to see what is popular in home decor and test my ideas out in felt and see if I can’t put a fresh spin on it. But, my favorite thing to research for inspiration is real plant life.
B: Your bouquets are absolutely stunning, and you design custom made items! What has been your favorite custom piece?
D: Yes! Custom items are the BEST. Honestly so many of my customers have better ideas than I do! Haha! I love custom pieces because it inspires me and pushes me to try something I may not have. My most recent favorite piece is our “Sunflower Garland”.
B: You mention in your Etsy shop bio that you weren't really happy with the things you made in the beginning? What was the mantra or motivation that kept you from switching to something else or from giving up completely?
D: This is a great question My motivation was that I wanted to prove to myself and others that you don’t have to have that “crafty gene” or even be educated in craft or art to be creative. I told myself that if I just kept making and practicing and testing ideas out that eventually I would get better.
B: That is fantastic! I've met so many people who want to be creative but feel they can't because they don't have that "crafty gene." What advice could you give to someone who is feeling similarly discouraged in their artistic endeavors?
D: Don’t quit! Pretty original, I know! But, it’s the truth. When you hustle and put in the hard work and time you will get somewhere. It might not seem like it on some days but opportunities will come your way. And if you have a bad day, step away from your work place, do something unrelated, maybe even something unrelated to you, like an act of service for someone else. Then came back after a short break and re-commit yourself and you’ll be surprised what a fresh perspective you have.
B: That is fantastic advice! Deidre, thank you so much for joining me and I can't wait to see what the future has in store for you and SugarSnapBoutique
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