Michelle Moode ... California, USA

Artist: Michelle C. Moode
Business: michellemoode on Etsy
Web sites: michellemoode.etsy.com and millionsofpeoplehappy.blogspot.com
Location: Los Angeles, California

What do you create?
Primarily small mixed media works on paper. My work usually combines two or more of the following: paper, ephemera, drawing, etching, silkscreen, Xerox transfer, tea, ink, typing, watercolor, acrylic medium, sewing, beeswax. I also make books, shrinky-dinks, little woolly things and sculptural things.


Where and when do you do your creative work?
I recently moved into a wonderful teeny-tiny studio apartment, which is also (rather appropriately) my art-making studio. I tend to have pieces in various states of being: works-in-progress arranged on the wall so I may consider them as a group, used tea bags drying on heavy paper in the kitchen, and little bits being stitched together over near my Ikea sofa-bed. Sometimes I work on the floor, sometimes at my table. It sounds pretty chaotic, but I have a master's degree in arranging little things in little spaces.


Do you have another "day job"?
I currently teach part-time: non-major drawing and printmaking at Loyola Marymount University. I finished grad school less than a year ago, so needless to say I am still figuring out what I'm doing, and what I want to do. And how I will pay for things.


Where and what did you study?
I received my Bachelor of Fine Arts from Murray State University in Murray, a wonderful little town in Western Kentucky. At MSU my focus was Drawing and Printmaking. I fell in love with Printmaking because of my instinctual attraction to repetition and process, but also because of the sense of community I found working in the MSU printshop. It was a crazy-fun time.

I received my Master of Fine Arts from West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia (an hour south of Pittsburgh, PA). Technically my MFA is in Printmaking. However, my time at WVU was hardly limited to printing editions. My artistic research and obsessive tendencies led me into sewing, bookbinding, sculpture, installation, collecting teabags and thread, and taking watches apart.

I’ve also spent time studying at the Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina and Frogman’s Print Workshops in Vermillion, South Dakota. I whole-heartedly recommend both experiences. I also recommend the long cross-country drives that will get you there.


Where do you find inspiration?
I find inspiration on the ground, and also in the sky. I find inspiration in a good cup of tea, a thoughtful walk, or a wander through an antique store. My older brother’s robot drawings, good science fiction, distant ferriswheels, familiar songs, Muppets, flowers, and rainy days are all sources of inspiration. Signs I drive by in LA inspire me. Businesses including “Coffee & coffee”, “Hollywood Star Muffler” or “Celebrity Quality Cleaners”...maybe these don’t inspire my art directly, but they make me laugh.


What motivates you?
I find Etsy to be very motivating. Like most twenty-something artists, I am motivated by deadlines and a need of money. I am prolific by nature. My obsessive tendencies are mostly a blessing, as I only feel productive if I have a pile of things in progress. I am not a one-at-a-time artist; I make art in “crops.”

When did you start doing this?
I've been making work that looks or feels like this since I was an undergrad at Murray State University. My work has progressed, and become more refined (more "crazy" some might say...) but the imagery and marks I draw have been popping up since before college. As for Etsy, I opened shop in September of 2007, so close to six months ago.


Do you remember getting into art as a kid?
Yes, I have been drawing my entire life. My mom saved and dated all my early work. One of my favorites is a whimsical outer-space crayon drawing with transparent garden “capsules” as part of a space station. “Michelle in Space!!!!!!” is the title at the top of the piece. In retrospect, I see this drawing as a logical combination of what I knew from my youth: I spent most of my time playing in our amazing garden and orchard, and I was also exposed to my big brother’s “boy” interests, like Star Wars and Star Trek. My interest in gardening and space continue to inform my work.


When and why did you decide to start your own business?
In school I sold art when the opportunity presented itself. At conferences, workshops, open portfolio events, and gallery shows, I discovered that people were actually interested in owning my work. Last summer a friend at the Penland School of Crafts suggested that I check out Etsy. Since moving to LA I have also tiptoed into doing craft shows, which has been a fun, friendly, positive experience.

How did you choose the name for your business?
Well, when I selected my Etsy username I went for simplicity. I want my art to be associated with my name: Michelle Moode. Maybe I’d be more popular if I had a cute “brand,” like “sunshine crumpet” or “princess polkadot surprise,” but that’s not really me. However, my Etsy shop and blog are named “Millions of People Happy.” This is a quote from the original Muppet Movie. The possibility of making millions of people happy is suggested to Kermit-the-Frog by Bernie-the-Agent, prompting Kermit to leave his swamp and move to Hollywood, where he and his friends sign a “standard rich-and-famous contract.” It’s a simple, sincere, wholesome goal.


What do you love most about creating your work?
The meditative mind-wandering that comes with repetition. Arranging piles of paper. Drinking cups of tea. Filling a space with things I create. The satisfaction of sharing my work with those who love it.

What's the most fascinating place you've been?
Hazel, a small town on the border of Kentucky and Tennessee. On afternoons when I needed a break from the hustle and bustle of slightly-larger Murray, I would drive eight minutes south to Hazel with Paul Simon blazing and the windows down. Hazel is full of antique stores housed in antique buildings. Hours would slip away as I explored the musty spaces. I’ve made so many discoveries there: beautiful broken time-pieces, blue typewriters, the dress I wore to the opening of my thesis show. But more than these purchases, it’s the time spent exploring that makes it a fascinating place.


A book you love:
Through the Looking Glass, and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll.

What is the most interesting thing about you?
Probably exactly what’s coming across in this interview: the things I make, the things I think, the things I collect, the things I know-by-heart. I’m really not much of a conversationalist, but I have a lot of cool stuff in my apartment and in my brain.


What achievement are you most proud of?
My Master's Thesis, “Pieces of the Universe.” The written thesis with images of the installation can be found here. I had a sinus infection the week before installing my show, the Southern Graphics Council conference a couple of days after the opening, and I took down the installation a couple of days after that. Besides the silly time-line of events, it was a huge space, and I filled it with innumerable little tiny things. Writing has never been my strong point (although I’d take writing over talking anyday!) so I will always be proud of the written portion of my Thesis.


What advice would you give women starting their own business?
Honestly, I think I am still in a position of needing some advice. How about: “Remember who you are and where you were born.” My aunt has been telling me that my entire life.

What's the biggest challenge you face in your work?
I just hope I can make my work....work! You know? I hope that my success continues, and that I can continue to be an almost-full-time artist. I am good at staying motivated, and making things. My challenges are all business-related. I need to become cleverer with my computer, and I need to get up earlier in the morning. Like everyone.


What do you love to do in your free time?
I like to hula-hoop when I need a break. But honestly, these days I am working on trying to have less free time!

What are you working on right now?
I have pieces to post in my Etsy store. I am working on submissions to juried shows and galleries. I have stacks of works-in-progress. I would really like to make more books.


What do you hope to achieve next?
I’ve been saying this for a while, but I hope to list some things for sale on Etsy besides my small scanner-friendly mixed media works-on-paper. I’m also itching to have a show. I love selling things on Etsy, but scattering my art one-at-a-time across the world is not the same as filling a gallery with my work. Both are good, though. I want to do both.

inaluxe ... Australia

Artist: Kristina Sostarko
Business: inaluxe
Web site: http://inaluxe.blogspot.com and http://inaluxe.etsy.com
Location: Melbourne, Australia

What do you make?
I started inaluxe with dresses primarily, but I've recently incorporated pillows and art work into the range. This is a natural progression for me, as I found I could not seperate my painting and graphic design background from the production process. I wanted to explore working with paper, paint, screenprints and rare fabrics. I'm currently exploring cushion/pillow covers, small art works, and clothing.

Where and when do you do your creative work?
I work most days of the week in my studio. I love the history of the studio. It's an old shop front that used to be a ice cream soda shop for many years. It became abandoned and empty for a good ten years before it came up for lease again and I now share it with my mother, who lives in the lovely residence in the back of the studio. It's close to home and situated in a quiet residential street. Very pretty, and peacefully quiet.




Do you have another "day job" separate to your art?
I used to teach part time, and before that I was a recruitment consultant full time. I made a decision about eight months ago to dedicate my time solely to inaluxe, so at the moment this is my full-time job, although that may change with going back to study part time.

Where and what did you study?
I've had four years of full-time study in art and design. I'm multi-disciplined in terms of the subjects that were covered – including painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, graphic design, fashion design, ceramics, art history, life drawing, print making. My major study was in painting, which is my first love really, but I find all the knowledge acquired throughout the years has been invaulable to me – particularly today.




What inspires you and what motivates you?
What motivates me? That's a hard one. It isn't tangible, it's an inner maddening desire and need to create. When I'm making something, I feel like I'm at home, or I've come home. It's a deeply personal space to be in, and that's where I'm happiest. I guess you could say it's a need, rather than a want.

In terms of what inspires me… I see things every day that inspire me: small buttons, surface textures on graffiti, city streets and lanes, people, books, music, fabrics. Life in general. My partner Jason, who is a writer and artist, inspires me in all manner of ways and I'm constantly inspired by other artists and designers. I have a great respect for artists.




When did you start doing this?
I started inaluxe in October of 2006.

When and why did you decide to start your own business?
I've been wanting to do it for years, but everyone is always so quick to tell you why you won't make it as an artist that you finally get to the point where you're too afraid to. It took my a good ten years to finally start believing and thinking 'maybe' it could work. Maybe I could make a living doing this. It really started to take shape in 2006 when I was teaching a sewing class for two days a week. I started to (naturally) work with the students and create, and in so doing, started to believe in myself once again.




What do you love most about creating?
I love the excitement of an "idea". It's that early stage. It's the limitless potential that exists in the planning process. I also love seeing things come to life. Sometimes I am quite amazed at the final product because I get so wrapped up in the "making it" part that I seriously don't think about how it will turn out. I love that the final product surprises me – it's such a wonderful experience, and amazing really.

What's the most fascinating place you've been?
I think for me Croatia was the most amazing. I've been there three times – when I was six, twelve, and again when I was thirteen. My fondest memories are possibly of my first visit, and experiencing the contrast of the wide open fields, farms, animals and architecture. It was so different to living in the city. A fascinating place that I would love to see again is the Passau River, in Germany. Magical.




A book you love:
I've always been rather partial to anything written by Milan Kundera, and I adore Dorothy Hewitt's work. I love her poetry in particularly. They have a deeply sensual quality and sharpness to it that I find quite alluring and breath taking. I don't really have a favourite book as such, although I guess books like Alice In Wonderland and The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe did something for me as a child. Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak affected me deeply – I fell in love with his monsters instantly, and wanted one of my own! Such gorgeous illustrations – truly a legend!

What is the most interesting thing about you?
A hard question to be sure. I could say my loud laugh, or the fact that I make more mess working than anyone else I know yet can do the most detailed intricate work while making this mess, but I think maybe the most interesting thing (for me) is growing up in a Croatian household in Australia, reconciling the two (vastly different) cultures and enjoying that mix of both worlds as an adult. There were some teething problems as an adolescent, but these things all add to an interesting life, and self-awareness as a grown up – not that I've necessarily grown up yet!




What achievement are you most proud of?
For me, it is having the guts to follow my dreams, no matter how silly or futile others may have thought them to be. I did exceptionally well in school and aced it all over the place, so there was always this pressure to 'succeed' or live up to that honestly freaked me out. what if I fail, what if this, what if that, etc. As a woman I was also confronted with the pressure to get married, have children, get a mortgage, grow up and be responsible. Cook well, seven days a week! Ha ha. I think the struggle to succeed as an artist can be too confronting for many. So I think for me, my greatest achievement is in being true to my nature, and finally going for it – after many years of denial. Life is too short for the "what ifs".

What advice would you give women starting their own business?
Just do it! If you have a burning desire or idea that just keeps niggling away at you, start doing it. Don't do what I did and place invisible obstacles in your path. There is no such thing as "can't do" and you will make good decisions and bad decisions along the way, but this is life, and why not just try something rather than thinking about it. Ultimately, believe in your ability to succeed and grow. Be kind to yourself, be proud of your achievements, no matter how small you think they might be – every achievement in the right direction is a GREAT one!




What's the biggest challenge you face in your work?
Ohhhh.... lots of things, but nothing too ominous. It is far more pleasing to work for myself than a boss, but with that comes learning to reconcile the business side, admin work, paper work, creative process, marketing, etc. I'm all things and it's just me. Time management has been a big learning curve, although not altogether an unpleasant one. Managing the inconsistent cash flow has been another. Each challenge is another opportunity to learn something – this has been a really big year for me, and I have learnt a lot – through the good, and more so, difficult times. so, even the challenges and bad days prove positive.

What do you love to do in your free time?
I love to paint. I love movies, lying around in bed reading magazines, going to the beach, dreaming of what sort of dog I'd like to buy, spending time with loved ones, and friends, going on holidays (for sure, anytime!) sitting in the backyard in the evening drinking wine with my partner, the little things make me happy.




What are you working on right now?
I'm buying some screen-printing materials, and starting work on a new range of fabric designs exclusive to inaluxe. I'm excited about the screen printing as it can be applied to art work, clothing, dress fabrics, silks, and pillow covers... so much to look forward to. I'm hoping to have the new range in my Etsy shop by mid May.

What do you hope to achieve next?
World domination! ha ha ha. No... well, maybe it wouldn't be so bad with an artist and woman, rather than the politicians we are stuck with? Slightly more realistic aspirations include the screen-printing range in the not too distant future. Beyond this.... who knows. I am sure this will open up a whole new series of work, which is a lot to look forward to. I'm also looking into wholesale. I currently only sell inaluxe online at Etsy, which is such a great site, but I need to get my range out there in a physical form so that people can walk into shops and touch it and see it in the flesh. There's a lot of work to do.