Now before Kate from
Kreated rushes off to persue a career as an astronaut I have asked her to answer a few questions so we can get to know the person behind the fabulous jewellery.
Thanks Kate for taking the time out to answer my questions...
Your bio on Etsy as well as your mini-bio here on dust are fabulous and full of excitement and wonderment. Is there are serious side to Kate?
Keeping my feet on the ground is a challenge for me. I can be serious, but I don't express it that often in my art. I tend to express it more in relationship to people. I think someone called me “too serious” when I was younger and I've avoided it ever since! I suppose there is a balance to be found between being really grounded and having your head up in the clouds believing anything and everything.... and that's where I try to live.
I do get an amazing amount of joy out of creating things for people and I tend to light up like a child when I'm inspired, excited or amazed by something (and it can be something as little as the way the light is hitting a leaf as I'm walking down the street). I'm a photographer by trade and so have, I guess, learned to see and observe more than the average person. The aim of my game is to bring a lightness, fun and joy to people through creativity, and that is something I am serious about.
Do you sketch your designs first or do they evolve; has a piece ever completely surprised you?
A bit of both really. Some pieces I sketch out for “later” and then might go back to them, but others just begin with a notion and a hunt through the local op shop or my stash at home. I then just feel my way through. The pieces where I'm using metals or pre fabricated objects I tend to sketch out first a bit more.
The piece I'm working on at the moment started with an urge to do something in coffee and cream so I have been hunting for the right textures and fabrics, but the actual technicalities of the design have been sketched out.
With the series I created for an exhibition I did a couple of years ago (such as
Tin Man), the main pieces were sketched and then the rest I created as I went along. I guess the basic principles apply for most of what I create and you can't know exactly how something will balance weight wise until it's created.
Oh, did I mention that I can't really draw? I probably would sketch more if I could.... my sketches are really the design equivalent of stick figures!
As for a piece surprising me, the textile ones usually almost always do. The first cab off the rank with those was
Candy & Floss and I was surprised at how fun, versatile and attractive it was to wear and how many people were taken by it.
How long have you been making jewelery and how did you get started?
I've been making jewellery in various incarnations for about 6 years. I needed a necklace to wear one night and it just started from there.
The textile ranges evolved about 2 years ago though when I prolapsed a disc in my back. I was bored out of my brain (I couldn't really walk, couldn't sit, couldn't lie down, just stand) and needed to find something to do with myself. Parts of the technique I use are almost a little aggressive so it was a good tension relief too!
Do you have a favourite of your own pieces?
I have been working on a range using hardware (nuts, bolts etc) which I hope to get up soon and my favourite piece is from that range. I've worn the prototype to death but then put it in my handbag with some chewing gum (what chewed up chewing gum was doing in my bag, who knows!) and now need to make another.
Where do you work, is your space organised or chaos?
I work from my tiny “mouse house” of an apartment and there is NO organised in my chaos right now. There has to be an element of it of course given the cramped quarters, but when I'm in full working flight, there is just stuff everywhere! If I'm working in the middle of the floor, the whole floor gets covered and when I stand up, there's just that one little clear space where I was sitting.
I try to keep things organised by sorting them into groups. My ribbons live in an old suitcase (in a tangled mess) and the fabrics in plastic tubs with the wool. Actually I'm a fan of old suitcases for storage but they're not the most practical things.
Can I please have the "Tin Man" for my birthday? Ooops just kidding! Given that your birthday is today, it may be a bit late ;)
Oh ok then... Maybe my hubby will let me use my money from K-Rudd to get it instead?
Don't forget to check out
Kreated at the following locations:
But for now, into the pickle to get rid of the gunk.
Kirsty's book is intended to be a guide on taking good product photos for your online store, and providing you with a basic overview on photography terms, techniques and things to take into consideration.
