Welcome to the fourth in my series of Sydney Etsy Team member interviews. Today I'm featuring the incredible duo Bobbie and Lola who make AMAZING things!
Who are you?
We are Bobbie and Lola - secret agents who ride ponies with hearts of gold!
What do you do?
A bit of everything at the moment - we publish our own zines (The Great Unwashed), as well as make stuffed toys and clothes from vintage fabrics. We've also got a small collection of vintage clothes and kitchenalia for sale in the Etsy shop.
What is your background in making?
It's hard to remember a time when we weren't making things. We were both always getting our hands dirty as kids, making 'sculptures', little 'haute couture' clothes for Barbie dolls, etc.
We met at Sydney College of the Arts, where we both majored in Photography but dabbled in plenty of other disciplines too.
Who or what inspires you?
Natural history and prehistory! We love watching documentaries, so that's where a lot of our ideas and obsessions stem from - stuff like dinosaurs, octopii, tardigades, and other creatures.
Then there's the fantastical side of our work - we love crytozoology, and mythical creatures, and these tend to feature quite prominently in our zines and artworks as well.
What themes do you explore in your work?
Natural history, mythical creatures, dress-ups and transformations, geekery and obsessions.
What mediums do you work in?
Anything that we can get our hands on! We love using vintage/found materials, as there is often a great sense of history and wonder behind them.
Why do you create?
Because we have to - we can't imagine living any other way!
How did you come to open a store on Etsy?
One of us left Sydney to live in London for a bit, which made it hard for us to keep working collaboratively. We decided that opening an Etsy shop would be an excellent way of encouraging us to keep working together.
How do you feel when you make a sale?
Sooooooo excited! It's the greatest feeling when you know that others appreciate your work as much as you do.
What are your top Etsy tips?
Don't get discouraged - sales may take some time to happen, but it feels wonderful when they do.
Where else can we see or buy your work?
In Sydney, at the wonderful I Heart Gallery on King Street, near St. Peter's station! In London, at the Tea Rooms off Brick Lane, every Saturday and Sunday!
Bobbie and Lola are two of my favourite people in the entire world. Thanks for the interview Bobbie and/or Lola!
You can add Bobbie and Lola on facebook here and find their Etsy store here!
If you're a Sydney Etsy Team member and would like to be interviewed, featured, or do a guest blog post, please convo me on Etsy at http://www.etsy.com/shop/msunflower I'd love to hear from you!
~MSunflower~
All photos used in this post are copyright to Bobbie and Lola and used with their kind permission.
