An Interview With Bobbie and Lola

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.

An Interview With Geritom71

Welcome to the third in my series of Sydney Etsy Team member interviews. Today I'm featuring the lovely Geritom71 who makes the most adorable cards and notebooks! 

Who are you?

My name is Kathryn - I have been told I am a good listener, reliable, judgemental, moody, funny, sarcastic, demanding, easy going, crazy, well balanced and secretive. All are true.

What do you do?

By day I sit at my desk cutting paper, by night in bed, electric blanket on with my trusty stable table!

I love paper, everything about it so I am willing to give just about any paper craft a go except origami, I can't do it and trying makes me angry!

What is your background in making?

I studied Fine Art at the National Art School for 3 years and majored in Photography, I also did a further 3 years at Sydney College of the Arts, also in Photomedia. Somehow by the end of my SCA years I had moved more towards writing and all of my photographic work now is based around text and books. I still work with my photography but through making my artists books and working in the art store I discovered a whole crazy world of paper.

Who or what inspires you?

My books, I have about 4000 of them and yes I rent, so moving is a little back breaking. I have an amazing home library.

My flatmate of 17 years, who is a multi-media artist and a freakish computer brainiac, he is great at reading manuals and then demonstrating how to use things. Oh he also cooks I haven't cooked a meal in 17 years, unless I am home alone and even then he has left a suggestion (occasionally even a prepared meal). That sounds lazy, but trust me, he is an amazing cook.

My Nan, she passed away when I was 12 but I spent all of my time with her making craft, sewing, playing with her huge basket of buttons, making collages out of her box of old cards and drawing on A2 pieces of paper she would sneak from my uncles room. If we weren't making craft we were playing Canasta.

Chance - at the moment I am busy making books and cards using vintage childrens book illustrations. I found a giant pile of books in the corner of a country charity store and found out they were being thrown away because they were too damaged to sell so I of course took them all, I mean honestly who throws away books! But I had absolutely no idea what I was going to do with them all. Then I discovered another etsy seller JamboChameleon and bought some of her paper punches and have been punching out circles ever since. I still buy her punches, and just bought some of her buttons from I Heart Gallery in Newtown.

What themes do you explore in your work?

I have a few different styles or themes I work with.

My vintage illustration cards and books, there is something so amazing about the illustrations memories of the books I coveted from the school library, the Golden Books I browsed through at the supermarket checkout with my Nan - yes, in the town I grew up in at the end of the checkout were Golden Books, Womens Weekly magazines and cordial bottles shaped like koalas and kangaroos with built in straws you had to bite the end off to get to the cordial.

I also have a series of books and cards with a paper cut cloud design, I started making these after my Grandfather passed away. I kept finding myself cutting small clouds out of paper, I suppose it was a bit meditative. I really love the act of cutting the paper, quiet time when your brain can wander.

What mediums do you work in?

Paper, paper and more paper. I have a slightly out of control collection of paper - so out of control that I have opened a second Etsy shop called Geritomsupplies to try decrease the slightly crazed hoarder level it is currently at.

Why do you create?

I have always had to make things, I can't think of a single moment in my life where some sort of art or craft project wasn't on the go. It is as natural as breathing.

How did you come to open a store on Etsy?

I first started shopping on Etsy, and then thought maybe I should have a go selling there too. I am a crazy Etsy shopper, sometimes I have to temporarily ban myself from looking.

How do you feel when you make a sale?

I always excitedly rush to tell my flatmate, it still makes me excited.

What are your top Etsy tips?

I don't know that I have any specific tips really, just give it a go - what do you have to lose?

Where else can we see or buy your work?

I sell my work at I Heart Gallery on King St in Newtown, One Earth Cafe in Willoughby, Incube8r Gallery in Mosman, soon at Spacebar in Hobart. Plus I have a market stall the first Sunday of each month at the Eveleigh Artisan Market.

How did you learn your trade?

I learned my trade literally on the job.

I grew up in a country town and wanted to move to Sydney and go to Art School, but needed to have a job so I wrote letters to every art related shop or gallery in Sydney and out of the mountain of mail I sent I received only two replies. Both were Art Material stores in Chatswood, one store to say although they had no positions to let them know if I was really stuck and the other saying come down so we can meet you. I was given a chance even though I had no experience, was 17 and so shy I barely spoke. I still have regular contact with my boss from then, 23 years later without her I may well still be back in that town.

So, I was thrown in the deep end and I loved it. I am still working at the same store with a different owner, and am now the manager. They have let me leave to travel and come back, take time off to study, and are part of my family.

If you could tell the world one thing, what would it be?

My pearl of wisdom is this - if you are doing what you love you are a happy person. So do it.

Creativity sure can chase the blues away! Thanks Kathryn, it was lovely hearing your story. It makes me enjoy your work even more...especially your beautiful cloud cards.

You can add Geritom71 on facebook here and find her 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 Kathryn and Geritom71 and used with her kind permission.

An Interview With One Trick Pony

Welcome to the first in a series of maker interviews with Sydney Etsy Team members. If you'd like to be interviewed please convo me, I'd love to hear about and share your work! 


My first interview is with team member One Trick Pony who creates artworks and a veritable rainbow of warm, snuggly winter things (perfect for this weather really!) Let us begin...


Who are you? 



Anni Jane Linklater aka One Trick Pony on Etsy and Violent_rabbit everywhere else. :)



What do you do? 



I make things! I knit, draw, paint and sew. I am soon to learn how to make teapots which I am very excited about.



What is your background in making?



Well, I am art school trained for whatever that means. I guess all my serious arts have a solid grounding in art theory?

As for everything else, I have been crafting since I was a wee lass - Mum tried to teach me to knit when I was eight but it ended up an exercise in frustration for both of us. So I soon got myself some books out the library and taught myself, been crafting ever since.

 

Who or what inspires you? 

Everything! Trite answer but true. I am constantly eating everything up with my eyes to digest and then re-purpose. The medium themselves play a massive role in what the end product is, to be honest. It's so lovely to meet other makers as well, they're all so nice and vivacious!



Art wise there is very little that makes me go wow - Myeongbeom Kim and Agata Oleksiak are the most recent artists I have been enthused about.



What themes do you explore in your work? 



My drawings are definitely playing with optical illusions and the idea that a simple and strict set of internal rules can lead to something visually dazzling. 

My button cuffs and arm warmers and kitty hats are examples of, 'hey I think this looks good! OK lets make 600 million of them until I get it right' kind of thing. Therein lies the reason for my shop name - get it? :P



What mediums do you work in? 



Yarn lovely, lovely yarn. Paint and ink. 

 

Why do you create? 



Because I would go nuts otherwise! A life where I dont have a project (or seven) on the go is a life where I am sad. 

Knitting (and the nature of my drawings as well) have a wonderful meditative quality to them that just calms the mind right down. 



How did you come to open a store on Etsy? 



It was way back when, 2007 I think. I was incredibly frustrated with the degree I was currently doing and the etsy store was a nice pressure valve from the stresses of study. 

 

How do you feel when you make a sale? 



On top of the world! No, the moon! No the entire galaxy.



What are your top Etsy tips? 



Promote promote promote! Don't let some of the more neurotic aspects of the etsy culture get you down - there are some wonderful people on there, you may just have to dig a little. 



Where else can we see or buy your work? 



At the wonderful I Heart Gallery on King St, Newtown, right next to St Peters Station and I occasionally do market stalls so keep your eyes out. :)

How did you learn your trade? 



Self taught for the most part - Ive always been a person who is at her happiest when sitting alone making things quietly.



Any extra info you'd like to include? 



Keep an eye out for a truckload of kitty hats and button cuff coming soon! :) 

I also bake a mean cake and am a generally pleasant person to be around.



If you could tell the world one thing, what would it be? 

Educate yourself and educate others and maybe the future wont be as *bleeped* as it seems.


LOL a resounding ending to a great interview! Thanks Anni :) it was fascinating learning more about your process and work. You can find One Trick Pony on Etsy, Twitter, Ravelry, and Tumblr. Add her now!

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 and Etsy screenshots used in this post are copyright to Anni and One Trick Pony and used with her kind permission.