(Now, if you're like me, you may feel like you and Katherine are best friends, despite the fact that you've never actually met :) )
Q: Where does the inspiration for your photos and their stories come from?
A: Inspiration for my photos and stories comes from a variety of places. Visually I am inspired by all things imperfect, which generally tend to be time worn, sensitive or unpredictable. I love things that are genuine, natural and vulnerable. I was born with a birth defect making me legally blind in my left eye, which I think gives me some sort of slanted viewpoint on life and makes me feel comfortable with things that are naturally off-center. Travel has also played a huge part in life, as I have had the opportunity to travel internationally since I was a small child. Foreign landscapes, cultures and experiences have shaped my imagination in more ways than I can name and I think ultimately that is what drives the themes in my writing.
Movies, music and books are also great sources of inspiration. I love anything that is lyrical in tone or description, honest writing that makes you view life from a different angle and stories of strong women who were ahead of their time in thought or action. The top 10 things that inspire my writing most are: Africa, Ernest Hemingway (both the man and his writing style), The Great Gatsby, the film The Red Violin, Amelia Earhart, travel, nature, airplanes, love and Katharine Hepburn. All these things constantly float around my thoughts on any given day!
Because my photographs and their corresponding stories evolve together as part of a two step process, I would say my pen inspires my camera and vice versa. I usually photograph first and then write the story second, but every once in awhile it is the other way around.
The story of each photo takes shape usually as I am filling out a new item listing on Etsy. Sometimes I challenge myself to create a story in under three minutes or sometimes I just get lost in my own thoughts and wind up 30 minutes later writing the beginning of a novel (see the photo: Card Game of Legend)! Mostly though the stories are inspired by actual events or people. Like the Flowers on the Floor series was based on an actual woman I know, although I have taken creative liberties with her motivations.
Q: How do you maintain a balance between work, home, and Etsy?
A: It is funny that you should ask about balance because my husband and I were just discussing this over dinner last night!
Truthfully, I would love to say that I have it all figured out and that my days are great examples of perfectly coordinated calculations! But I am not quite there yet! I juggle the balance ball everyday and find it quite a challange to evenly distribute time between home, work and Etsy.
I grew up in New York where there is so much focus on job, career, personal achievement and efficiency. But five and a half years ago my husband and I moved south to Georgia on a whim, and discovered the pace to be much more calm and relaxed.
When we first moved I had really pushed myself to maintain my New York levels of sensibility, (working 12 hours + a day, constantly searching out new and better ways to do things,etc.) but in doing so, I came to realize I was overlooking the day to day aspects of life that make each day unique. I was becoming so focused on the future that I forgot about what was going on in the present day.
I wasn't really noticing or enjoying things like seasons or the sky. I never felt like I had enough time in the day to stop. I didn't hear the birds singing, I didn't eat breakfast, didn't take the time to watch the sun set at night or appreciate the flowers blooming in spring. And in turn, I was becoming completely exhausted and missing out on the unique day to day life in my new environment just for the pursuit of trying to keep busy for the next day, the next week, the next month. It was a stressful endurance test that I personally felt I was failing at miserably.
But the downturn in the economy, while being tricky to navigate has ultimately really helped to refocus and restructure a lot of my time and processes. Aside from my Etsy shop, I am also a graphic designer and ran a small firm up until a few months ago.
With fewer and fewer clients being able to afford design services I made the decision to go freelance at the beginning of this year to save on overhead and expenses and such. Now I have more freedom to schedule my days creatively rather than being tied down to an office work schedule. I break all of my time up into chunks per project based on how much time it will take to complete it. This helps me treat all aspects of my life equally. Home is just as important as Etsy as Etsy is just as important as design work as design work is just as important as home. This gives every project the same amount of weight and value and helps me not only to focus but also complete tasks in a much less distracted manner. Also I do a lot of yoga, with helps with my personal sanity:)
Q: What is your favorite aspect of your work, from the idea stage to the finished product?
A: The most favorite aspect of my work on Etsy is actually every stage of it! I love looking at the world through my lens and setting up shots to please my imagination. And I love day dreaming about story vignettes to go with each photograph. These two activities are like mini-vacations for me. I like the methodical listing process on Etsy and always feel a small sense of accomplishment when I hit the finish button on page 5 of the listing process. Of course , when something sells it is an instant day brightener! It really makes my heart happy to know that I have connected with a buyer in some way that says my work matters to them.
In short, Etsy is phenomenal. To be able to readily have the support of a giant network of artists around the world is amazing. As an artist living in a rural community it has been a god-send as far as promoting my work throughout the region, the country and the world. I would never be able to get this exposure through traditional crafting avenues like art fairs, trade shows, retail stores, etc. I am just absolutely thrilled to be a part of it!
I love being involved with the treasury team Selection Perfection
www.etsy.com/teams/6608/selection-perfection as well as helping raise funds for animal rescue with the Fabulous Animal Rescue Program.
www.etsy.com/teams/7192/the-fabulous-animal-rescue-projectThat's all for today! I hope you enjoyed it. Have a wonderful Friday!
-Heather Rae
I think this fossil necklace is so neat! The fossil is set in a textured sterling bezel and hung on a green silk cord. It's quite lovely! This next pendant is my personal favorite piece from Mehru.
