sunday brunch...

liz shuman's photography captivated me the moment i stumbled upon her etsy shop. there was a hint of a secret world, a magical place, a thoughtfulness that immediately filled me with curiosity and a desire to understand its sweet simplicity even more. i hope you all enjoy the discovery of this girl and her camera... 1. Tell us a little about yourself Well, I hate to disappoint but there's really not too much to tell! I'm a twenty-something living in Boston (born and raised) with my man and our cat in a cute, read: small, apartment. When I have to fill out the "Bio" section of whatever website I'm signing up for on any given day, I tend to say something like; "I'm a social worker and waitress by trade, but photographer at heart". Currently, during the day, I work for a small non-profit organization doing casework and a couple nights a week I wait tables at a Cambodian-French restaurant. I was recently accepted to Simmons College School for Social Work and come September I'll be working my way towards an MSW (Master of Social Work). 2. What is your craft? Photography, I don't claim to really know what I'm doing but I love every second of it. I even remember the first picture I took with my little, blue Fisher-Price camera when I was around 4 years old; the subjects were my two little stuffed animal cats "Itsy" and "Bitsy". 3. What inspires you? Beautiful, ordinary, every day life. I have a hard time describing my "style", but the one thing I know for sure is that my photography gives you a peek into the way I see the world. I take pleasure in finding beauty in the forgotten, the discarded, the mundane and I try to portray that in my photos. I'm constantly inspired by the photographers, artists, crafters and bloggers I come across on the web... there's so much talent out there it's really amazing. Also lately, treetops have really been getting me. I've taken a few pictures of the tops of trees with my digital camera but favor the ones I've taken with my various Polaroids. Although I'm seriously anxious for Spring to arrive and stay, the bare limbs of the trees just look so perfect right about now. 4. Do you have any advice to give to other indie designers? Keep on keepin' on. Always trust your gut and share your art with the world. My grandmother, who is a painter, gave me a great piece of advice when I was trying to choose one of my photos to give as a present. She told me to choose one that I especially like, because then the other person will like it too. Although this might not be 100% certain, it's a good exercise in confidence. An artist should always be confident in her art. 5. What is your favorite thing that you have created recently? Hmm... I think that'd have to be The Paper Crane Project. I've always loved origami and about two months ago I re-learned how to fold Japanese cranes. I found the act of folding very soothing and while I was waiting for grad school decisions to come in, I made a lot of cranes. My man was getting sick of them cluttering up our "cute" apartment so I decided to send them out to friends and contacts I've made on flickr. As I was getting emails with mailing addresses, I was formulating a plan... I decided I would send 1000 cranes to 1000 people. In return I would ask that each individual take a picture of his or her crane then send it to me either in the mail or as an attachment in an email. Once I receive all the pictures I'll make some sort of installation, though I'm nowhere near that stage in the game yet! It was a crazy idea and if not for the unbelievably positive feedback I am receiving, I probably would have already thrown in the towel. 6. What is the first thing you can remember making by hand? Oh boy... I'm not quite sure, although gluing Cheerios to a drawing on construction paper comes to mind. 7. Where do you sell and when did you decide to start selling you work? I sell a selection of prints and giftcards on Etsy, although my shop is in need of a major overhaul. I've done one craft show which was a great experience, but not really my scene... which is not to say that I wouldn't do it again, it would just have to be a really enticing offer. 8. Apart from creating things, what else do you enjoy? The great outdoors, as soon as the campgrounds open up the man and I are camping whenever and wherever. We especially like State and National Park campgrounds, they offer cheap rates and minimalistic surroundings. I also like Yoga, though I don't do it nearly as much as I should, specifically Kundalini Yoga which incorporates a strong spiritual aspect with chanting. The chanting part was a little off-putting at first, but once I got the hang of it I felt much less silly. 9. What three words would describe you the best? Impulsive, Candid, Excitable 10. What/Who is your latest indie crush/designer? Oh I have SO many. Lisa Congdon is gearing up for a show in New York entitled "Anatomie", every piece she's leaked so far I've fallen completely head over heals for. Also, Jen Garrido makes some of the most beautiful art I've seen and boldsimple is one of my most favorite jewelry designers around. 11. Anything else you would like to say? Nope, just thanks so much for thinking me interesting enough to interview! - thank you so much liz for taking the time to have brunch with us! we are thrilled to have you one our blog! *xoxo*