brunch with tara m.

Today I was lucky enough to have brunch with Tara M., a Canadian designer in North Korea. Her work is delicate and refined, with organic goodness in there too, and photography I probably would have up on my walls. You guys are in for a treat! 1. Tell us a little about yourself Well, I'm a fairly serious person, so beware, because this interview may be hideously boring! I grew up in a small town in Northern Ontario, Canada. I *love* nature and animals. I have a weird obsession for creating personalities for my pets and I like to make them have conversations with each other, my guests… and even me when I’m bored. Yes, I’m a little weird. I’m not afraid to admit that! Right now I’m living in South Korea, teaching English and making lovely earth-inspired baubles. 2. What is your craft? My craft… hmmm… That’s hard to pin down exactly. I started out sewing, then I switched to making jewelry, then I started doing fabric art… Currently I’m mostly working on making decadent, nature-inspired jewelry. 3. What inspires you? Nature. Sounds cheesy, but the beauty of the natural world inspires me all the time. I look outside and I can’t believe that nature produces such rich, sensuous, things. When I buy stones, I’m struck with awe at the fact that they were dug out of some cave, from deep within the belly of the earth. I just stare at them and think how lucky I am that I get to touch them and transform them into a work of art. Nature has so many beautiful things to offer us, and I try to capture that in my work. 4. Do you have any advice to give to other indie designers? 1) Go with your gut. 2) Don’t be committed to any one thing in terms of your designs or products. 3) Evolve as an artist and producer. I know so many artists who flounder after a few years of success because they never change their style or palette to match current trends. 4) Evolve as a person. Growing as a person and enriching yourself will enrich your work. Enrichment will make your work more complex and interesting. 5. What is your favorite thing that you have created recently? How recently? Well, I make a lot of beautiful jewelry. But my favorite things to make are my fibre art pieces. I have been working on a series of portraits made out of felted wool. The portraits are all of women seen nude from the waist up. I really like making these felted pieces because the women are all a reflection of my experiences. It’s always a surprise how they will turn out, what expression they will wear, how they will look, what experience sits inside them. 6. What is the first thing you can remember making by hand? Oh god! I love this story. I come from a family of sewers, and so I knew how to sew from about 6 or 7 years old. I made a turtle out of an old skirt of mine. The turtle was black, with white polka dots. I sewed the turtle with the seams out. I was so embarrassed because I screwed up with the seams and I threw the turtle out. Now, I really wish I had saved it. If I had that turtle today, it would be my most prized possession. 7. Where do you sell and when did you decide to start selling you work? Right now, I am only selling my work on Etsy, because I’m halfway across the world in Korea. I would love to sell elsewhere, but it would be so hard to peddle my work from here. I decided to start selling my work on Etsy because I had a load of gorgeous jewelry piling up. I actually planned not to do any art when I came to teach in Korea. I wanted to take a break. But after six months of hiatus, I started getting the creative itch. So what started out as a hobby, has turned into a very small business, and I hope it will bloom into a sustainable business when I get back to Canada. 8. Apart from creating things, what else do you enjoy? I enjoy watching stormy weather. I enjoy eating pizza. It’s my favorite food! I love hanging out with my boyfriend. I also love staring at beads. Seriously. I’ll just sit and stare at beads. I don’t move them, I don’t touch them, I just stare at them. 9. What three words would describe you the best? Intelligent, interesting, interested. 10. What/Who is your latest indie crush/designer? The force behind the creations on www.bonspielcreation.etsy.com. I ordered some things from her, and her work inspired me to start creating again. 11. Anything else you would like to say? Everyone has been so supportive of my work and my future plans, so all I want to say is: Thank you! ----- Thank you so much Tara! The cupcakes were gorgeous as well, even though they were cyber!