Interview with Sundari of Moovmint

Today we are featuring an interview with Sundari from Moovmint, a talented footwear and clothing artist.  Thanks, Sundari, for taking the time to talk to us!

Can you tell us a little bit about your history with arts and crafts?

I guess I was born an artist. I was always making something from nothing. I have this need to make things pretty to beautify my surroundings. As I have gotten older and more confidant my art has gotten better and has more meaning. I started making clothes by hand. It was way before I had a sewing machine and I would sew every stitch by hand. I was a total hippie and would also make hemp jewelry. I got my first sewing machine for my 21st birthday and went off to fashion design school. I loved learning and being able to create better pieces. I liked designing clothes but still felt something was missing.

How did you arrive at your current art form? You could make anything in the world, why boots with hearts and skeletons and mirrors?

I spent a lot of years lost and not doing my art. I didn't know what my art was. Nothing spoke to my soul. Nothing my hands made seemed worth any thing. Then It all started with a black pair of boots. It's not that I'm not a fan of black, I just like color. So I set out to make these boots anything but black and I had no idea the door that would open for me. FINALLY. I have found something that speaks to me. That makes my soul sing.

What part of you do you think speaks the loudest through your artwork?

I think my inner child shines through into my art. I like to add a little fantasy to my work. I want it to be fun.

What has people's response to your work been and what kind of people do you find tend to be drawn to your work? 

When I designed my first pair of boots I was stopped all the time and complimented and asked where I got them. I started to think maybe I should make more. So I started going through all the amazing things I have collected over the years and coming up with different designs. I made enough pairs to do a fashion show and then started my shop on Etsy.

What is your favorite thing you have ever made and why?
I don't even know how to answer this. I think my favorite pair of boots I have made are the Sunrise in Tokyo. I have a thing for pink. I have been going back to my roots as a fashion designer and started making dresses again. I think every new dress I make now becomes my favorite.

What do you love the most in life?
um? Wind! It makes me feel so alive.

If you could make everyone in the world understand one thing, what would it be?
Make your life fun. It makes it more worth living when you do. AND Love your self. Love your self more than you ever thought possible.

And Finally, where can we find you and your art?
You can find my art on ETSY I have two shops now. My Boot shop and my new dress shop.

Visit my boot shop at: www.etsy.com/shop/moovmint
Visit my Dress shop at: www.etsy.com/shop/TheTatteredTailor
 

Happy Mother's Day

To all artist moms and any mom who's ever supported a child's dream:

"My mother is a poem
I'll never be able to write,
though everything I write
is a poem to my mother."
~Sharon Doubiago

Happy Mother's Day!

Interview with Casey of TreasureBeans

Today we a featuring an interview from Casey of Treasure Beans, an amazingly talented artist who deals with a hard subject in her art.

 

Hi, my name is Casey and I'm the artist behind Treasure Beans pebbles and the micro-miniatures of Tiny Dream Shop.  I live in Ontario, Canada where I raise my family and create my tiny works.

Your art is very specific: tiny sculpted pieces related to child loss.  The question that always comes to my mind with this type of art is, "how did the artist arrive at something so unique?"

I first began my journey in the pregnancy & infant loss 'market' after my first child was stillborn.  I offered keepsake images of personalized pebbles, photographed in an artistic way.  Over time I began to add colourful artwork to make these pebbles more personal and started selling them.  I dabbled in assorted memorial items and thought, "I want to offer something to grieving families that can't be found that expresses what they truly long-for... to hold their baby". Whether lost to miscarriage, stillbirth, medical condition or other tragedy every parent wants nothing more than to hold & love their baby.  Because of this work-vision, I coined the phrase, "The dreams of your heart in the palm of your hand." for my works.

Your art typically deals with a very sensitive subject; Do  you ever feel it's challenging to make child loss related art either because of personal feelings or because of reactions of those around you?

I started a line of pebbles featuring faceless women in long, flowing dresses (and hair), holding/lifting their angel(s).  Shortly after that I thought how wonderful it would be to have a 3-dimensial version, and have it presented like a treasure.  I landed-on the idea of using tiny, train model people; altering them by adding clay and paint to create tiny scenes symbolizing longing, love, hopes and dreams - captured inside tiny vials, domes and cases.  I eventually switched to using all clay sculptures so they would become 'my own'.   The design possibilities became endless and the feeling, much deeper. Although the subject is so taboo - you can never frighten a bereaved parent away from remembering their child.   I even began showcasing pieces that featured women at gravesides and angels watching-over tiny caskets/urns.   I found this very therapeutic - as it's such a 'real' feeling for a baby-loss mother; and no memorial art can make me feel any sadder than I already do for the loss of my daughter.  My work is an extension of her on earth.  Helping others share & honor their babies is my goal and it's also healing and inspiring for me.  I believe in taking pride in your children no matter where they are.  I encourage others to raise awareness to acknowledge the children who existed and are loved, to respect the families affected and to educate communities to prevent future losses.

Are there other forms of art that you have engaged in, either in the past or now?  Did any of them stick around?  If so, why do you feel drawn to continue to do them?

My newest creations are hand-sculpted, micro-miniature, baby angels on stone, metal and silver pendant necklaces.  My customers have expressed how much they love these sensitive pieces but wear them with pride, as they are too cute not to share. 

I still paint keepsake pebbles with babies, angels, animals and my Pure & Tender, signature style.  Occasionally I paint my visions onto miniature canvas' and magnets, and now also offer hand-painted footprints of actual baby prints, personalized and presented on a colourful, clay base.  (I just LOVE to see the images of the little feet I'll be painting).

What is your favorite thing you have ever created and why? 

I fall in-love with every piece I create and find it a challenge to send them home every time - but it would be selfish to keep them!  I'd have to say that my favorite piece is the very first, Pure & Tender pebble. It was inspired by my own loss;  featuring a hillside scene with blue sky and clouds and a woman in a purple dress, lifting-up a little angel baby in a diaper - celebrating being together.  

What is the most amazing thing about what you do?

People are always amazed by the tiny detail involved in my pieces but I'm actually amazed by full-size art and personally, find it very difficult to paint/sculpt anything much bigger than I do.  I'm not 'amazed' by anything I do but I AM amazed by the people I always meet and grow close-to throughout my journey of grief and grace.  My work inspires them in so many ways,  and quite a few of them have gone on to do great things, including pay-it-forward and other memorial programs. THAT amazes me.

What would you say to those who are dealing with the pain of a lost child?

Through any kind of loss, comes change.  You can make the choice to use that change to hold you back/bring you down, or you can let it inspire you to make a positive difference in your own life and hopefully, in others'.  If you can't change something, why not turn it into something else?...  This doesn't mean you have to move-on or 'get-over' your pain... it means, don't torture yourself, emotionally if there's just no point.  As I've heard many times before: "It's not the weight of load - it's how you carry it."

Finally, Where can we find you and your art?

Thank you for reading my story and thank you so much to Hippy Beads for taking the time to feature my ministry.

My pieces can be ordered through www.treasurebeans.com & www.tinydreamshop.com.  To view many more creations, I can be found on Facebook: www.facebook.com/TreasureBeansPebbleworks & www.facebook.com/TinyDreamShop