July Featured Artist/Crafter - Aradia of Faith Works

Aradia's Bio:

Growing up in a family full of artistic pursuits it was none too surprising that I developed an early love for crafting with my hands and putting an artistic bent on what I make.  Being the daughter of a cross stitch designer, quilter, porcelain doll maker, and later potter I have been exposed to arts and crafts all my life and most significantly early on.  Like so many children growing up, one comes to a point where they want to do everything mom or dad is doing, and I was no different.  Starting out with simple braiding and knotting of embroidery floss I knew immediately that I loved to create things and that was what I wanted to do "when I grew up".

Oddly enough though, the very person whose works inspired me was not exactly supportive.  Being a practical sort I think, looking back, she recognized the potential struggle as an artist and knew just the amazing amount of work to produce something on your own.  But let it never be said that I am not tenacious.  So I let it be, kept it as a fun hobby and diversion and went about other pursuits...     Almost two decades later I have to laugh at myself as I look back and find that I have gone full circle through multiple paths and diversions - none of which truly called to me - only to land right back where I knew even at the tender age of 10 that I wanted to be.  I think though that despite her reservations mom would be proud and most importantly I am.


1.  How long have you been crocheting/knitting/making jewelry?
I've been crocheting on and off since I was about 8 or 9.  I started simple macrame jewelry right at that time too.  I didn't start knitting till 2009.

2.  What inspires you the most?
I like to make things in fiber form if I can.  If I see something one of my first thoughts is always, "I wonder if I can crochet or knit that?"

3.  What is/are your favorite materials/supplies?
Yarn of all types, but especially Pima Cotton & Merino Wool - they are both marvelously soft and a joy to work with.

4.  Do you have a favorite tool?
Right now it's my Harmony Knitting Needles.  They are wooden and constructed and finished off in a way that it's orgasmic to use them!  They warm to the touch, but are still very light, and they seem to just glide through your knitting!

5.  What is your work space like?
My workspace is basically wherever I can get it, on the couch, in the car, outside, in line at the store...since crochet & knitting can be carried with you (depending on project size of course) it makes it easier to bring it out of the "studio".  When I have the space for an actual art room I'll be glad though!

6.  When do you find the most time to work?
With a small child, as any of you "new mommies" know - I find time whenever I can.  Usually it's late at night or during naptime.  Since my work needs my eyes to be focused on what I'm doing it's difficult to even casually pay attention to other things.

7.  How does your work fit into the rest of your life?
As a budding entrepreneur my work is my life much of the time.  Lately I've been working on launching my website online so making has taking a backseat to doing.  And typically as is true for most business owners, I spend more time doing my work then I would were I working for someone else.

8.  How often a week do you get to work?
Whenever I can make time for it!  Ideally I try to work on a few projects at once and get at least an hour in on 2 or 3 projects a day.  At times I will only work on one thing and for several hours, this is true with custom orders and short projects.

9.  Do you sell your work?  Directly? Indirectly?
I sell my work from my own website and through Artfire & StorEnvy.

10.  Do you have a business (on or offline)? Consign?
Right now my business is 100% online, but I will sell things directly to people "out of my home".  I am not doing any consignment at the present moment.

11.  Do you have a website? Blog? Facebook profile or fan page? Myspace? Twitter?  Pinterest?
I have the afore mentioned 3 websites, 2 blogs, and a page for my business.  I do use Myspace (more as an afterthought), Twitter, and I just joined Pinterest!

12.  Where do you feel your work fits in your market?  (Do you concentrate on high volume, low volume; do you make multiples or one of a kind only; Walmart or Bergdorf Gelman?)
I think of myself as middle ground.  I'm not super expensive, but some of my work isn't exactly inexpensive.  But I feel you get what you pay for.  I put a lot of time into my work, and at times I use premium supplies.  I make some things that seem "common" and other things that are strictly one of a kind.  I like to have the variety and to appeal to more tastes rather than less.  I tend to do a lot of things with a gothic theme though!

13.  What is your favorite part?
I think taking pictures, especially when it's a good clear picture.  To be able to scroll through them and know that I designed or at least orchestrated what I made is a great feeling!

14.  How did you get into crafting?
Being around it at such a young age I developed a love for it, plus I think creativity is in my blood and the early exposure set me up to go into crafting.

15. Favorite deceased artist?  Why?
I have to play Devi's advocate a little here and say my mom.  She is the reason I got into crafting and art, and my business is even named in part for her.  I also loved all of her pottery, and I can't say that about most artists.  I've never been much of one for the classical artists (sure I love some individual pieces, but I can't say I love all of their work!)  But then again, that's a big of a fib.  Despite my love of order and organization I do thoroughly love Salvador Dali.  I think he was interesting and quirky and the imagination in his work is much like you'd find within a dream.  I even have some of his work tattooed on me!

16.  Favorite live artist?  Why?
Now this is a hard one!  I think maybe Renate Kirkpatrick.  She does freeform crochet, something I'm dying to start myself, and makes the most astoundingly beautiful and truly one of a kind pieces.  As a fiber artist I love most everything to do with yarn, thread, etc but her piece - a coral mural - is to me breathtaking!

Want to know where you can see some of Aradia's fine work?  Check out her custom gallery and commission your own piece?  Find her online at the links below!

Faith Works Official Site

Faith Works Official Blog and Aradia's Behind the Artist Blog

Faith Works on Facebook

Follow Faith Works on Twitter

Contact via email!

Thanks for tuning in for our Featured Artist/Crafter of the Month!  We'll see you back in August with our next feature!

It's GREAT, But It Won't Sell - Part 2 - Pictures

(image not property of Faith Works, used for awesomeness)

Glad to see you back and tuning in, but pleasantries aside let's get right down to business...

For the population that can see and uses the internet (or does any shopping anywhere really) what a product looks like is the first thing that hits you.  Really you can't help.  People are visually oriented and fixated even. We can get so caught up in how something looks that it's hard to get past it (you know this if you've made a snap judgment before based on what you saw.)

When shopping online this issue becomes difficult in that only a two dimensional image (or images) is available to communicate the appearance of your product.  Aside from the obvious, clarity of your image and true representation of color and size, there are some additional considerations when photographing your work online for sale.

Lighting
Lighting is a big deal when it comes to your work.  Bad lighting can distort the color or your work, and the use of a flash often isn't a help in alleviating this.  Some lighting is overly bright, "washing out" the color of the product.  Other lighting gives off a yellow tone to the entire photo distorting color by casting a yellow hue over it.

Hands down natural light is the best.  It gives the best and most realistic result of your worn in it's natural state.

Display
How are you displaying your work?  Do you have it set up and shown "in use"?  Do you have a model holding the item or on their person?  Is your item placed on a solid color background where it seems to "float" in the picture?  How you set up your product depends on  your style of photography (or the style you want to communicate).  All of these methods have merit, and as long as they are executed properly any of them will turn out nicely.  Other points to consider in your display.  How you want you camera to take shots?

These are just a few things to consider in taking pictures of your work.  Ultimately your style and ability will show through.  don't be afraid to ask for help or hire someone if need be.  Investment in good equipment (like a tripod and good quality camera) and just basic knowledge of your equipment (how to use your camera and it's settings) and technique (lighting, macro settings, image optimization) can save you grief later.

Do you have any other tips to share?  Leave them in the comments!

Stay tuned for our next segment...the description.

It's GREAT, But It Won't Sell - Part 1

So you've taken time to make this absolutely fantastic product.  You poured love, hard work, and some creative genius into it even.  And there it sits, months down the line, waiting for a new home in your store...what gives?!


Now aside from your marketing and ability to get your name out there, and whether you product is something that even appeals to who is really seeing it there are some basic and very important things to consider...and it's all about presentation.

You see, presentation is everything when it comes to selling things online.  Remember your customer doesn't have the benefit of picking up your work.  They can't turn and find you there ready and waiting to answer any questions they may have about it.  And to be frank - if they take a peak at it and think it's not worth it, they surely won't bother emailing or otherwise messaging you to ask questions about it.  The visual and verbal presentation you put out there - in the form of your pictures, product description, and even your website (or platform) itself send a message to the buyer about you,  your work, and it's worth.  It can make you - or break you.

The good thing is, that presentation is an easy fix and I'm here to share some strategies with you and share my own stories and viewpoint as both a seller and buyer of handmade things!

Stay Tuned for Part 2 Where we talk about the first element that hits your buyer...your picture.

June Product Review - Boye Needlemaster set

(picture not owned by Faith Works, used for it's stellar clarity!)

Given the individual cost of each of these needles on a fixed cable this set allows some flexibility. As with most people I do not care for the very small cables as I find them too difficult to use effectively. Personally I would like longer cables and more sizes. At the normal retail price getting only 4 cables (1 one which that is just plain hard to work with) is so so to me. The cables being plastic fresh out of the kit are a little stiff, though this is the nature of that material. Unlike others I did not have any trouble in attaching the needles to the cables. Having experience with that sort of thing I made sure to give it an extra turn to make it snug when using them and only had them loosen on me once the very first time (not having done that). Metal needles are cold and can be heavy compared to wood and plastic but is also unlikely to be bent or broken so that is a plus. It would be nicer if the parts were available in store as it's generally less expensive given the cost of shipping these days. I recommend these as a nice value set for anyone starting out who is serious about knitting. If you are not sure or think you may give it up, it's easier and wiser to just get the needles you need as you need them versus paying full retail for them. Other sets, like Harmony, have about the same amount but due to their construction can be a bit more but it comes to a matter of personal preference price aside. An aside - if you can get them offline with a discount from places like Amazon or eBay or through a store with a coupon you're likely getting a better bet. And if you have any trouble with them you should definitely contact the manufacturer to return them - particularly defective equipment. In short I would buy them again, but I like Boye in general. However, I also plan on buying another set of interchangeables by another company.


In general I give them a 4 out of 5.


(This review is featured here.)

July Update!

The summer is nearly half over already!  New with us is that we've reached and surpassed the 200 listing mark on our StorEnvy venue (this includes our sold gallery as well)!  The new site is waiting on buttons and listings itself, and our Artfire just needs to catch up with StorEnvy.

This past month we closed down our affiliate's store for PhoenixFlame Healing Center and have added all of its stock to our Faith Works store.  Originally they were kept separate, but in the interest of keeping things a bit more streamline we've decided to try this out for now.  As such you'll see a bunch of healing oriented items in our store, most with their own categories as well.

We just finished our latest custom order so now is a great time to jump in if you have something you would like as our schedule is 100% open!  New projects from our queue are always being brought to the forefront, and we have a lot, but it's always refreshing to work on a custom design!

There is also a bit of business overall we have planned - taking the brilliant Marie Forleo's advice we're stepping up our game a bit.