Aradia's Hand: October Featured Artist/Crafter - Krystal of Children of the Underground

Krystal's Bio:
I lend my crafting knowledge to a variety of art techinques that I use when making an item. No two pieces of my work is the same; which works well with my personality. Custom orders are my favorite to work on because it shows a level of trust from the customer and the interation from them helps add to the overall finished item. Since I have a regular job outside of my house I usually only craft during the spring and fall when my workload slows down. My artistic vision can occur during peak moments of epiphanies while I am going about my daily routine. I use these moments to write down items and collect odd items for inventory and current crafts. People describe me a free-spirited artist and I can see why. Past customers of mine usually tell me that the end result of what they requested from me is more than what they expected. All and all I try to keep my hours of crafting time open, stay well connected with my customer throughout the process, and take general pride in my work.

1. How long have you been doing crafting?

I have been doing art all my life. My father's family has a history of artisians. My applicable art didn't really start happening until I was in high school. That was the time of my life where I got more training and techinques honed, as well as great acknowledgement from my fellow peers.

2. What inspires you the most?

The thing that inspires me the most is being out in nature. However, I have also found that by trying to turn my racing brain down I can see inspiration in other things, even commercial/industrial items.

3. What is/are your favorite materials/supplies?

My favorite materials I use are found objects. They really aren't an art tool, but its fun to find something and make it into art. Most of my best work has been built around an ordinary object.

4. Do you have a favorite tool?

I don't really have a favorite tool, but I feel the most important tool is pen and paper. My ideas come about so randomly I usually have to write them down in a timely manner.

5. What is your work space like?

My work space goes thru stages. It is currently thru a "intermission" stage in which I am going thru my inventory to see what I want to keep, toss, or donate.

6. When do you find the most time to work?

I find the most time to work late in the evening when my son is watching tv or playing the computer. I like to work with plenty of noise, because it makes me concentrate on the task I am working on. Working in quiet would put me to sleep.

7. How does your work fit into the rest of your life?

My working life outside of the home is dominating my time at the moment. The crafting part of my life is in a dormant stage, but with winter coming soon I don't expect that to last long. So I fit in crafting when I can so I don't have to force art.

8. How often a week do you get to work?

I can usually manage a good day and a half a week for crafting work.

9. Do you sell your work? Directly? Indirectly?

People custom order directly from me. Not many people buy work I have done and posted online. My experience tells me that I work better with custom orders.

10. Do you have a business (on or offline)? Consign?

My business is called "Children of the Underground" after my high school art project. It seemed appropriate to keep the name.

11. Do you have a website? Blog? Facebook profile or fan page? Myspace? Twitter? Pinterest?

I have a facebook page for it and an Etsy account. However, I would like to be apart of someone else's page and post work as I get it done on a more personal level. I would hope that in doing so I could blog or pinterest from that connection.

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 feel my work fits more in the low volume market. I have been known to make multiples of items in the past, but I like to change one element of each item produced.

13. What is your favorite part?

My favorite part about crafting is that I can express myself visually for others to see. I consider myself lucky that I can do that.

14. How did you get into crafting?

I believe I got into art thru life. My family always motivated me to keep doing what I loved. Looking at some of the previous work members of my family did help inspire me to continue.

15. Favorite deceased artist? Why?

Believe it or not I do not have a favorite deceased artist. I have had to do reports on great artists thru history for my two years of Art History and it just felt so forced. My college art teachers used to say that some artists can be hindered by studying too much of other artists, in that you may not be able to develop your own style.

16. Favorite live artist? Why?

I don't have a favorite live artist either. However, I do have a favorite art form. Tattooing is my favorite art form because its an experience from both sides. The person tattooing is putting up their best work for someone that will be carrying it around with them for the rest of their life. The person receiving it is putting their trust in the artist to make a great piece. So in a sense there is an exchange going on; someone gifting a piece of art. To further expand on this, I especially like artistic pictures taken of tattooed people. I have always found that fasinating. Being a woman with tattoos I have been on the modeling end of it as well. It is extremely liberating and I feel like I know more about myself than I originally did.