TrashTalk vol.3

We're wrapping up the Trash Talk series for 2009 with an interview I did with Karen Lee of EcoKaren. She has a great shop which features eco-friendly gifts and accessories made from -you guessed it- recycled and repurposed materials!
Here's her take on the Trashion way of life...

TrashTalk vol.2

This month, TrashTalk catches up with recycled jewelry artist, Alex Keller. The pieces she creates are big on *bling* and long on *style*- Check out these recycled watchband bangles- BRILLIANT!

And read on for more about this gifted trashion artist...

How long have you been making trashion art and when and why did you start?
Officially, I started making trashion in the spring of '09, but I've always made things by recycling.

Did you grow up with a green family, or is recycling and reusing something you taught yourself to do?
My family was always green. I'm first generation Ukrainian, and both my parents are from Ukraine. They grew up with out much at all, so they were always very thrifty and creative. Mama made a lot of my clothes growing up, and I used the scraps to make clothes for my Barbie’s. Mama cooked and baked everything from scratch, we had a huge garden, she saved everything and reused anything that could be reused, from aluminum foil to zip close bags, to scraps of paper... she wouldn't even throw out slivers of soap.

Where do you find the materials that you plan on turning into trashion art?
Thrift stores, resale shops, vintage and antique shops, my dresser, my mom's dresser, garage sales, estate sales, and all donations are accepted :)

How did you or do you come up with your ideas?
I read a lot of fashion magazines, catalogs, and now I read a lot of blogs, look at on line shops, and get lost on Etsy. I think designers and artists are inspiring to one another. It pushes me to be more creative, but at the same time I try to stay with my aesthetic.

Why is it important for you to continue on this artistic path with trashion art?
I just don't think that by buying new beads and gemstones I'd be as inventive! Besides, there is SO much material to work with - I'm amazed at what I find.

How do you feel the community has taken to your art?
I have had great feedback from some of my customers, fashionistas, as well as some fellow Etsy artists.

What draws you to a particular found object?
I tend to go in cycles - first it was beads, then pearls, rhinestones, and chains. I collected a number of brooches, but I've been back to working more with chains and pearls.

Do you know right off how you will use your found materials, or does the inspiration come later?
Many times the inspiration comes later. Sometimes, I just get something because I like it. Trouble is, sometimes I keep it!

What new projects are you working on? Is there an idea you have that you'd like to share?
My latest project is an architectural series with vintage drawer pulls and chandelier crystals. I'm really loving it, and hope it goes well.
And I've also been meaning to put together a jewelry organizer with some spools I got from Miss Courageous. As soon as that's done, I'll post some pictures on Facebook!

Thanks Alex, it's been nice talkin' trash with you!

you are your own publicist

Let's face it. We don't have the big bucks to pay a publicist, so we are it.
According to Meg Mateo Ilasco, "You should spend at least a couple of hours each week working on your publicity outreach." Craft, Inc. Turn Your Creative Hobby Into a Business
The first step is to determine to whom do you reach?


maram.etsy.com

You could start locally with your local papers and magazines.
Pick those that speak to your target market.
Contact editors, send press kits ...


LarkStudio.etsy.com

But the easiest and best way to be your own publicist is to sell yourself.
Did you have lunch with a friend? Did you give him or her a business card?
Did you have a dentist appointment yesterday? Did you tell your hygienist about your work?
Did you chat with another mom or dad when picking up the kids at school?
Did you mention that you have your own business?
Did you go out to dinner last night? Were you pleasant with your server?


aSecondChanceVintage.etsy.com

Do you wear your product? Use it publicly?


renegades.etsy.com

You have to remember that you live in a fishbowl:
everything you say and do wherever you are reflects on your business,
whether it is online in forums, on social sites, or blogs,
or whether it is your daily contact with people in your everyday life.


dandee.etsy.com

You never know ... your server's mom or dad could be the curator of a gallery.
Your child's friend's mom at the playground could be a magazine editor.
Your hygienist might be married to a radio personality.
Your friend might know someone who writes for the local paper.


EnviroMental.etsy.com

And one of my favorite quotes from Glengarry Glen Ross
"A-B-C. A-Always, B-Be, C-Closing. Always be closing, always be closing."

TrashTalk vol.1

Starting off my TrashTalk series is an interview with perfumer and budding trashion artist Diana Rajchel of Magickal Realism.

Primarily a designer of perfumed potions, Diana is currently working to expand her line of 'trashion' offerings to include decoupaged bottles and diffusers, as well as one-of-a-kind gift/shipping boxes- all recycled and repurposed, of course!

Here's what I was curious about...

*Did you grow up with a green family, or is recycling and reusing something you taught yourself to do?

Not exactly. I grew up with a pseudo-green family. We would go spend time in nature, and my mother would repurpose some things out of frugality. We did grow our own food some years, and other years we didn't. Since there was no recycling and no mass transit where I grew up (Crown Point, Indiana) it was all a bit haphazard. We were certainly concerned about air pollution but we just had no options except to keep driving and keep polluting.

*Where do you find the materials that you plan on turning into trashion art?

Just from the things I bring in my home every day. Product boxes (like cereal, mac and cheese) get repurposed and reinforced for shipping. Bottles, like worcestershire or wine, get decoupaged. My flagship trashion is incense paper I make by converting my junk mail into something pretty-smelling. Even among my perfumery goods I'm trying to make it so every single bottle and box sees at least one reuse before it leaves my studio.

*How did you or do you come up with your ideas?

I think that's one of the  great unanswerable questions in the arts. My process is "hmm, I have this object. What can I do with it?" I let that cook for awhile. Sometimes I literally dream the solution.

*Why is it important for you to continue on this artistic path with trashion art?

The world's resources are drying up rather rapidly, and as a perfume designer I have to contend with extinction and related disasters on a daily basis, too. While papering boxes with old stuff won't solve the world's problems, it will slow them down, and trashion causes us to look at and rethink the everyday objects around us and gets us to pause, reconsider, and recreate instead of going out and just buying something brand new that puts further strain on the world.

*How do you feel the community has taken to your art?

When it comes to the trashion fragrances themselves, I think some people don't quite get them - a lot of "perfume snobs" are so conditioned to the scent and behavior of synthetics that they don't see that I'm not just doing all my perfumes up with the chemicals I use in trashion. I think the other things I create - the vials and bottles and especially the incense paper - are easier to understand because you can physically see what the objects used to be before they were repurposed.

*What draws you to a particular found object?

Its presence in my studio, mostly. How much space it takes up, whether it's washable, and in the case of bottles glass color can really catch my attention. I love blue and red glass.

*Do you know right off how you will use your found materials, or does the inspiration come later?

Sometimes I know right away. In the case of perfume vials, they can hold liquid. So that's all they're going to do before and after I work with them. In other cases, an object may sit for awhile while I puzzle at it - especially stacks of old magazines. I've started exploring shredding them and making paper, but the reward of that type of work is very small and frustrating so I may leave that to other dedicated paper makers.

*How long have you been making trashion art and when and why did you start?

I got started a few weeks after I joined Etsy. I was around when someone brought up starting a trashion team, and I was looking for new arts to explore to make my perfumery different from the others already dotting the landscape. It's become somewhat more of a passion for me since, as I've found new and creative ways to repurpose the items that pass through my hands. I've certainly started doing more with trashion in my home decor, hopefully I'll get a few things up to show on my own blog soon!

*What new projects are you working on? Is there an idea you have that you'd like to develop on in the future?

I am preparing a line of decoupaged diffusers using items that are from my daily flotsam (sewing notions, magazine pages, etc.) I'm also arranging for "trashion packs" that have a variety of samplers to go out. I may also soon have my answer to requests for scratch'n'sniff (I'm being mysterious on purpose) but it's a fairly time consuming project so that day is a ways off yet!

Thanks Diana, it's been nice talkin' trash with you!

To find out more about Diana and Magickal Realism visit:
magickalrealism.com
dianarajchel.com