This week we'd like you to meet Amy Franklin of Resurrected Soul.
Amy comes to us from sunny Oceanside, California.
Who is Resurrected Soul?
Resurrected soul is a unique jewelry line created by me, Amy Franklin, that is made for those who are not afraid to stand out a little or be the center of attention. It's not for trend followers but rather trend setters. Those who aren't afraid to be individuals and express there own style.
What’s the first thing you remember making?
I used to go into my grandfathers garage and make jewelry out of all the things I could find in there like nuts and bolts and wire. He owned a construction company so I had a lot of materials to play with. I guess even then I was into trashion.
For one it makes for a more unique piece, I like the fact that some of my materials I can't just go buy more of there's just that piece that I found somewhere. I also think its a great way to preserve history, for example my cassette tape purses, every time someone sees one they're transported back to jr. high listening to there favorite mix tape. Same with my vinyl record cuffs. I love also how each piece evokes a different memory for each person.
Where do you work?
I have a studio in my house, although I find that even though all my tools are conveniently set in this one room I like to use the whole house as my work space so often you will find a sewing machine on my kitchen table and power tools on my patio set. I love to work outside because then I don't feel cooped up so I tend to utilize my patio a lot. When I had a garage I always used that as my space and I gotta say garages are my favorite!
What are your favorite tools?
I love my dremel! I seriously don't know how I did anything before I got it. I love that I can do almost everything I need for one project with one simple tool.
How do you get from A to Z?
I'm still trying to figure that one out. I just made the decision 2 months ago to leave my full time waitressing job and pursue this as a full time career so it's very much a work in progress. I have learned that I really have to stay on top of myself with a schedule because otherwise it's to easy to get lost on pinterest for hours or playing with my doggies.
What music do you listen to while you’re working?
It really depends on my mood, I've been kind of addicted to the Santigold station on pandora lately however. I like music that evokes a lot of emotion because I want that to come through in my work as well.
What are the five best things you’ve purchased on etsy and where did you find them?
I got my first metal stamping kit from metalshop and it's been a great starter kit for me. I loved that it had everything I needed to get started, it completely took the guess work out! I also got the cutest leopard print rockabilly ballet slippers for my friends baby from rockkandykids, they had cute little pink bows on them. I like steampunk supply because they specialize in all things steam punk and have unique industrial type charms. I get a lot of my charms from jewelrystoreusa, they're cheap and they ship fast. For really unique fabric selection I go to rainbow fabrics, I recently purchased some cute pinup girl fabric from them that I wanna use in some handbags I might start to carry.
Who inspires you?
So many people, I get a lot of inspiration from music and musicians. I love people that are over the top and edgy like Lady gaga, Rhianna and Gwen Stefani. I think these women have there own style and they don't care what anyone else says that's what they're gonna wear because they think it rocks. I love people who wear things just because they love it not because they think they should. I also am obsessed with the silver screen era and pinup girls like Marilyn Monroe, whom I am often told I look like, Jane Mansfield and Betty Page. My favorite designer of all time is Betsey Johnson, I love her over the top girly clothing and accessories, and the fact that her pieces are as vibrant and full of life as she is. Her line is so unique and unlike many other top designers, there's no mistaking her piece for someone else, I can spot a Betsey from a mile away. I think that's really important as a designer and it's something I strive for, to have my pieces be unmistakably me.
What do you do for fun?
I love to take my 2 dogs Jameson and Wiley to the beach. Now that I live within walking distance I want to get back into surfing on a regular basis too because its such great exercise and a wonderful way to just free your mind for a little while which is really important. When you're someone who is creative there can be a lot of stuff going on up there. Also I am addicted to Estate sales! I actually map them out the night before and then get up super early and hit them all up. Garage sale are great to but I love estate sales because I'm somewhat nosey and I love that I can go into peoples homes and go thru all there stuff. I try to imagine who the people were and what they did, it's kind of fun to imagine a whole backstory for them just based on what they left behind. Plus you can score some amazing vintage and antique goods for next to nothing.
Been to any great exhibits?
The latest exhibit I went to was the Titanic Exhibit that just so happened to be at the Natural Science Museum in San Diego where I took my boyfriend for his birthday. I had heard great things about it so we decided to see it for ourselves and I gotta say it's a really cool exhibit especially if you like history, which I do. You even get a boarding pass in the beginning of the exhibit which has a name a class and that persons back story about who they were, who they were traveling with and why they were on the ship. At the end there's a bunch of names on these boards under survivors and deceased. I had the luck of getting a first class passenger so my person made it out just fine but my poor boyfriend didn't get so lucky.
Read any good books lately?
I hate to admit it but I'm not much of a reader. I blame it on my very overactive imagination, I find myself starting to make up sub plots for the characters in the books and then can't concentrate on the real story. Haha, I'm a little weird like that, but it does make me a good writer! I love to write poetry and short stories in fact if I hadn't gone to school for fashion I would have went for writing. I won a lot of awards in high school for my writing and was even a writer for a surf magazine for a short while.
How do you promote your work?
I use pinterest a lot, I love that site! I also put all my new pieces on facebook and twitter and my blog, Blond Brilliant and Broke. I also try and take advantage of every other person who is willing to promote my work on their websites and blogs. Social media is such a cheap and easy way to promote that you'd have to be a fool not to take advantage of it. Most importantly, I wear my stuff out everywhere which gives me a great opportunity to talk to people one on one and make them even more excited about my line and who I am as a designer. When people meet you and actually like you as a person they wanna buy from you even more because they want to see you succeed.
Besides Etsy, where can we find your work?
I am also on Copious and Shop Envy and will soon be in a few local boutiques throughout southern california. I also will be doing the Hillcrest Hoedown and the Carlsbad Street Fair this fall.
What’s in your future?
I don't have any idea and that's the most exciting part. Right now I'm just focusing on getting my line out there as much as possible and exposing it to as many people as I can. I would love to see my work on a celebrity and especially on the red carpet one day. Until then I'm just gonna keep on creating because that's what makes me happy.
Have any words of wisdom?
You just really have to believe in yourself and what you are doing. Surround yourself with positive people and don't let the negative ones drag you down because most likely they're just jealous that you have the guts to do what you love and they don't. Don't focus on the negative it's easy to let that one bad comment ruin your day even though a thousand other people said your great. I have always had the luck of being a very strong willed person ever since I was a child so if someone told me I can't or I won't I was gonna die trying just to prove them wrong and this has gotten me to the place I am today and is what will get me to the place I am meant to be.
Images & Text © Amy Franklin/Resurrected Soul
