featured artist & giveaway: five seed

It’s been my pleasure to interview Yancy of Five Seed. Her beautiful blog that is full of wonderful natural beauty tips & eco-friendly living ideas. We share a similar passion of creating ec0-friendly products and reducing the amount of waste in landfills.

1. Bee Balm  2. Solid Perfumes  3. Coconut Vanilla Bean Lip Balm

She has graciously offered to giveaway 3, yes 3 Spice Cupboard perfumes (Black Pepper, Ginger and Nutmeg
)! You only have to…

1. Subscribe to my blog and comment on this post.

2. For an extra entry in the contest like my facebook page. Let me know in your blog comment that you liked my page.

Open to US residents only. The winner will be chosen at random on 5/14/11. I will post the winners name on my blog and facebook page. The winner has until 5/17/11 to claim their prize.

Thanks & good luck!

Tell us a bit about yourself…

My name is Yancy and I’m a writer, artist, foodie, dog lover and passionate environmentalist. I’m the quintessential Oregonian, though I must confess, I was born and raised in California. (And if you live in Oregon, you will know that it is not encouraged to reveal one’s California roots!)

Apart from creating things, what do you do?

I love my down time. I really enjoy spending time with my nephews, my friends and family, and my dog. I love going on long walks and biking around town (better for the environment and good for the health!). I also include meditation and/or yoga as part of my daily routine because I believe that silence and reflection feed my creativity.

What first made you want to become an artist?

I grew up in an environment that highly valued the arts, and therefore, there was never a time in my life when I didn’t feel like an artist. My grandmother and mother were always creating art in the form of drawings, paintings and sculptures and my mother always encouraged me to make my own creations. I had piano lessons every week, and we read books as a family together almost every night. I’ve always pursued creativity in the form of drawing, music and writing, and as I’ve grown, I’ve developed more varied artistic interests that include cooking, knitting and spinning.

Please describe your creative process…

I am constantly inspired by what I see, hear and read. Nature and the cycle of the seasons gives me endless ideas. Unfortunately, I’m a “tryer” more than a thinker when it comes to new ideas. I tend to just jump in and go for it, which doesn’t always work out! At least I learn a lot in the process!

What handmade possession do you most cherish?

My mother made me a beautiful quilt out of fabric printed with Robert Louis Stevenson quotations that I loved so much. I’m sad to say it was stolen a few years ago – but I’ll never forget that quilt.

What advice would you give to artists who are new to Etsy?

I would suggest doing some serious research about your craft, self-employment and Etsy. Get to know the Etsy site so you don’t have any surprises when you open your shop. Take a good look at your competitors and make sure you can fill a niche that needs to be filled. Network via blogs, Facebook and Twitter, and join at least one Etsy team. Getting involved is super important.

But most of all, don’t worry too much about getting it all right. Opening a store on Etsy is always a learning process, and even when you have spent months preparing, you will still find yourself feeling clueless when you first begin. I have had my store for over a year and I’m still learning new things every day. Be willing to make mistakes and keep up your enthusiasm.

What are your favorite features on Etsy? What new features would you like to see?

I love the Treasury feature, of course, and all the search features that allow buyers to look for items based on texture, color and other more “artistic” elements. I think Etsy is an amazing forum for artists, as it is truly designed to showcase the best aspects of each artist who sells there. I also love that they recently added “Like” and “Tweet” buttons – that is awesome!

I’d love to see more shipping customizations available – multiple options for each destination, for instance, or shipping calculators for weight as opposed to quantity.

How do you promote your work?

I was lucky enough to have established myself in the blogging community for about a year before I began selling, which ended up being an invaluable promotional tool. That was pure coincidence, as I certainly didn’t plan to open a business back when I first started blogging – but it ended up being a huge help. My blogger friends were incredibly supportive of my new business and it is largely thanks to them that I was able to receive so much attention in my first few months of business.

At this point in time, I still blog (though not as much as I should), and use Facebook and Twitter to make announcements and keep in touch with customers.

What is your dream (personal, business, etc.)?

My dream is to turn Five Seed into one of the most environmentally friendly businesses out there. I would also like to become a certified herbalist in the near future, though that will have to wait until I pay off my student loan!

I hope to own property large enough to house a huge garden that will produce food for me, my family and neighbors, as well as all the basic herbs I use in my products.

Blog
Twitter
Facebook
Etsy