Etsy Featured Artist

Stephanie Caldwell

Tell us a little bit about yourself as an artist. What first interested you in your art or sparked your creativity?

I realized at a young age that I wanted to create things. I loved to color and draw when I was small and as I grew I discovered many different forms of artistry. Now as an adult I enjoy photography, drawing, knitting, crochet, scrap booking, sewing, embroidery, fashion, writing, music, blogging and more. Art is a part of who I am and I try to incorporate it into my everyday life in as many ways as possible. Even though I have always loved to create I didn’t realize my passion for creativity until I became a mother. Seeing the world through my daughter’s perspective has allowed me to understand that anyone can be an artist and that our imaginations and creations can become anything we want them to be.

Describe your studio/creative space and how it fits into your home.

This is a complex question for me. We are currently living in a household of seven people. It’s a bit cramped but we are in the midst of a major ‘move everyone to different bedrooms and redo the whole house’ thing right now. It’s a little chaotic. But in the end my little one will finally have her own bedroom and I will finally have a studio space in our basement. But my current project will pretty much take over that space for the next year or so.

What are you working on right now? I’m working on a huge project. It’s a charity project based on handmade fashion called The Black Dress Project. Everyday for 365 days I will be photo weblogging the project. I wear a basic black dress everyday and style it differently with items donated by handmade artists. The artists have a great opportunity to have their item featured on the blog and afterwards the readers can purchase the item from the projects online shop. All the proceeds go to an orphan care center in Malawi, Africa.

** The web address is http://blackdressproject.wordpress.com/ I’m also building inventory for my etsy shop. It will be filled with lots of children and adult knit/crochet items for winter.

Who or what is inspiring you right now?Oh my goodness! This list is so long.I’m inspired by so many bloggers. These are my three favorites right now:Melissa of Tiny Happy - http://www.tinyhappy.typepad.com/Amanda of Soulemama- http://www.soulemama.com/soulemama/ Pia Jane Bijkerk - http://blog.piajanebijkerk.com/WordPress/ I love Flickr, browsing shops online, reading magazines and books. All these things inspire me. Nature is a huge inspiration. The colors, smells, shapes and seasons all inspire me to create and dream new things. My husband is an amazing artist. He draws some of the most beautiful artwork and he inspires me daily. My daughter’s creative play and ideas inspire me as well. Life is an inspiration!

What is something you cannot live without?

My family and my faith, I would be nothing without those things. They always come first in my life. Nothing is more important to me. How do you keep your creative well full and prevent burning out?I try to set aside a little time each day to make something. Anything, even if it’s just coloring or doodling with my daughter. I’m keeping an inspiration journal. I cut out magazine photos or print things from the computer and paste them in. Making the book inspires me as much as looking at it. I take walks with my camera, listen to music or plunk around on the piano, browse the bookstore, spend time in the garden, take a drive, go to the park, hang clothes on the line, listen to the birds, drink tea, daydream, play dress up or dolls with my little one, watch a movie. Just living in a way that makes me happy helps me to feel creative. And I don’t spend too much time or stress over one certain thing. If I’m bored with it I stop and move on. There is no reason to force creativity when it’s not happening. Here is my blog address http://www.stephanie-caldwell.blogspot.com/ My flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/25527374@N03/My etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=7136677