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Friday, December 17, 2010

Interview with a star - Irina

Today we are sharing an interview with Irina who runs TomBjornDesigns shop on Etsy.

How long have you been creating? How did your journey in art and creativity begin?

I have been creating things ever since I remember myself. My grandmother was making amazing silk embroidery on those old mechanical sewing machines and I used to sit next to her and watch for hours. This is how I learn patience. When I crochet my necklaces or simply arrange my boxes with beads now I can be concentrated on this process for many hours in a row. Otherwise I am a very impatient person!

TomBjornDesignsLast year I started making much more things than I could use for myself or give away as a present. So I simply decided to share things I make with wider audience. This is how my shop came to existence.

How would you describe your style?
My style is a happy style. There is some indie in it, some grandma vintage, and a lot of upcycled ideas!

I have so much more ideas on my mind! I write my ideas down and only if the future item seems to me colorful, happy, versatile, with option of using upcycled materials, then I will and create it.

This Happy tiny buttons versatile necklace is made of tiny buttons that I discovered in one of the second hand shops and I decided to give them a new life:

versatile crocheted necklace / bracelet - glass seed beads and upcycled colorful buttons

What inspires you?
I find my inspirations mainly in my colorful dreams, my memories of my grandma, shopping in vintage stores and nature, of course. I also love to look through the shops on Etsy, especially the ones which are using upsycled materials. Then I am coming up with my own ideas.

These earrings are made of upcycled wooden beads which I brought back to life by crocheting around them. I love this vintage feeling about them:

rocheted earrings - big large crocheted beads - orange and black
What items in your shop do you most enjoy making and why?
I can't help it, I LOVE making my versatile crocheted necklaces. First I decide on the color palette, then I start playing with amount of beads, and then finally the crocheting precess - oh, this is the best meditation I have ever had. I can sit for 5-6 hours in a row and just think about something or listen to an audio book while my fingers create magic with beads and cotton thread.

This is one of my favorite items - all the beads are equally round and it only adds to the meditative process. I can even crochet without looking now :)

Versatile crocheted necklace / bracelet - glass pearls
What is the best reaction you have gotten from one of your pieces?
I love my customers! Their feedback is so important for my creative process.
Once I had a custom order of 8 similar necklaces for bride-maids - the bride (who was the buyer) loved the idea of versatility and thought that the bride maids will have similar necklaces, but they will wear them in 8 different ways. Several months later a bride has sent me a photo of all 8 girls wearing my necklaces (one wore it as bracelet and one even as a headband). I was so happy that my work contributed to the most important day in her life!

What is the day in your studio look like?
Ah, this is a hard question. I don't have a proper studio, I share an apartment and all my beads and threads are all around.

TomBjornDesigns
I study full time and do many extracurricular projects, so I don't have much time to actually sit and work on my items. I do them in the metro, on the lectures, coffee shops - everywhere.


TomBjornDesigns
and I love the reactions of people around me - they usually smile and some even ask what I am doing.

If I can make people smile - this is my best feedback and motivation to continue creating :)

Story by Irina (TomBjornDesigns)

17 comments:

Arctida said...

Great interview! The photos in Tunnelbana (= Swedish for Metro) made me smile :)

Happy Frog said...

Love your art pieces and liked your interview! Great! Good luck!

SocksAndMittens said...

Love it, love it, love it! it is great to know more about our team members!

Katrinshine said...

Great interview! Love her work!

Yulia Kazansky said...

Very interesting interview! Love her work too!

TonyaUtkina said...

Great interview and an amazing artist! She creates unique and very stylish pieces. Love her work!

Irina said...

Very interesting!

daimblond said...

very interesting! love the photos:)

Natalka Pavlysh said...

Great interview! Happy story! I wish life always be so natural!

rizalaYa said...

Thank you for sharing your story. Good luck!

Katrinshine said...

Great story!

lightkeeping said...

It was very interesting to learn more about you:)

YanArt said...

Very interesting interview!

bumblestore said...

Fascinating interview!

LiriGal said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
LiriGal said...

Irina, I love your colorfull things!!!

Very interesting to see your creation process!

Galina said...

Funny and great interview!))))))

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