Creating Success Around the World- Interview and Blog Hop

BySusan Myers on drawing, Interview, oil pastels

Welcome to

Creating Success around the World!

The worldwide blog hop tour, that introduces you to creative people from all corners of the globe.

Every Wednesday our hosts on each continent will introduce you to someone new whose creativity is inspiring! Come take this worldwide tour with us! 


You can visit each host below and read about a featured creative person on each continent! All interviews are posted simultaneously around the world, resulting in one big crafting party.  And then, add your blog to the Blog Hop party below.  You could be featured in the next Around the World Interview!  Fame. Notoriety.  Pure Awesomeness!  It’s all in the touch of a keyboard button…


                 
Asia- Janelle from Of Pinks and Fairy Tales
Africa-Adepeju from Peekadot

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Our Guest Star this week is from…. 
California, USA

Today, we are welcoming Joni from Pop Art Minis.  Joni had a long flight here, all the way from California, so we are doing our best to make her comfortable when she arrives.  With the sweltering heat wave going on here, we have our work cut out for us.  Seems that the air conditioner is having issues.  The darn thing dumped water all over my hardwood floors and totally endangered my National Enquirer collection.  Luckily, my buddy Tom Selleck and his mustache were on top of things and he managed to rent a UHaul to move the collection to safer ground until the stupid thing is fixed.  My buddy Tom totally understands the value of thirty years worth of National Enquirers.  He and his mustache are very good to me.

We had the Green Room all set up and ready with lots of sweet tea and ceiling fan action, when Tom’s buddy, Jennifer Lopez showed up.  Apparently, she is looking for someplace to hide for a while to get away from the paparazzi and Tom had told her that she was welcome to come here.  They have been following her constantly since the announcement of her divorce from hamster-look-alike, hubby, Marc Anthony.  Personally, I think she had just gotten tired of cleaning up all the cedar shavings.  And that darn hamster wheel squeaks all night long.  But that is just conjecture on my part.  You can’t really fault her.  I think we have all fallen for a cute rodent at one time or another. 
Rastus came over to set up the Waffle House buffet and was very excited that Jennifer was here.  He went so far as to put on his cleanest wife-beater t-shirt and he even shaved.  This is honestly the first time I’ve ever seen his chin.  But Rastus didn’t keep his mouth shut about her arrival and all of his single, hillbilly cousins have found an excuse to stop by.
I’ve heard nothing but banjo picking all morning as one potential suitor after another has shown up with ridiculous excuses to “talk” to Rastus and puff all up in front of Jennifer in hopes of impressing her. And all of them are bearing gifts.  So far, we have two sheep, a pregnant cow, a prize pig, fourteen chickens and two cases of fresh moonshine all crammed into the lobby.  

And here is Joni.  Ummmm….sorry about the farm-like atmosphere.  Let’s go into my office where the air conditioner is working and we can do our interview in quiet.  Just step this way.  
Oh….sorry about that.  Tom, can you clean Joni’s shoe?  Darn cow.

Suzy: So, tell me a little about yourself, your family, you’re other hobbies…  

Joni: After moving from Illinois almost 10 years ago I currently live in Southern California with my husband and two cute doggies named Smokey and Bandit.  I have one daughter who is a very talented and amazing artist herself.  

Joni: In regards to my art, I have always been involved in some endeavor or entrepreneurial quest for as long as I can remember and the creative process is a constant in my life! Pop Art Minis, which is my most recent art-venture consists of whimsical and fantastical themes in bright, bold colors and expressive lines in an illustrative style! Pop Art Mini’s came to life in 2009, when I was going through a very tough time after devastating news that my Mom was diagnosed with cancer.  Through the sadness, emerged the characters that served as my “therapist” and became a much needed ray of sunshine!  I’m constantly inspired by the memory of my Mom who always shared a smile and looked for the fun, fantastical and magic in life!


Suzy: When and why did you start blogging, and where would you like your blogging to lead?   
Joni: I started blogging “for real” in 2009.  I just celebrated my 2nd Anniversary with my Pop Art Minis Art world blog.  I wanted to blog about my daily art journey, fun finds, things that might make people smile, happy things! I think I would love to see my blog become the platform to lead to all of my social networking lifelines and continue to tell the story of my art…the changes, trials, lessons learned and always a place that people can find a little piece of sunshine.

  

Suzy: Can you tell us a few things that most folks don’t know about you?
Joni: I would probably have to say the fact that I have a degree in Art Education from Illinois State University and out of college taught Jr. High and High School art for four years before being brave enough to venture out to create my art on a full-time basis. 


Suzy: Can you give any new bloggers out there some pointers that you might have learned along the way? 
Joni: I’m far from an expert, but what I have learned is to blog what you love, feel and experience! That way it becomes a part of you and what you would like to put out into the universe. Plus, if it’s something that you love you’re more likely to stick with it…and the skies the limit! 
 

Joni: Also, if you have goals to build your followers or to have a voice in the big world of internet blogging you need to be active!  You can’t sit back and think that people will find you without any effort. You will need to have a social presence to bring people to your blog…tweet about, create a Facebook page that has your blog feeding to it and most importantly find people with similar interests and engage…comment, and create a kindred “blogger” relationship!  “Birds of a feather flock together”.  And one last tip is organize your blog so it’s easy to maneuver and follow! Create an environment that’s inviting, warm and friendly!
Suzy: Since I’m also kinda a sitcom blog, my buddy Tom wants to know if you have a favorite movie star.  Other than him of course.
Joni: Oh, that’s tough…I think it would be a toss up between Gabriel Byrne, Clint Eastwood, Meryl Streep, and Diane Keaton.


Suzy: This crafty blog community is full of wonderful folks.  Can you tell me what blogs inspire you?
Joni: There are so many, but I would have to say my top for inspiration is The Idea Room, Gingermelon Dolls, Paper Cakes Finds, Skunkboy Creatures, and yours…Suzy’s Artsy Craftsy Sitcom.
Suzy: Can you tell us a little about what you are promoting right now?  
Joni: Right now I’m just traveling down the creative process road.  Creating Pop Art Mini designs that would possibly work for future licensing projects.  I just recently signed on with Penny Lane Publishing as my licensing agent and I’m hoping to be able to break into this world.  It’s tough and you never know what might transpire so I keep my oil pastels working constantly creating “happy art”.  



Joni: I also just surpassed a couple milestones on both my blog and Facebook page so I’m planning on a big giveaway…hoping to have that up and running before the end of this month! Stay tuned for more details.
Other than that I’m constantly on the look out for inspiration from amazing artists, bloggers, and fantastic Google searches.

Joni, thanks so much for coming all this way for the interview!! Please take a moment to swing by Joni’s sight, Pop Art Minis to see what she currently has going on.  Just watching the drawings come to life is amazing in itself.  

Well we best get back to the Green Room.  Tom just called and apparently, Rastus’s first cousin twice removed showed up with his monster truck and has been doing wheelies in the driveway.  It alarmed the neighbors and they are threating to call the police.  And the gifts keep arriving.  His second cousin by marriage brought two hound dogs, and a carton of Marlboro lights and his brother’s mother’s sister’s daughter’s second ex husband, Bubba, brought over a fresh baked squirrel pie that his momma made special for the occasion.   True southern hospitality.  Maybe a little misplaced, but southern hospitality just the same.  

Currently, the Green Room is full of preening hillbillies who are doing their best to impress.  Unfortunately, the dogs made a beeline for the pie and tripped over the banjo player, who went sprawling into the chicken pen.  There is fur and feathers flying everywhere.  The poor banjo guy (who I believe is Rastus’ brother Festus) fell into a fresh cow pie.  And in the midst of all the commotion, it seems that Jennifer has disappeared into the basement with a case of moonshine.  

Well, good for her.  Come on Joni.  Let’s grab a plate of fried chicken and join her.  Nothing like a little fried chicken and moonshine to cheer up a girl.  Truly. After all, if they can put a man on the moon, why can’t they just put them all there?  
Just saying.


 Note to hubby: Just joking! 🙂


Want a chance to be interviewed!  Come link up to our Success Around the World Blog Hop!


I am an artist, crafter and humor writer living in Atlanta, GA. I attended the Atlanta College of Art, and have a background in fine arts, graphic design, and photography. I like to specialize in vintage and recycled crafts such as quilling, Ukrainian Egg Dying, batik and quilting.

6 Comments

  1. Your featured bloggers are always great. I love Pop Art Minis. Been visiting her blog for a few weeks now. And love knowing more about the artist behind it.

  2. He he he he, I could picture all of that happening, he he

  3. Joni Nickrent says:

    WOW! That fried chicken was the BEST! Thanks so much for your hospitality and for the fun interview! Totally enjoyed by trip to your studio…so many colorful characters running around. And how awesome that Jennifer was here on the same day…glad you dumped that rodent! Thanks again…You ROCK!

  4. Wonderful art. Love art of any kind amd am learning more and more of it throughout the years.

    Karan

  5. meijo's JOY says:

    Thanks Suzy, this is such an amazing interview and Joni is really an outstanding artist.

  6. Oh wow! Joni's artwork is amazing! I'll definitely be heading over to her blog next! Thanks for the intro!

    And now I have squirrel pie stuck in my head! Really? Squirrels?

    Jill @ Creating my way to Success
    http://www.jembellish.blogspot.com/

Comments are closed.