Creating Success Around the World- Interview and Blog Hop

Erin:  I grew up with an engineer father and an artistic mother, and both of them rubbed off on me.  My sister and I are both in technical careers with intensive artistic bents on the side.  I love to participate in all kinds of art forms, including singing, pottery, chocolate-making, and using my crocheting skills to make hats, slippers, whatever.  I’m also very lucky to have received a very nice camera as a gift and I use it all the time, including taking all my own product photos, photographing my garden, and capturing my boyfriend at work blowing glass.

Suzy: Your crocheted wire baskets are amazing.  How did you get started with designing wire baskets?  Can you give us an idea of the process?
Erin:  In 2007, I found myself unemployed, and I began selling silversmithed jewelry at a local farmer’s market to supplement my unemployment income.  I quickly learned that everybody makes and sells jewelry, so I had to find something different to do.  I had some magnet wire on hand, and experimented with what I might make from it.  My first wrapped wire basket was intricate but terribly scraggly.  Eventually, I tried crocheting with wire- not an easy thing to do.  It has taken four years of crocheting with wire to really master the process.

Erin: I admit, the practice really is contrived, but I’ll be darned if I didn’t immediately get more traffic, and start selling some of them! What’s fun about the Regretsy feature, is they were making fun of a practice I agree is laughable, but most of the comments were complimentary of the craftmanship itself, so it worked out just fine!

Suzy: Can you give any new Etsy sellers out there some pointers that you might have learned along the way? Erin: Listen to, and seek feedback. There’s always someone out there who has done what you’re doing for longer than you, and has pearls of wisdom to offer. The greatest thing about Etsy in my experience, is the worldwide COMMUNITY of artists that it offers. Also, subscribe to and read the emails Etsy sends out. Etsy Admins are great at compiling the artists’ pearls of wisdom and disseminating them in bite-size pieces.
                                             

Suzy: Can you tell us a little about what you are promoting right now? 
Erin:  Currently, I am struggling with crocheting fine silver wire wraps around a variety of cabachons and gemstones. Some of them are easier to do than others — but some of them, such as this sapphire have been an exercise in patience and persistence! After 7 attempts, let’s just say my fine silver scrap pile just got a little bit larger, and I may have to cash it in soon for a new spool of wire!