Also, make sure you don’t miss the giveaway at the end of the post to win a risograph printed notebook specially made for our winner with one of Nancy’s designs. Enjoy!

1. What does art mean to you? Art means a few things to me but I think the most important is that art should stir something up inside you. I think good art and design should make you think, feel, ask questions, or solve problems. I’m a big fan of the aesthetic movement and in my slightly vain outlook art means the most to me when I consider it beautiful, I find beautiful art very peaceful. I remember seeing the Monet exhibition in Edinburgh, Scotland when I was still in school. I was blown away at how beautiful his paintings were, that was enough for me!

2. What is one challenge you’ve overcome as an artist? I suppose being the sort of person that I am means I come across daily challenges. I try to have a good work ethic, and set my self lots of tasks. I do think however most of the time I end up giving my self too much work, but those manic moments make the little successes feel so much better! If I have to pin point the biggest challenge I have had to face, it would be the moment after I graduated art school, realising that you have to face the world with just you and your skills is a very scary concept. However there is something magical about being a creative, the fact that I am a textile designer is a wonderful thing and doing what I do feels very natural for me.

3. Describe one thing or person that has influenced your art the most. This is an easy one! Without a moments doubt I have to say its my Father. He was a wonderfully talented artist, photographer, designer, in fact everything. Not only was he incredibly creative but he was also a wonderful person. I doubt I’ll ever meet anyone else like him. I think he has influenced pretty much every thing I do, the good and the bad! Him and my Mother made the greatest power couple ever, and I think my brother and I owe them a lot for how they brought us up.

4. Name three artists that inspire you. This is a really tough one and I think I may have to cheat a little! The two main influences with regard to textiles would be Lotta Jansdotter and Lena Corwin. Both of these ladies are very talented textile designers, their books have been invaluable to my textile education. My talented creative friends are also very important to me, somehow I have managed to surround myself over the years with a great collection of extremely hard working and talented designers and I am very lucky to have them as my friends.

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Thank you Nancy! Now it’s giveaway time. To win this beautiful notebook, perfect for storing your thoughts for the new year, just leave a comment below on what kinds of amazing things you might record in these blank pages. A comment will be randomly selected one week from now. Good luck!

UPDATE: A winner has been randomly chosen…congratulations ESTHER comment #23! You will be a proud owner of a NS notebook. Thanks everyone for entering!

I remember seeing these amazing book sculptures by Lisa Occhipinti a while back – they were everywhere in the blogosphere, and I loved them. So I was delighted she emailed me recently to let me know about a new book she authored called, “The Repurposed Library.” In it are 33 projects to transform books into works of art. She is generously offering a project as a free PDF download from her book (located at the end of this post) and she even agreed to answer a few of my questions. I hope you enjoy!

1. What is your background and how did you get started doing book sculpture? I have a degree in fine art and taught college art for many years, while always maintaining studio practices. I am painter first and foremost and have always loved books since I was a child.  My book work began with studying traditional handmade binding techniques at the School of the Musuem of Fine Arts, Boston. I started to merge the processes in my painting with the structure of books by making artists books. This in turn led me to where I am now: transforming books. It is essential to me to maintain the integrity of their forms while venerating their attributes. Where others may see a stain on a cover, I see a story.

2. What is one challenge you’ve overcome as an artist? I have learned not to take criticism too seriously. It is a large task, putting your work, which is highly personal, out into the world and accessible to opinion.  But if you’re going to commit to art professionally you have to detach and continue to believe in what you do.

3. What does art mean to you? Art is a means of communication. The forms and processes are a physical platform which allow me to convey to the outer world what I think and feel is beautiful and important. As I am working art is the inner dialogue I have with myself, where I explore the things I think about. Whatever I make is a bridge between outer and inner. And when someone sees my work and is moved by it that is success.

Thank you Lisa! It was wonderful hearing from you. Readers, you can Download the free PDF here to make your own sewing box out of a book!

lemongrass marshmallows

1. First, tell us a bit about you and your husband and your backgrounds.
I’m an Art Director/Designer and freelance for design firms, agencies and tech start ups. Mark used to work as a restaurant Pastry Chef before we opened our business. He still does some consulting for restaurants here in NYC.

2. As artists and entrepreneurs, what gets you up every morning – what drives you?
We value flexibility in our lives immensely and we’ve worked hard to build a life that can support and sustain that. It’s really the only way we’ve been able to work full time and balance childcare for our kids, despite weathering instability and ups and downs in income. Our kids are also an obvious motivation factor. We’re not only responsible for ourselves, but also for these amazing little people. It keeps your life goals in focus.

3. What are you most passionate achieving with your artform?
I’m very into photography and that’s the way I’ve been enjoying creativity at the moment. It’s very satisfying right now and that could be because I do it only for myself and not as my job, which design is. I also find it challenging as I still have much to learn technically, but I’m very interested in telling stories with my photographs, so I don’t let myself get too bogged down by that stuff. The most important thing for me is to keep shooting.

4. With both of your backgrounds, how did you find your niche of making confections?
I don’t do any of the baking – Mark handles all of that for the business and he’s been cooking all his life, professionally for 16 years. He began focusing on pastries mid-career after he discovered that he liked the precision of baking and he apprenticed under a few pastry chefs before becoming one himself. Incorporating different spices into cookies and baked goods is a natural extension to the way he approached desserts when he was working in restaurants.

kitchen conversions print

5. What are some obstacles you’ve overcome along the way?
For a business like ours, the kitchen is the heart of the company. We cobbled together commercial kitchen space to bake our products for the first 2 years and it was often stressful and hectic. It wasn’t until last Fall that we found our permanent space. Not only is it exactly what we’ve been looking for, but it’s shared with a handful of other amazing food businesses like ours.

Our main obstacle at the moment is figuring out how to grow without burning out. I think we’ve got a good balance going most of the year, aside from the holidays which is crazy time, but we know that we need to kick it up very soon and expand if we want to see the company grow beyond what we are today. Still, it’s hard to commit to any big leaps and I actually find this phase more challenging than starting up the business itself.

6. Lastly, what does art mean to you?
Art is a form of expression that shouldn’t be judged or graded – this coming from someone who did go to art school where art was judged and graded. I realize we live in a world where everything that you share with the world is reviewed and critiqued and sometimes it can be harsh, but if the piece has meaning for you, then that’s all that matters.

1. First, tell us a bit about yourselves and your backgrounds.

we met in art school while studying for our BFA’s from the kansas city art institute. we both attended cranbrook academy of art for our MFA’s.

we’ve had quite a collection of jobs: prototype engineer, teacher, gallery director, environmental designer, merchandiser, museum proprietor, product designer, display director… the list goes on and on. a few years ago we began collaborating under the name “something’s hiding in here.”

2. As artists and entrepreneurs, what gets you up every morning – what drives you?
we’re always excited to find out what our next unexpected project will be. that’s truly what inspires us – new experiences and working with new people from magazines to retailers to editors etc.

3. What are you most passionate about achieving with your art?
with each project we take on, we’re always looking to communicate our own point of view. we’re passionate about balancing aesthetics with clean construction and function.

4. With both of your arts backgrounds, how did you find your niche of designing handmade goods?
we’ve always collaborated on gifts for friends and started our business by accident. we had a booth the renegade craft fair to raise money for a new computer and ended up taking wholesale orders on our very first day.

Martha Stewart Living feature

5. What are some obstacles you’ve overcome along the way?
accepting that we were running a business what the most difficult part. we spent years saying “this is not a business, this is for fun”. creating our own business model that fit our diverse goals was another breakthrough. we’re the only ones who can set the standard for our measurement of success.

Photos via Apartment Therapy

6. Lastly, what does art mean to you?
for us, art is a way to express our point of view and connect with other people.

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Thank you Shauna! It was great to pick your brain, and congrats on all your success!

Photo credit – Carla Ten Eyck

1. Tell us about yourself and your background.
I am an artist/ designer/entrepreneur, born and raised in Mystic, Connecticut, now living in Austin, Texas. I began Paloma’s Nest in late 2007, and over the years it has blossomed into a family business that my husband (Jose, from Buenos Aires, Argentina) and I run together. We started as an online Etsy shop, and now sell our wares there as well as through palomasnest.com and our new brick & mortar locations in Austin and Chattanooga. I focus mainly on our ceramic and textile designs, while my husband is the woodworker. Paloma’s Nest is named after our daughter Paloma, who is almost 5 years old. “Paloma” means “dove” in Spanish.

Photo credit – Craig Paulson Photography

2. As an artist and entrepreneur, what gets you up every morning – what drives you?
The absolute privilege of living my dream everyday is what keeps me going. I see running a business and making a living from my art, with my husband by my side doing the same, as a great joy.

3. What are you most passionate achieving with your art form?
Creating pieces that will be passed on to future generations is what I am most passionate about. Just imagining a piece that we craft today being in the hands of someones great-great grandchild, years from now, is what drives me to create timeless designs that will look as elegant and pure in 100 years as they do today.

4. You create beautiful handmade “modern heirlooms” – how did you find your niche or have you always worked with ceramics?
I discovered ceramics while studying art and design in college, and was immediately drawn to the medium as a way to create tangible pieces that one could interact with in daily life. I have always been fascinated with the concept of heirlooms, and I have always collected antiques and vintage pieces. I am fascinated with pieces that hold their history, things that seem to have a story to tell. By working text into my designs, I am able to add an instant element of story telling- whether it is a clients’ love poem, or a piece commemorating a special day.

5. What are some obstacles you’ve overcome along the way?
Fear. I think anyone who has made the commitment to make a living from their art, or to be an entrepreneur of any kind, has to overcome an amount of emotional concern or self-doubt. Can we really do this? Will it work? Can we raise a family this way? Fear can be paralyzing, and a real hurdle in the creative process. For me, I try to balance this natural fear by keeping busy- always having a new project, developing new ideas. Action breeds action. This lifestyle is a leap of faith, but once you take that leap you never look back. We have no regrets!

6. Lastly, what does art mean to you?
“My art is my life. My life is my art.” – Henri Matisse

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Thank you so much Caroline for taking part in this series. I absolutely loved hearing from you. The best to you and all your endeavors…and your new little one on the way!

1. You are an artist. That title means many things to different people. What does it mean to you?
There are lots of artists that adopt some ridiculous personality I don’t share at all, so if someone calls me “artist” I try to escape automaticly from that label. I like people who live the normal life inspired by things that maybe others don’t see or don’t ask, busy on things that are out of the ordinary. Those are the artists I like.

2. What challenges have you overcome as an artist?
To discover exactly what I didn’t like to do (more than what I would like) and from that, live from what I most like to do in life!

3. Tell us something random or quirky about yourself.
I’m an identical twin and some time ago I dedicated a print to my sister. My sister once met the twin sister of a friend. They talked a bit but they were confused, none had ever seen each other. Apart from drawing, I love swimming.

[Thank you Judy! ]

Michelle and I connected online a couple of years ago. I was immediately drawn into her work. She’s an amazing photographer, probably my favorite…and I don’t say that lightly. I had a lot of trouble narrowing down images to go in this article! This mom of six (yes, six!) is also a very gifted crafter, knitter and writer. Her blog is one of the few I read every single word of. I hope you are as inspired by her as I am!

1. Does motherhood fuel your creativity? If so, in what ways?

Motherhood definitely fuels my creativity.  Although my mother taught me at a very young age to knit and crochet, it wasn’t until my first child was born that I totally fell in love with making things by hand.  My first project was a hand pieced and stitched quilt for my son’s bassinet – to be able to make something for someone I loved was an amazing feeling – I was hooked!  That feeling has stayed with my over the years – each piece I create is make with love, and knowing that someone else is wearing and enjoying my is simply wonderful.

My children are a constant source of encouragement and support – they give me feedback about new ideas and prototypes.  I get lots of “oh, you’re so clever mum” and “that’s so pretty mummy”!  They make me smile.  They are also gorgeous  models too :-)

2. What challenges have you overcome as a mother? As an artist?

My biggest challenge has been time management.  First and foremost my children, and my role as a mother is my priority.  As an artist I have had to find creative ways of satisfying my need to create and indulge my passions without neglecting my other responsibilities.  I’ve also had to make a choice to keep my ‘twoandsix’ business relatively small for now.  Because each piece is totally handmade, it’s incredibly time consuming and if I didn’t set limits it could easily take over my life!

3. You have six children, how do you find time to create?

The majority of my creating happens after the sun goes down and little people are snuggled up in bed.  During the day I (try!) to balance taking care of my children and home, and working on my photography business.  However, I am constantly being inspired by the simple, precious things in my life.  I make lots of notes, take lots of photographs, and collect treasures -  then develope and work on those ideas during quieter moments in the evenings.  My hands are never idle, i can’t bear to sit and do nothing!

4. What are your mother’s day wishes?

A sleep-in would be divine!!  Followed by a long brunch, and then a relaxing day at home with my family.  A little bit of chocolate would be nice too :-)

Thank you Michelle! I hope your mother’s day wishes come true.

1. Tell us about yourself.
I’m Suann of SIMPLESONG Design. I write two blogs, simplesong and Hip Hip Hooray; I have a letterpress and design studio; and I’m a wife and mom to our son 4 1/2 year-old son, Ike. We live near Washington, DC and in the last four years I’ve been pretty much living my dream – becoming a mom and also having a thriving, creative business. Though at times I wish for a little more sleep and less craziness of running around, I really wouldn’t change a thing!

2. What is your favorite creative activity with your son?
We love to draw together – sidewalk chalk, little scribbles on napkins or creating a big poster. He’s getting to the age (4 1/2) where you can see him really express himself in his drawings. Its so fun to watch.

3. What are some ways you stay inspired?
Fortunately, I share my studio space with some very inspiring friends and business collaborators (The Hive at 1511). They are a constant source of inspiration (and energy! : ). Blogs and sites like Pinterest are also a great source. But mostly I just try to take some time to look around. That’s when I get most inspired — I just have to remember to jot it down so I don’t forget!

4. What are some challenges you’ve overcome as a mother? As a designer?
As a mom, the biggest challenge is juggling everything and doing everything well. Its not easy and is a constant struggle. As a designer, staying inspired can be tough. Especially when a lot of work time comes at the end of the day. Some times those quiet nights can be inspiring but often times you’re just tired. So, I make it a priority to not work past a certain time and always take little breaks. It helps!

5. What are your mother’s day wishes?
No big wishes – just a little down time with my son and husband. A lot of my work revolves around weddings — and we’re at the height of wedding season (!) so its hard to take time off around this time….so, a quiet picnic or an afternoon out sounds just perfect : ).

Thank you Suann!

Jordan of Oh Happy Day is a San Francisco based party planner and letterpress printer. She recently packed up her family of four, put things in storage and moved to Paris for a year. She is a pretty much a genius when it comes to creative party ideas, and I love her design style. Enjoy!

1. Does motherhood fuel your creativity? If so, in what ways?

Yes, in some ways. I work best with deadlines and having children gives me limited amounts of time do work in.

Above: Fringey Streamers DIY // Zig Zag Accordion Streamers DIY

2. What challenges have you overcome as a mother? As a designer?

Balancing time. I think it is important to keep work time and mom time separate. As I designer I wasn’t formally trained so I’ve had to learn programs and increase my skills.

Above: Sculptured Flags // Confetti Invitations + Template

3. Any tips for pursuing your dreams while still building a strong family?

My husband and I are really supportive of each others’ goals. It makes it a lot easier when there is another person to help you pick up the slack.

Oh Happy Day Letterpress

4. What are your mother’s day wishes?

World Peace and maybe a massage.

It’s Mother’s Day week! This is one of my favorite times of year on my blog. I love getting to pick other artist mom brains out there, and this is the perfect excuse to do so. I’ll be interviewing a creative mom every day this week, and you don’t want to miss any of the wisdom these gals have to offer. I’m starting right out of the gate with an interview with Disney of Ruffles and Stuff. She is a fairly new source of inspiration for me, I love her transparency, humor, creativity, and her obvious devotion to what is most important to her. Sit back and enjoy!

Above: The “Lauren” Headband Tutorial

1. Tell us about yourself.
Hi! I’m Disney. In my mind I live in Seattle, where I spend my days blogging, shopping at little indie boutiques and sipping lemonade in my organic garden. In reality, I live in eastern Washington, I spend my days continually cleaning up after my three year old princess, I refashion clothes instead of shopping for more, and my “garden” consists of various weeds and plants that I murdered last season. :o) I do thoroughly enjoy my life, however, and I try to create pretty little things whenever I can along the way. I keep track of all my pretty things on my blog, and I treasure the relationship I have with my readers!

Happy Birthday Paige

2. What is your favorite creative activity with your daughter?
Paige and I both love coloring. We do that together every day. She also loves to sit in my craft room and make “presents” for her friends. She’ll fold up tons of pieces of felt, and tie them together with bias tape. It’s adorable! :O)

Above: the perfect coral lipstick – Vegas Volt by mac // Grosgrain Belt Tutorial

3. What are some ways you stay inspired to create?
I think the most important thing I do to stay inspired is try not to worry too much about it. Usually my best ideas come to me when I’m not stressed out. But if I do need a little dose of inspiration, I just check out my favorite stores or websites. A lot of my projects come from things that I’d really like to buy for myself, but can’t afford. I try not to copy stores’ designs outright (most of the time), but it will usually put something similar into my mind that I can create for myself.

Above: Cardigan Tutorial // 3-Way Skirt Dress Tutorial // Ruffle Necklace

4. What are some challenges you’ve overcome as a mother?
Having time to do everything! It’s really important to me to raise my daughter well. However, she requires insane amounts of time and attention, so it is really a struggle sometimes to get other things done. I’m a person who likes to keep busy, and wants to get out and try lots of new things all the time, so it’s hard for me to get on the floor and play “puppy dog” for an hour. But I know that in the end, playing “puppy dog” will have made a bigger impact than any skirt tutorial.

Pleated Scarf

5. What are your mother’s day wishes?
Hmm, let’s see…sailing in Anacortes, jeans that fit perfectly, a Cannon 5D Mark II, and for my daughter to take naps. But….Realistically? Just a grateful heart, and maybe an iced americano. :O)