Featured Artist Interview with Sadie Designs {and a Giveaway!}

Today I'm thrilled to feature an interview with one of my newest blog friends, Sarah of Sadie Designs! We connected after I blogged about my Sadie Designs necklace as a part of my Creative Tithing project this summer. I was honored that Sarah enjoyed the photos I took so much that she asked if she could use them in her Etsy shop. In exchange for the photos, Sarah has generously offered to do a giveaway hosted here on my blog! Plus, she kindly put up with all my questions about her jewelry business and creative life-- I think you'll really enjoy her interview. Be sure to read to the bottom of the post for the giveaway instructions! 

Hi, Sarah! Can you tell me a little bit about yourself and Sadie Designs? 

My name is Sarah and Sadie Designs is my little handmade business. I currently stick to jewelry for the most part, but I've also made a few little sculptures and have recently gotten into hand-dyeing fabric and sewing. I love camping, hiking, walking my adopted dog, Lola, and riding my bike -- generally being outside. Sadie pieces are inspired by my travels and adventures. I use materials like quartz and wood to highlight the outdoors-y aesthetic that I love.

How did you get started making jewelry? 

I started making jewelry for Sadie nearly two years ago. Living in Vancouver and going to school for landscape architecture, I discovered that I had amazing access to beautiful materials and model making technologies. My first Sadie pieces were made from laser cut baltic birch. Now that I'm not in school I find I'm focusing more on pieces made of natural stone and metal.

I know you also work in landscape architecture, and I'm always interested in how people balance their creative lives. How do you manage both a day job and your jewelry business? 

It's not easy! In fact, I'd say that I haven't really found a balance yet. Since May I've been working a 9-5 type of job as a Landscape Architecture Intern and my commute is a little on the long side. I try to make jewelry whenever I have the energy to do it, go to the post office at least once a week to stay on top of orders, and I photograph new pieces whenever I get home in time to make use of natural light. The biggest thing is having a couple of excellent assistants, like my husband and mother. They run little errands here and there for me when I need them to and I am eternally grateful. I think you have to love what you do because otherwise you'll just end up being bitter about how busy you are.

Does your landscape/architecture background shape your jewelry designs?

It definitely does with my choice of materials and production techniques! I would never have started making laser cut jewelry without going to landscape architecture school. I think the fact that I use natural materials is also a good indication of why I chose landscape architecture instead of architecture. I love organic forms, rough edges, and rich materials palettes. I get to play with those elements in landscape architecture, too.

What are your inspirations in your designs? What is your design process like? 

I'll often have the raw materials for months before I figure out what to do with them. I often daydream about the materials that I have around and try to figure out what would make a unique piece that I would personally love to wear. Sometimes I'll find a vintage chain that practically tells me exactly what to do with is. On the flip side, I have lots of materials that I've yet to figure out. I don't get rid of any supplies because you never know when inspiration will strike! For the wooden pieces I make I draw them on paper before transferring them to the computer for future laser cutting. I'm not sure I could design starting with the computer. I find it a bit more rigid than hand drawings.

What else inspires your creativity? Could you name some of your favorite creative resources? 

My favourite creative resources are blogs. I'll find a photo that is really inspiring (colour, composition, texture) and then a new piece might be born. The images might be fashion related, but they could also be of a landscape or something totally unrelated to jewelry design. I also just love visiting supply shops to find inspiration and I always listen to music or podcasts like This American Life while I work.

What does the future look like for Sadie Designs? 

Busy, I hope! I'm preparing for several days of craft fairs this winter and have started to experiment with metalwork. While I was working on my master's degree I didn't have the time I wished I did to learn new techniques. Heading into the New Year I definitely want to broaden my jewelry design skills and start introducing some new materials into the Sadie line.

I know you hail from Vancouver, Canada, a place I dream about visiting someday.  Can you tell me a little bit about the creative community in Vancouver? 

Vancouver is still home to lots of artists, but it is so expensive to live here that a lot people have left or are leaving. My favourite expression of creativity in Vancouver has got to be back alley art and music shows. They don't seem to happen as often anymore, but they're awesome. You'll find out about one, learn that you have to go down a back alley to a blue door or something like that and when you step inside there'll be a ton of people hanging out, maybe bands playing, an art installation, or whatever people have come up with. We have a few big events celebrating creativity in the city, including the Eastside Culture Crawl and the Parade of Lost Souls. It's telling that a lot of these things happen in East Van.

Caiti's note: If any of you blog readers are in the Vancouver area, Sarah has a few shows coming up that are worth checking out so you can see her gorgeous jewelry in person!

Nov. 26-27, 2011 

Portobello West @ Creekside Community Recreation Centre

http://www.portobellowest.com/index.php?location=van&pageName=DesignersArtists&date=2011-11-26

Sun. Dec. 4, 2011

Got Craft? @ Royal Canadian Legion on Commercial Drive

http://gotcraft.com/vancouver

THE GIVEAWAY | Up for grabs is a $30 gift certificate to the Sadie shop-- the winner will get to pick *any* item from the shop that is $30 or below (free shipping included)! To enter, please visit the Sadie Designs shop on Etsy and comment with your favorite item. For up to three additional entries, you can: 1) Follow the Sadie Designs blog, 2) Tweet about the giveaway by mentioning @SadieDesigns1 and @CaitididDesigns, and/or 3) Blog about the giveaway... Just add a separate comment for each. A winner will be selected at the end of the day on Friday, November 18th.

Additionally, if you purchase any item from the Sadie shop this week, you can get a 15% discount with the code: MUSINGS11.

Thank you Sarah for the interview and the generous giveaway!!