My first, of hopefully many, artist interviews is with the wonderful Kathryn of Smashing. Her jewelry is just as lovely as she is. I love the colors she uses in her pieces and the milky glass beads she chooses. She is a prime example of the great artist that the Etsy community is made up of. Take a look at some of her great work, then read below to learn more about why smashing is so darn smashing.






1. Share a little about yourself and what you create.

i am a ex-art major/ex-banker/stay-at-home-mom/full time babysitter/puppy wrangler.

i love to make jewelry with glass and stone and silver. i don't really like to string beads. i don't think each bead gets enough attention that way, so, i wire them up on silver. plus, i hate when a string breaks and your beads scatter all over :)
i want to create things that are beautiful now and that are sturdy enough for your kids to inherit.

2. What are your favorite materials?

i really really really love opaque glass, any and every color and of course milky white. anything that reminds me of after dinner mints :)
the best part of jewelry making is going bead shopping. i'm lucky to have a great store nearby where the buyer loves the same sort of beads i do. my brain just glows when i get to look at all the different colors and shapes, racing through possibilities. that's the best :)


3. How did you discover Etsy?

when etsy first started, i heard about it on npr. i remember going to the site and shopping by color for hours. the worst thing is that i forgot about it! then about a year ago, i was looking for cool baby announcements and rediscovered etsy through a google search. yay!

4. What is your favorite thing about Etsy?

etsy is like having a million friends that are all really talented and that make amazing things. without etsy, i wouldn't own some of the coolest things i own.
and people are usually really supportive of each other, even when they are your competition.

5. What are the most important things you have learned about selling?

i'm still pretty new, so, mostly i know what i like to buy :) these things make it easier for me to buy from a shop:

good photography of items. if a customer can't pick it up and check it out in real life, photos are the only way to experience them.
it takes a lot of practice (for me anyway :) and every time i do a "photo shoot" with my jewelry, i learn a little bit more.

quick and friendly communication with your buyer. don't give anyone time or a reason to change their mind about buying something :)

6. If money and resources were not an issue, what would you be doing?

i would try to house and feed everyone that wants to be housed or fed. then i would buy everything in my favorites. then i would build a super sweet modern house on a giant plot of land. then open a free art school for all ages. oh and get another dog maybe :)

7. Share something most people don’t know about you.

i am an extroverted recluse :)

thank you Kathryn!