Candy's blog: www.candiedfabrics.com/journal
Candy's website: www.candiedfabrics.com
Candy's shop: www.candiedfabrics.com/shop
Why did you decide to start a blog?
After reading blogs for a couple of years and learning a tremendous amount from them, I decideded to start recording my artistic process in a tangible way. I also had the hope that perhaps I could give a teeny bit back to the blog-o-sphere, sort of paying it forward from the help I’d received.
How did you come up with the name of your blog?
For a short time about 8 years ago I sold hand dyed fabric. My name is Candy, so Candied Fabrics as a name for that venture was not a big stretch! I loved the name, and kept it when I started selling my art made with my hand dyed fabrics, and so it was easy to keep it for the blog as well.
How has blogging affected your work as an artist/designer?
I have learned so much from writing about what I do and why I’m doing it. I am sure that a lot of my artistic growth in the past year and a half is because I’ve been able to identify themes and successfull strategies I’ve quantified by blogging about it.
What are some of your favorite artist/designer blogs? Why?
OH! Such a hard question...but I’ll try to narrow it down to artists who have something specific that I look to for inspiration!
a la mode stuff: Linda has an incredible eye for composition – the way she lays out pictures for a blog have several times sparked a layout for me.
Aimee from Artsyville: The wonderful color/textures she creates for her doodles sing out to me, the lovely casualness of her lettering, and her words just make me laugh.
Arounna from Bookhou at Home: The simplicity Arounna achieves with her work brings me peace.
Daisy Janie: Jan’s use of color excites me. I also love the freedom of her lines.
Lisa Call: Contemporary Textile Art: Lisa has an amazing work ethic, and a way of talking through issues about getting things done that has been an amazing help to me. Her ability to work through an idea with a few huge series of works is awe inspiring!
Lisa Wharton of Urban Bird: I love her birds, but also her use of the informal house shape. I love the texture she gets on her small works, and when the small works are combined into larger compositions, ooh! I just love them.
Martha Marshall: An abstract painter, Martha works in several different styles, and her discussing her work is helping me understand how truly abstract artists work!
Melody Johnson: She is an amazing art quilter who is also an awesome painter. She was the person who began my incredible journey down the path from traditional to art quilter by creating amazing work.
Scoutie Girl: THE place to go for eye candy, MANY of the blogs I follow I found through the hard work of Tara (and before her, Jan!).
Stephanie Levy: Although you’re last alphabetically, you’re TOP of my list for amazing composition skills! I love your ability to combine abstract shapes with realistic line drawings (something I’ve been doing with my Botanical Sketches series). You also create the most delicious color combinations. I LOVE when you work in 3-d, it’s so exciting and one of the driving forces to work in 3-d that is building up inside of me right now!
**Thank you Candy :)
Do you have any advice for keeping a blog interesting for readers?
My last 2 pieces I broke down into several posts so I could show my process – lots of folks found that interesting. I guess I try to show on blogs what I find interesting on other blogs – which is a mix of stuff: Artistic process, behind the scenes business stuff, beautiful shots of finished work and enough personal stuff to flesh out the person behind the beauty on the screen.
What have been the most positive aspects of publishing a blog for you?
I make incredible connections with people that I never would have met, but for the blog. Blogging has taken the place of other down time activities I used to do (watching TV), and I’m so glad it has – the act of recording my process has clarified it for me, I’m learning a lot about how and why I create. My hope is that the more I understand about this, the better I’ll become at it!
What do you find to be the greatest challenges and rewards of having a creative profession?
My biggest challenge should be no surprise to any of us: TIME! I do NOT have enough of it! My biggest reward: always having plenty to do with the time that I DO have. In year’s past, when my kids were very young, I yearned to have time to create, and when I did have that time, I would often struggle with what I wanted to make. Now I have ideas literally screaming to be made inside my head.
Other than your blog, what has been the most effective way for you to promote your artwork and reach new customers and clients?
Local art/craft fairs. I make a line of „everyday art“ that allows me to monetarily support my artistic habit and expose folks at these shows to my art, in the hopes that they will buy a scarf or bag today and call me later to create a piece of art just for them. I completed 2 commissions just this month for folks who had purchased scarves from me in the past; I hope this continues!
How do you maintain a healthy work/life balance?
HaHaHaHaHa (wiping tears from my eyes). Thanks for the laugh...I do NOT have a healthy work/life balance. This is a work in progress!
What would you most like to accomplish in the upcoming year?
I’ve pretty much reached my limit when it comes to setting up for shows. I’d love to increase my online sales. But really, I’d like to continue working in 3-d and see where it takes me.
Do you have any personal New Year’s resolutions for 2010?
Although I don‘t do resolutions (so much baggage behind that concept) I Do have a couple of „inclinations“:
1. Create more Art!
2. Communicate my Art!
Thanks Candy! Your enthusiasm, positive spirit, and great sense of color are always an inspiration :) Read more about how Candy successfully manages to balance family and career time here!
