Today's featured artist is Constança Cabral, a native of Lisbon, Portugal who now lives in a beautiful new home in the English countryside. Constança's blog is a continual inspiration of sewing, crafting, and gardening projects. Whenever I drop by her blog, it feels like visiting with a very creative, colorful friend who is living a truly dreamy domestic life. Enjoy the interview :)
Constança's blog: http://saidosdaconcha.blogspot.com
Constança's shop: http://saidosdaconcha.etsy.com
Why did you decide to become an artist and could you imagine doing anything else? If so, what?
Well, first of all I must say that I don’t see myself as an artist. I’m someone who likes to exercise their imagination and make things on a daily basis. Baking a cake, arranging flowers, sewing a bag or hanging pictures on the wall – that’s all part of who I am. I’m not an office person in the sense that I’ll work much better if I’m working according to my own schedule and goals.
Do you still believe "do what you love and the money will come?"
Uhm… tough question. Selling handcrafted work is hard because you spend such long hours making things and you buy high quality material, and in the end you can’t ask that much money for your goods. I’m very lucky to be in a position that allows me to focus on developing my work and not worry so much if I have money for food at the end of the month. I mean, if it weren’t for my husband’s continuous love and support, I’m not sure if I’d be able to do what I do. That being said, we live quite sensibly. We travel once in a while and buy books and go to the cinema, so yes, we do have a comfortable life, but there aren’t any crazy expenses.
How has blogging and the Internet affected your work as an artist?
I believe those two things have shaped my work. I’ve always been a creative person but the internet really awoke my senses. Blogging is a vital part of my work because it keeps me motivated, as well as connecting me to so many great people. I feel I’m not alone in this adventure and that gives me strength.
Please name 3 of your favorite blogs and tell us why these blogs are special.
I love design*sponge because it’s such a complete blog: you are presented with beautiful homes, imaginative diy projects, amazing flower arrangements, great advice on living a greener life, film inspiration… whilst being very personal and humane.
make something is very fabric-centric and I love that. Karyn is the owner of The Workroom, a great fabric shop in Toronto, and she’s an amazing seamstress and experimentalist. Her taste is impeccable and her blogging style is humble and very engaging.
Soule Mama is another favourite place to visit everyday. I enjoy Amanda’s writing style and the way she pursues her dreams. She is the living proof that you can have an alternative style of living and make it work. I love her sense of hope and achievement.
What is your greatest fear and what do you do to overcome it?
I have some irrational fears that I can’t overcome because they’re not real, but I won’t go into that. As for work-related fears, sometimes I wonder if this path that I’ve chosen will enable me to be financially independent. That being said, I try to be as honest and truthful as I can both in my work and in my personal life. Will that send some money my way? I’m not really sure.
Who would you like to trade places with for one day? Why?
I’d love to be the assistant of an excellent prop stylist. It’s a field that interests me enormously but I don’t know if I’d be any good at it, so I’d like to try it for a day.
What are your secrets for managing your time wisely?
I don’t and that’s one of my biggest problems! I get easily distracted and I’ll start working on a thing without having finished what I was doing previously and so on…
If you could live anywhere in the world – all expenses paid – for one year, where would that be? Why?
Definitely in Stockholm or Copenhagen. I would need to have a good allowance though!
How do you maintain a healthy balance between your professional and private life?
My private life always wins. I will drop everything to meet my mother or father or spend an afternoon with my grandmother or with a great friend. Not to mention my husband… So I guess my life isn’t balanced at all! But I’m a firm believer in this: love and happy moments are the things you will always cherish and remember.
What are your top 5 goals that you’d like to accomplish within the next 5 years?
Plant a kitchen garden, expand my sewing and knitting skills, travel around the world, decorate my home in a way that reflects myself and my family and read many, many books.
What is your advice for someone who would like to turn his or her creative dreams into reality?
Be true to your self, be sensible and be imaginative. And have fun!
Thank you Constança!