Etsy Discovery Galore Numero #2

Ghostlove Shop Icon! 

Being on Etsy I am finding some delicious looking shops and some of them find me through my Etsy activity feed. The other day I found an awesome Gothic couture shop called GhostLove Jewelry with wonderful models in hot gothic outfits. The shop is owned and founded by Dawn Rozakis since June 2008. Since then she has sold over 3000 accessories. (Talk about a hit!) Looking through the awesome handmade (!!!) accessories, I had to find out more about this wonderful creator of such marvelous Gothic goodies. Here is an interview, an attempt or rather quest for more more more! Enjoy at your will (*evil laugh cough cough*)..

1. What is your inspiration for making your jewelry?

Wonderful Victorian choker

I derive most of my inspiration from gothic and macabre art, the occult, and history.

2. What do you do when you get "art-blocked"?

I try to browse some of my “muse” blogs or go see an art exhibit if I am really uninspired for some reason.

3. What brought you the idea of selling on etsy?

I was originally a customer on etsy and loved the idea of buying handmade directly from the artist. I decided to open a shop when I started my jewelry line as a way to “test” my designs out in the marketplace before I launched ghostlove.com.

4. When you are not making new accessories and selling them on etsy, you are....?

Well, I am shamefully addicted to tumblr, so you can usually find me there wasting time. Otherwise I am working on stories or music.

5. Any tattoos to be proud of?

Nope. No tattoos on my body. I used to have nipples rings by I took them out recently.

an accessory of the Pirate collection

6. favorite mythical creature?

I love the idea of a babel fish, although that is not technically mythical.

7. combat boots or a corset?

Definitely combat boots lately…but I have been known to rock a ribcage corset from Louise Black.

8. Favorite bands/ books?

Lately I’ve been really into Austra, Zoe Keating, and Cults but my favorite band is New Model Army.

Don’t have a favorite book, but I just read J-Pod and it was awesome.

9. What's a tip you would give to a potential etsy seller?

Keep in mind that there are now millions of etsy shops, all competing for eyes. Make sure your product has a good description, great photos and competitive pricing.

10. What is something daring you would want to do?

I would like to go backpacking across Asia with my beau.

11. Anarchy or rebellion?

Definitely rebellion. There is always a massive concentration of human energy lurking just below the surface of everyday life that has the power to change the world. Sometimes I can actually feel it and it sort of wakes me up inside.

If you dig Dawn Rozakis and her marvelous macabre-Gothic-couture-Lolita creations check her out on:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/GhostLovecom/126821931507

Tumblr: http://darklydreamingd.tumblr.com/

OR DeviantArt: http://ghostlovejewelry.deviantart.com/

Etsy Shop Alert! Interview with an Etsy Seller

an acrylic painting done by Amanda

Being the hermit that I am sometimes in the summer, I have been surfing the net and windowshopping on Etsy. I have found some shops that have matched my interest and was able to land a couple of interviews with two excellent Etsy sellers. One of them is a fabulous 23 year old girl named Amanda Pereira from Toronto, Canada.I decided why not ask her 13 random questions. And luckily, I did. Here is the interview with her.Hope all of you enjoy it. 

1. What got you started on selling on Etsy? 
 Truthfully, I started selling on Etsy because a few friends suggested it. They thought I’d enjoy it, supported my artwork, and encouraged me. It was a good idea. I love Etsy, and I’ve met a lot of great buyers and sellers there. I’ve come across so many shops filled with lovely wonders from amazingly talented people, which in itself is great inspiration.

2. Was there any trouble or questions in the beginning process of selling?

I didn’t have much trouble - Etsy is a lot easier to use than Ebay in my opinion, and [I] think anyone can get the hang of it pretty quickly if they take a quick tour and navigate around the site. It has a Help section on the website where you can email them for support, or live chat with someone. Your items stay listed for months and can be favourited by other users, so it helps get your name and products out there; I prefer it to any other site I’ve listed on thus far.

3.What's your inspiration when you make your bookmarks and art prints?

Amanda Pereira the artist

The smell of burning wood or the feel of grass on bare feet can inspire a painting or an art piece in the same way that a breakup or a death could for me. It’s all in how you perceive it and what it brings out of you; what it makes you feel, think of, remember... that’s the good thing about inspiration, there is an abundance of it, even if we have to wait for it to become obvious sometimes.

4.What do you do when you get "art blocked"?
It's not so much what I do, but what I don’t do - I don’t force it.  I wait until it hits me again, and then go from there, where ever it takes me. Sometimes it takes an hour, sometimes a day, sometimes three months. Art for me is fueled by strong emotion, and sometimes you’re not ready to bring it forward. It has to come naturally, though, because I can't create anything without putting part of myself in it, and that is something that can't be fabricated. Art has to be genuine. [And] I think it shows when someone has created for the sake of having a finished product, rather than creating because they ‘need’ to. 

5.When you are not drawing or selling on Etsy, what are you doing?

Reading books, reading the newspaper, reading emails; journaling, writing letters, writing poems, writing nonsense; bugging my boyfriend and spacing out to his beautiful music, hanging out with my momma, hanging out with my cats, hanging out with myself; making soap, making lists, making a mess; tending to my garden, brainstorming ideas for things I want to make, healing, thinking way too much... and Sims? Don’t even get me started. I’m a geek, basically.

6.Talking about books, what are your favorite books?
Oh, man... I‘m such a book nerd. I hold so many close to my heart, but my all-time favourite book[s] have always been Prozac Nation by Elizabeth Wurtzel, followed closely by the Crank series [or absolutely anything, really!] by Ellen Hopkins. The level of admiration I have for what she is able to do with words is endless, and she is by far my favourite author; the one who inspired me to keep writing when I thought I lost that, years ago.

7. Favorite horror movie?

another wonderful creation by Amanda

I love horror movies, so that’s hard to answer. I’ve always been partial to Stigmata, though. I fucking love that movie, to put it not so elegantly.

8. Any tattoos?
 I currently have 13 tattoos:  I have a painting I’d completed for my soulmate tattooed on my arm, a flat-line turned heart monitor with the number of my hospital room which I stayed in after an intense situation, 6 inkblot butterflies and three ink splats, ‘live through this’, and ‘doll parts’ – 11 of them were done by myself... but lucky for me in the future, my brother is going to be a tattoo artist! ;D

9. Most embarrassing moment?
Oh jeeze, that’s a loaded question! I’m one of the clumsiest, most awkwardly anxious people you’d ever meet, and that alone leaves me with an abundance of horribly embarrassing moments. I walk into walls and trip over my own feet on a daily basis, when I’m not scrambling my words or speaking before thinking in general. It’s hard to say... I embarrass myself quite frequently.


10.Vampire or Werewolf?
Vampire, always! I kind of have a soft spot for them; not just on my neck, [or] in the general vicinity of my jugular, either. I watched ‘Interview with the Vampire’ when I was six years old, and instantly fell in love with the essence that is the romanticised powerful immortal, capable of taking or giving eternal life.


11. Edward Scissorhands or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory?
Edward! Two words – the hair. Enough said.

one of Amanda's prints

12. What fabric print could best define your personality?
My personality can be somewhat erratic at times... part of me says animal print but that’s too generic. Part of me says kittens wearing stilettos, fag deep in cupcakes... but that’s a bit manic. Part of me says raw silk with ribbon accents, but that’s slightly tame. I’m going to go with a solid colour yeti-esque furry fabric, for no other reason than I can contently say that feels more ‘me’. A bit loud [and] kind of curious...

13. And last but not least: what advice can you give to people who want to sell on Etsy but are being skeptical on their decision?

Do it – because the worst that can happen is... well, quite literally, nothing. If you don’t attempt to get your name out there and sell on Etsy, you can’t say, ‘At least I tried!’ Give it a go; chances are many people will come across your shop who will absolutely love what you have to offer. If nothing else, it allows you the freedom to offer your talents and passion to a wider audience from the comfort of your bedroom, living room, backyard, etc. It’s kind of awesome in that way.

if you like to see more of Amanda's Etsy shop, February Flowers, you may check it out at http://www.etsy.com/shop/februaryflowers

 or you can check her other websites if you like:

DeviantART:  http://youwillfade.deviantart.com/

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/februaryflowers

Twitter: http://twitter.com/februaryflowers

Formspring: http://www.formspring.me/mandaquin

Band Alert! Band Alert!

The Beatles, Nirvana, NOFX, and Green Day are all male bands that have started and bloomed in the subgenres of the rock world.  Whether for the purpose of fame, notoriety, or just for the music, they all have made hits and gained popularity with album after album making them celebrities. Although they are well-known names now, there was a point in time where they, like many others today, were struggling to get their names out there. Some have described the journey in music stardom not being an easy feat but still worthwhile.

Nova

And now with the music business booming with artists, one can even say that being an artist one has to have a talent, a name, and a dedication. In the case of Nova, a name that is now seen in venues like the Moonlight Bar and Webster Hall, that is not the problem. In an interview with Rockinglicious, both Ralgy Cepeda (vocals & bass guitar) and Alex (electric guitar) described their experiences being in Nova.

According to Salazar, the lead guitar of Nova, the band started in the fall of junior year of high school. The name back then was Running on Empty and they had 6 members already willing to put down music time. As time passed by, the band started “shedding layers and layers of people” and soon enough the band ended but on a good note.         

Ralgy Cepeda and Alex Salazar

After Running on Empty ended, Nova was born with band members Alex Salazar, Ernesto Baez III, and Ralgy Cepeda. And since then Nova has gained quite a fan base. 

When asked how the band members came up with a name like Nova, Alex answered, “I saw a supernova in my dream. It destroyed the galaxy. The next day I came up to Ralgy and asked him ‘what do you think of Nova?’ 

Of course some things have changed and other things have stayed the same with Nova’s members. At 14, both Cepeda and Salazar thought about different things than music: “I didn’t think about the world as a whole or about universal politics. I guess you can say I was more centered on myself and my friends,” Cepeda shared.

However for Nova, being young and in a band is not easy. “It wasn’t until we were 18 that we had access to venues. Now, venues don’t want to pay anymore. We don’t have money. So now I have to work for Starbucks eight hours a day,” says Salazar. Then there is band rehearsal to take care of as Ralgy notes in the difficulty of meeting up: “We don’t get to see each other every day. A lot of times Alex is in school and on the days that he is not in school I still work [on music].”

But for these two band mates, music is life. When asked what they do when they aren’t playing music, Cepeda answers “Our music reflects our life so metaphorically speaking when we are not playing music, we are playing music. When we talk to each other or look out the window, it serves as an inspiration. We don’t live outside the [band] lifestyle.” For Salazar, music changed his life a little more than expected: “My complete lifestyle was changing. I noticed my complete social life crumbled because I played music.”

Ernesto Baez III on drums

Despite it all, music has brought them many friendships and conversations with their fans. Of course, Rockinglicious was curious to ask what new goals Nova had in mind whether hitting the list of featured artists in the famous Warped Tour or taking part in the Loolapalooza music festival. Surprisingly, for Salazar and Cepeda that goal is not really the main deal. Salazar says, “At the end of the day it’s not about making the dollars but the music. The biggest goal I could say for Nova would be progression. Self- development is very important for us. Right now we are working on writing a five part song with a prelude, a symphonic poem (no lyrical parts), and a lyrical part. It would be mostly influenced by classical music.”

Through hearing the voices of both Alex Salazar and Ralgy Cepeda on what it’s like to be in a band such as Nova, it can be ascertained that starting your own band is like growing a tree: there has to be dedication, care, and a love for music along with the equipment to keep it going. If you want to check out this band and even attend one of their shows, check their gigmaven profile: http://www.gigmaven.com/nynova?f=c    

Jinx in the Sky...With Diamonds! (an interview)

With the LowBrow Art Movement becoming prevalent now since the 1900’s according to The Age of American Unreason by Susan Jacoby, artists all over the world have emerged with different color schemes to display outrageous surrealist themes. I was able to interview one artist in particular who for the past year has gained a popularity increase in New Zealand: Jinx in the Sky. Here is her take on being a LowBrow Artist:


Me: Thanks for agreeing to this interview today, I checked out your blog and I am not filled in exactly with the event with Christchurch, can you fill me in on what that event is about?

Jinx: Hi, no problem. A big earthquake struck the city of Christchurch killing heaps of people. The city lies in ruins and lots are still missing. It's in the media all over the world. Very sad.

artwork auctioned for the Christchurch earthquake

Me: Wow that does sound tragic. I saw the painting you did for it. Was it directly influenced by the occurrence or did you dream about it?


Jinx: No, it was a painting I did in 2009 after returning from Austria. I thought it would be a good thing to auction it off and give the money to Christchurch.


The painting was influenced by a dream I had about my friend moving into a new house in Vienna and the house was all crazy with stairways coming in and out of the walls and floor.


Me: That sounds interesting, what has been the craziest dream you ever had?


Jinx: Wow that’s a hard one...I think the first one that springs to mind was a dream I had when I was about 16 or 17. I dreamed I was running up a spiral staircase in a dark stone tower. On the side of it there were small windows. On one of the windowsills was something white and translucent. I looked at it and it was an embryo but only like the white, translucent skin of it. I looked closer and saw the skin of its guts and organs like a cicada larvae leaving its old body. Then I ran downstairs again, it started snowing and there were logs on the stairs. Wild animals and dogs were racing upwards as I was running down. I exited the tower and was looking for a friend. I went into a restaurant and ordered a glass of milk. It was on a tray and I looked at it to find it making waves like the ocean. Then the milk turned hard and black like ashes. That was my dream.


Me: Besides dreams, is there anything else that inspires your artwork?


Jinx: Just life, music and nature. I'm a very emotional person and whenever I don’t know how to express or don't want to talk about it, it goes into my paintings, disguised in symbols and metaphors like dreams do.


Me: That is how I am with poetry and drawing. How long do you usually take in completing a painting?

"Those who walk with diamonds"

Jinx: It depends on the size and such. Usually around 30 - 40 hours, but that's just painting time without drying then. All in all it can take 2 - 4 weeks to complete. Darker paintings take longer than lighter ones.


Me: I went to your websites and checked out the photos on the "Sk8 of the Art" event at New Zealand's Te Papa Museum. How did it feel like to see your artwork displayed like that?


Jinx: It was awesome! I also loved everyone else’s stuff, some very crazy boards there!


Me: what sparked to get your first gallery viewing of your artwork?


Jinx: I didn’t show my art to any galleries until the start of 2009 when I moved to Wellington, which is where most of NZ's art is based. Friends of mine told me about this gallery that looked like they'd like my style and so one day we went in and I showed them my stuff. They loved it and shortly after displayed some of it in their "shop" area. That was the first time my art was shown in public.
The gallery was Manky Chops Gallery which is Wellington’s lowbrow, pop surrealism gallery

Me: How exciting! Would you ever consider your artwork as part of the "low-brow movement"?

Jinx: the Low Brow movement and Pop Surrealism as such, has many facets. Artists that are very different in style all belong to it. For example, Lory Earley belongs to it just as much as the likes of Mark Ryden. So yes, if you were to put my art into a category then this is the one that fits best.


Me: I am really curious and interested in the low brow movement, so when I googled images for low-brow your painting "The Glory of Gloria's tadpoles" came up. I was instantly captured by the color scheme and the pink coming out of "Gloria's" mouth. How did that one come about?

"The glory of Gloria's tadpoles"

Jinx: Well the painting originally was made after a much darker sketch. In the original sketch the girl’s eyes were rolling upwards and black stuff was coming out of her mouth. I painted it to express how you feel when lots of bad things happen all at once and instead of swallowing them down you spit them out again because you know they're no good. I decided it was too dark and swapped the colors for brighter ones because I love color and you can still see the darker core of the picture without it having to be all black.

Me: Do you see your artwork ever crossing over to a museum in the United States? (If it hasn't already happened)

Jinx: I would love to show over there, but it's hard to network with galleries when you live so far away. Maybe it will happen someday.


Me: What is one strong symbol that has drawn your attention to you from your dreams, artwork, or both?

Jinx: For me, the crescent moon because it stands for dreams. I recently got it tattooed on my wrist. It helps me to do reality checks during waking life so it makes lucid dreaming easier. Lucid dreaming is when you know that you're dreaming and you can influence what's happening. Don’t even get me started on that one.

Me: Cool. What inspired your art name, "Jinx in the Sky"?

Jinx: I’ve had my name "Jinx" since I was 17 or 18. During class we wrote into a little "chat book" at school instead of passing letters. We all had incognito names in case the teachers would ever find it and my name was Jinx. I chose it because in my dictionary it said it means something like "unlucky talisman". I liked that at the time cause I felt I was a bit unlucky and dark - I guess lots of people of that age do... later on I really liked the Beatles song "Lucy in the sky with diamonds" and I named myself Jinx in the sky with diamonds but that was too long so I dropped the diamonds. The diamond symbol (as cliché as it might be in hipster art nowadays) also means a lot to me. My website is called diamond soul so I haven’t completely lost it.


Me: Last but not least: if you could go back in time and visit yourself, what time in your life would you go to and what would you do or say to yourself?


Jinx: hmmmm, I think possibly I'd visit myself around 6 - 9 year old, just to relive everything. I think that time of my life was very cool, playing in the garden, climbing trees and walking in the river, living in a fantasy world at times. I don't think I'd say anything to myself, I wouldn't want to change anything because everything that happened made me the person that I am today.


Me: Great! Thanks for agreeing to this interview!

Jinx in the Sky is just one of many Low Brow artists gaining popularity. She sells T-shirts with her artwork as a front piece. If you are interested in checking out what is up with Jinx in the Sky’s artwork and travels check out her blog: http://jinx-in-the-sky.blogspot.com/

SURPRISE! It's an extra extra extra!

I was going to plan to publish this surprise in two weeks but since I promised interviewing some bands. I got a surprise band interview just for you. This weekend's interview is with Ideal Zero, an alternative rock group from Orlando, Florida who according to their info on their sites, started out in April of this year and are currently working on getting their demo out. Here they are and hope you enjoy this interview:

1.  Let's get down to business and tell us what was the reason to get together and make a band?

Well, we’ve all been in music projects and bands previous to coming together. We wanted to bring all our different backgrounds and styles together to form a group that is unique as well as expressive of our similar views on philosophy. One of our primary goals upon forming was to write songs that are not only powerful musically, but also in our messages about independence and individuality.

2.  How many concerts have you performed?

Only 2 thus far! We have only been together for 4 months now, and we are slowly starting to get out there. We were really nervous at first, but we love it!

3. Vampire or Werewolf? (each band member could have a different answer)

Come on now…our lead singer is from Romania! Has to be vampire.

4. What is your main goal for 2011, professionally and personal (if i may ask)?

By 2011 we hope to be well-established and have our name known. So many bands work at it for several years before establishing themselves even in the local scene. We want to work as hard as it takes to speed up the process and get the ball rolling!

5. What helps you out in writing songs and tuning up the sound?

One thing we’ve all noticed is that you just can’t force music writing. Inspiration has to hit you. Our best songs have been written when we were just sitting around and not being too serious about it. Also, expressing our personal views about life and incorporating our own life experiences always leads to an original and genuine song writing experience.

6. Ever had writer's block or musician block (lol if that is even a term)? What do you do?

Of course! Again, when this happens you can’t force it. If it isn’t happening, anything you try to force won’t be very good. The magic of music is that which comes from the soul and the heart. Often times, it just isn’t coming out right and you need to sit back and relax. At least that’s how it is for some of us. Clint (our keyboard player) works differently…if he gets stuck he will stick to it for hours or even days until he gets the results he wants. Not everything about music is emotion, there is a lot of technicality that has to be worked upon in order to be perfected- again, that’s where Clint comes in.

7. If your band was a superhero what would be the name?

Not sure about this one…don’t ask us to come up with names for anything! We start thinking about something that sounds cool but also has a significant meaning and then we come up with so many things and get off track. It took us months to come up with Ideal Zero.

8. Top Five favorite bands that you all agree on?

It would be hard to get us ALL to agree. We all have extremely different tastes. Our favorite local band would have to be Traverser.
After that our individual favorites range from Jimmy Buffett to Megadeath to Type O Negative, and let us not leave out the best band of all time…The Beatles!

9.  Do you have a motto?

”The individual is greater than the collective.”

10.  And if you guys had three wishes what would it be?

Make it big! Make a living off doing our music, and tour the world!
 if you like those deep melodic but filled with some wicked rock sounds, Ideal Zero is just the right find.
 Check band members  Irina Nicula (vocals), Clint Waddell (keyboards), Tim Smith (guitar). Richard Caballero (Bass), and Adam Panzella (Drums), out on myspace, facebook, or on their website: http://www.reverbnation.com/idealzero