Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Bargainista interviews MeghanT


I’ve never met MeghanT in person. I follow her on Twitter and I’ve been impressed by her jewellery design and the way her love of life comes through in her both her craft and her tweets. I wanted to learn more and thought you might too, so I asked her a little about her business. Handmade artisan jewellery creations for the discriminating collector.

As a special gift to you...
MeghanT is offering you a 10% discount until the end of August. All you need to do go to www.MeghanT.etsy.com and click on ”contact” and send her a note quoting the “Barganista” code and the item you’d like to buy. Meghan will adjust the price on her site and create a reserved listing for you so you can make your purchase.

What inspires you?
Designs [are] inspired by the Caribbean and my inner musings, Featuring gold, silver, gemstones, crystals and original organic material found in my travels around the globe.

When did you start designing jewellery?
I experimented with jewellery design when I was a little girl, but I was more into drawing and painting growing up. Everyone thought for sure that I’d be going to college to study the arts and were shocked when I did an about face and pursued a career in Psychology. I didn’t start designing jewellery until a few years after I graduated from university with a B.A. I felt like I had neglected a very important part of myself during my studies, and was yearning for a creative outlet once again. I started by training at a school in Toronto for makeup artistry. I got certified, but it wasn’t the right niche for me. It opened up my eyes to the world of photography and fashion though, so I was grateful for the experience. Shortly afterwards I began sketching jewellery designs. As I learned new techniques I was able to tackle more complicated projects and my passion and enthusiasm for design just grew and grew.

Tell us about your experience on Etsy.
Etsy gave me a chance to show my creativity to the world for the first time ever. I have always supported handmade artists and was looking for a way to make online purchases and not wait for the yearly art shows I was so fond off. Initially I was content to purchase other artists work in lieu of going to the mall, but slowly I began working on my own shop, and listing some of my favorite creations to get feedback from the public. Etsy gave me a way of showing my work to people all over the world – an audience I would not have had initially were I to try this all on my own.

What inspires you?
All my creations are motivated by something powerful moving through me. I am a lover of life and I’m constantly compelled by the things I see and feel on a daily basis. I spent many years of my life as a teen on the island of Grenada and go back yearly for extended vacations. The island is chocked full of bright, vibrant, compelling imagery and instead of painting what I see – I create jewellery. It’s hard not to develop an eye for rich bold color after living in the Caribbean.

What would you like people to know about your approach?
I look at my handmade jewellery designs as opportunities to create wearable art. My canvas is the human body and I am creating “paintings” to adorn it. I believe that there is a certain energy that goes into handmade work and it calls to one specific person for whom that item was intended. When my creation meets with a person who is in sync with my artistic vision, magic happens. A lot of my jewellery designs have individual stories paired with them because I want people to know what I was thinking and feeling during the items conception. I think this really helps customers with their selection process.

Art really is what sustains me and feeds my soul. If I don’t get the opportunity to create for several days I can feel a nervous sort of energy build. When I work in my studio I am motivated by a certain theme, feeling, or image held in my minds eye. I have my gems, crystals, and metals sorted out by color, so I am able to work just as if I were working off a palette on an oil painting. Sometimes I start off with a quick sketch, and then I begin experimenting by bringing certain colors, forms, and materials together. Often times, I get saturated by ideas and it’s hard to reign in my enthusiasm and not have several different projects going at once. I pour a lot of myself into whatever I am making, and when the fervor to create is over, I know that the jewellery design is perfect.

Why Twitter? Blog?
In this day and age taking advantage of social media is very important. It helps you connect with a targeted audience, meet other people in your industry, and forge new friendships. I love that I am able to chat with my customers online and I thoroughly enjoy connecting with other creative souls who offer ideas, feedback, and educated opinions.

Check out MeghanT’s Facebook fan page and her new shop on ArtFire.
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1 comment:

  1. I loved the post on Etsy. There are so many amazing crafters out there with products that are well made, unique and more affordable. I think that as a shopper, it's my interest to find things that noone has as well as in some way, support small businesses with the awesome things they do!

    Stuff like this, I'd love to have you and other shoppers promote and discuss in our upcoming site we are building for shopaholics and savvy shoppers.

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