To wrap up our experience with Craft Lake City, we’ve put together snippets from a couple interviews with had with artists who inspired us during the festival. Both Paper Wasp and Kate Elizabeth were great examples of artists creating unique pieces and putting everything into their art.
Paper Wasp
Check out the full shop at: paperwasp.bigcartel.com
Magen Mitchell and her husband Nick have created a colorful brand selling illustrative prints, toys cards and buttons. We saw their work at Craft Lake City and admired their brand so much we sponsored their booth. We sat down with them and chatted about the history of Paper wasp up to this point and here is a bit from the conversation.
“2010 was the year I really wanted to start pursuing my own art, but I found it difficult marketing myself as “Magen Mitchell”. As I started to branch out with jobs and printing I started involving my husband more and more. We started up Paper Wasp in January 2011 as a brand to sell our art and skills under.
When I was very young I would leave “cave drawings” in all of our closets. I would create my own language and world in pictograms. Even though I didn’t know how to read or write, I just had to get it out and ever since it’s been the same thing in a different medium.
Selling was great at Craft Lake City, but to me, even more important than that was networking. We were able to meet with a lot of like-minded artists and hear what our customers would like to see from us in the future. One would think that working for 10 hours in the hot sun on your day off would be torture, but it was the opposite! It was a fun experience.
Magen is actually incredible at preparing. She is a list-making, advice-reading, problem-solving designer and we were very well prepared for Craft Lake City. Our only trouble came from some card holders that were too light to stand up to a mild breeze. But everything else went smoothly.”
——-
Kate Elizabeth Jewelry
Check out the full shop at: kateelizabethjewelry.bigcartel.com
We also had the chance to see Kate in action at Craft Lake City. Her handmade jewelry caught our eye and we loved the care and craft she put into each detail of each piece. Check out some highlights from our interview with her below:
“I got into hand made jewelry about six years ago. It was kind of a fluke, one of my friends saw a pair of earrings and said she could make them better. I went with her to the bead store and really liked it. Before that I never had interest in jewelry, but now the bug is with me.
There are a lot of elements out there that inspire me. I use only precious and semi precious stones. There is something about raw, natural elements that makes a bold yet subtle statement.
Craft Lake City was an amazing experience. The turnout was great and there were some inspirational artists. I was able to make good contacts. Everyone who came by my booth really seemed to enjoy my line. Which got me excited to make my new line for next year.”
