What is your
business’ name?
SarahLovesLamps
and I’m Sarah Love!
What sort of items do
you make?
I
make functional art in the form of custom lampshades. The lampshades are made
with a special lampshade backing and then covered with fabric. There are so
many great fabrics available now, that using fabric to decorate a lampshade can
personalize and accentuate a lamp. At my
booth I sell lamp bases, shades, pendant lighting and vintage items. In
addition, I also custom make lampshades to fit customer's lamp bases.
When and how did you
learn your craft?
I started out experimenting with lamps when I would buy
vintage lamp bases that came with broken, unusable shades. I loved the bases,
but needed to improve the shades. Wanting to improve my shades led me to teach myself my craft by
reading about lamps and lampshade design. Then I started making shades and I
was hooked. It takes a lot of time and patience to make a lampshade, but I
really enjoy the process.
Where do you get your
inspiration from?
My
inspiration comes from friends, family, and junk. I have many friends that are
creative muses. Their work inspires me to be crafty and unique. My family,
especially my father, instilled the thrill of searching for hidden treasures in
others' junk.
How did you get
started doing this as a business?
I
have always loved lamps - hence the name SarahLovesLamps - but always had
trouble finding the perfect shade. I would see a lamp base that I loved, but
then the base would either be missing a shade or the shade would be in horrible
condition. Buying a new shade was always such a headache because pre-made
shades are astronomically expensive and/or boring. So, I set out to solve the
problem myself by creating my own lampshades. I found the results so
satisfying, that I wanted to share my art with others.
Do you have any
advice for other crafters/artisans just starting out?
Going
from creating and crafting to a business is a learning process. Every time I do
something new, it takes a long time for me to figure out what I want to do, and
how I want to go about it. It's frustrating, I get angry, I make mistakes, but
I always try to remind myself that the next time I do the same thing, it will
be easier. Try to be easy on yourself and remember that everything is a process.
Anything else you
would like to share?
Lampshades
can be both fun and functional. I love making lampshades and am thrilled every
time someone appreciates my work.
SarahLovesLamps will be a featured artist at
the First Friday Indie Market on June 6, 2014. The market is
located on the corner of MKL and Elm St in Downtown Greensboro, NC and is open
from 4-9pm.
Want to see more
of SarahLovesLamps? Find her on Facebook at:
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