Artisan Thursday

Atomic Cupcake Knits loves other artists! Every Thursday, we'll be featuring a different fabulous Artfire artisan, starting with the lovely (and local!) Artisan Goods by Gayle. Gayle's shop has a variety of unique jewelry, photography, and housewares that I just love (especially the Atomic Pillow!).

Catch n' Release

First off, tell us a little about you!

Have been artistic all of my life dabbling in a variety of mediums- painting, photography, jewelry making, art dolls, basic sewing/knitting, altered art (paper and wearable) and accent throw pillows are the ones I still do.

I am a baby boomer with one grown son who is also artistic. I live in the evergreen state of Washington with my toddler acting female dog,Riviera (Rivvie pup).

What prompted you to open your shop?

The sucky economy made my local photo biz nose-dive...after a good response to my jewelry/art postings at a social site from 2007 to now,I decided I needed a marketplace to sell from and to gain more exposure.

What makes your shop unique?

Artisan Goods by Gayle showcases a variety of artisan OOAK (one of a kind) items with different aesthetics- feminine, simple Zen style, poetic, cultural, nature inspired, classic, and edgy.

Atomic Barkcloth Accent Pillow

What influences your art?

My inspiration comes from all that I am exposed to be it cultures, nature, poetry, films, atmosphere, whimsy, color, heritage, shape and textures.

What is your favorite item in your shop?

My Native Dancer Art Doll...though it is an inanimate object,it conveys rhythm by design.

Twitter is being pushed as the next big marketing tool. Do you like it, do you use it, and has it helped your shop?

New to Twitter,but thus far like the ease of use. I read that to have an impact per driving traffic to your shop that you need a lot of followers, but also read that posting links too often can drive away followers who just want quick snippets about your daily life. My stats show currently that five URLS came from there, so I'm still feeling it out.

Tell us something about you that we wouldn't guess from your shop.

I enjoy and support artistic graffiti street culture art...very innovative offerings from unique plushies,clothing,jewelry,home decor and paintings...also, I love whimsical items. Adore the updated funny sock monkeys!
Are you a Mac or a PC?

PC with a lousy ISP connection...

Finally, what one thing have you learned since opening your shop that you'd like to share with others?

Learned that having an online shop requires far more promoting/marketing than having a local shop...that I need to learn about and then utilize as many promotional tools as possible since am competing with literally a gazillion other sellers...

OOAK Leather & Brass Peace Necklace

What a great shop- thanks for being on the blog, Gayle! Make sure to check out Artisan Goods by Gayle on Artfire!

Do you have an Artfire shop that you'd like me to feature, or one you'd like to read about? Is there something you're dying to know about the featured artisan that I neglected to ask? Email me at atomiccupcakeknits@gmail.com!