This month’s featured Etsy seller is Marie Young. Her Etsy shop features so many creative jewelry pieces made out of recycled and upcycles metals that you just have to check out! Her story and love for her craft are, likewise, very, very inspiring.
Tell us a little about yourself
I am the owner and artist behind The Salvaged Edge by Marie Young Designs (www.marieyoungdesigns.etsy.com). I have always been an out-of-the-box thinker who likes to get dirty and learn things using my own two hands. I grew up in the big “town” of Nashville, TN nestled in a safe little bubble surrounded by a very loving community. As a young woman I wanted to see the world. I traveled many places by myself and with others and had a great time. After much traveling, I have come to land in a little tiny country town with one stoplight just a couple hours northwest of Nashville. It’s a place where I can get my hands in the ground and grow beautiful inspiration for my art. After becoming a mother in 2007, I knew I wanted to stay home and watch my little girl blossom as my mother had watched me blossom and so I quit my job and took the plunge. I started Marie Young Designs as a way to keep myself connected to the art world.
What do you create/offer in your Etsy shop?
My cold forged copper jewelry and bookmarks made from salvaged copper wiring and roof tiles have really been a hit and sold well on Etsy and in local stores around Tennessee. I also create pieces using unique materials like recycled plastic, salvaged aluminum, 100% post-consumer recycled sterling silver, found objects, and other interesting things. In addition to my handcrafted pieces, I also offer affordable vintage jewelry.
How did you get started in your line of business?
Just a few months before I turned 16, I was offered a job with a small Estate jewelry shop owned by an eccentric woman. I was a child of divorce and was looking for consistency in my crazy life and she took me under her wing and educated me about art and life, as well as jewelry. She taught me how to be independent and how to be confident in my art. She recognized then that I had talent. She helped me to recognize quality in jewelry and artwork in general as well as quality in my own work. She taught me about editing and really paying attention to what it is I want to accomplish with a piece. Later, I would take a job at a bead store, begin to teach basic jewelry techniques, start to dapple in metal work and finally begin making the pieces in my shop today.
Describe your creative process
When I sit down at my age darkened oak desk, I take a survey of what bits of wire, stones, and odd pieces I have. I have little drawers full of beads, bins full of cut up plastic, trays full of tiny odd mechanical looking bits and shelves filled with jars of glass, shells, and odd pieces. On my walls I have inspirational pieces; a card my mother gave me with the three wise men made from tin cans, a necklace made of copper pipe and 550 cord a little boy made me, a picture of my daughter, and a whole collection of hammers and pliers and files hanging on nails and racks. My 15lb anvil sits on a bench just to the left of my desk with my metal stamps and other tools that won’t fit on the wall. Anyone peaking in might think I’m a packrat, but I like to have everything in a little nest around me so that when inspiration strikes I can dig right in.
Sometimes, to get inspiration, I categorize things or just dig through a bin until I find the right bit that speaks to me, but most times I just grab some wire and start bending. Unless I have a specific piece to make I just let the objects and metal guide me into what I should make. I find I do my best when I sculpt a piece and keep working until it just feels right. I do have a big scrap pile of pieces that never quite made it, but even those tend to get reworked and find their way into the world somehow. I love the way I can use simple hand tools to transform a piece of metal and sculpt it into something that feels organic and alive.
Where do you find your inspiration?
I am very inspired by nature. I know it’s a cliché, but there is so much out there to see! My own backyard is teeming with inspiration. I can walk around with my daughter and see lizards and frogs and birds scurrying about. There are little plants sprouting and our huge 150 year old tulip poplar towers over everything like a gnarled old man with so many stories to tell. There are dogwoods, lilies, daisies, hollies, and so much more. I love to watch things grow and it reflects in my work, I make my pieces feel alive and dynamic. I am amazed at how plants like a green bean plant can “grab” branches and fencing, twirling around it and holding it fast. Much of my work mimics actions and shapes found in nature.
What is your favorite item in your shop at the moment?
I have been wearing a spiral bracelet like this one for 4 years now and it still is my favorite piece to wear. www.etsy.com/listing/78097689/small-spiral-bracelet-in-copper
How do you promote your work?
I promote through Twitter, Pinterest, my blog, Facebook, Tumblr, local craft shows, word of mouth, pretty much anywhere I can get a word in. And I always have a business card or 10 on me ready to hand out. You never know when opportunity might strike! I have handed out cards in the strangest places.
What is one of your most important lessons you’ve learned since starting your business?
Nothing can take the place of good old-fashioned hard work and ingenuity. There is no magic button that makes things happen. The harder I work, the more opportunity I have for success. Right now I am trying to balance my success with my family, but I hope to have more time to put into my Etsy shop when my daughter starts kindergarten.
What advice would you give someone just starting out?
You get out what you put in. Which means this: If you list a couple things and expect people to flock to your Etsy store and buy it all and make tons of money, you need a reality check. Success is about hard work, making smart decisions, and really giving it a go. Give yourself goals and accomplish them. If you know you need help, ask for it. Be honest with yourself and have confidence in your work. Turn over every stone until you are a success and don’t give up!
What are your other sites (facebook, twitter, blog, etc.)?
FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/MarieYoungDesigns
TWITTER: twitter.com/#!/TheSalvagedEdge
BLOG: www.thesalvagededge.blogspot.com
PINTEREST: pinterest.com/thesalvagededge/
photo credit
