Monarch Awakens

Thea actually found my blog through my post about Georgia, and boy am i happy she did!! She owns a lovely shoppe called Monarch. Her gorgeous photographs are wonderful, but she took it up a notch, but turning her lovely artwork, into beautiful pieces of art you get to wear. And nothing gets me more then an amazing jewelry artists!



1) How long have you been crafting?

I started taking art classes in Woodstock, NY when I was 11 years old. My teacher held classes in her home and encouraged us to experiment with collage, sculpture, sewing, drawing and painting. In high school I majored in photography and art. I thought I would pursue graphic design in college but got sidetracked by my love of nature and ended up majoring in Biology instead. I took some years off from creating while in college. It wasn’t until 2005, when I took time off from teaching to stay home and raise my son, that I picked up my camera again. I haven’t put it down since.



2) Did you always craft in this genre?

Jewelry design is new to me. Last Christmas I decided to try my hand at making my art wearable and began experimenting with resin and jewelry design. Taking photographs is when I feel the most joy, although I still enjoy collage and drawing as well. I use jewelry design as a way of sharing my photographs.



3) Who or what inspires you?

This is a tough question because there are so many artists that have inspired me. I would have to say my mother has been my greatest inspiration. Her love of nature and photography were great passions that definitely trained my artistic eye. Next would have to be the artists I have met through blogging. Misty Mawn was one of the first bloggers that I connected with. Watching her work evolve and having her support and friendship really gave me courage to further explore my artistic passions. I have also been inspired following the journey of Kelly Rae Roberts. Her honesty, openness and willingness to share her journey has been invaluable to me. Watching her career blossom has been exciting and inspiring to me.

There are too many photographers that inspire me to list them all.

I am inspired by many art forms. Mary Oliver’s poems speak to my heart, and when editing a photograph sometimes one of her poems will come to mind. You will find many of my photographs have been dedicated to her poems.

Music also serves as inspiration. Listening to The Weepies gets my creative energy flowing like no other music I have ever listened to. I hope to create some drawings or photo collages based on some of their songs.

But the best inspiration for me comes from just being outside in the sun and fresh air, surrounded by nature. My camera helps me savor the details of my surroundings and is a practice of gratitude for the beauty around me.




4) What challenges have you found while taking your craft into the business world?

Having very little experience in business and being a stay-at-home mom of a 2 ½ year old has been challenging – especially from a time management perspective. There is so much to learn about business management, web design, jewelry design and photography. Sometimes it is hard to know where to concentrate my time and energy. Start up costs are also a very real issue. Jewelry design has a lot of up-front costs associated with it.



So go up there and click on her links, she's a friendly gal, and would love to hear from you!