This week we are heading to Colchester, England.
Name: Becky Kemp
Age: 31
Occupation: Creator
Etsy Shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/SketchInc
Tell us a
little about yourself.
I live and work in the Southeast of England. It has taken me 10
years since I graduated from Art School but I am now exactly where I have
always wanted to be, creating and working for myself. I couldn’t be happier.
When did you start creating and how long have you been on Etsy?
I’ve been creating for as long as I can remember. My mother
has a battered old photo of me barely old enough to walk sitting in our back
garden making a house from cement, bits of wood and stones while my dad was
building an extension on our house. Mum
was sewing and painting watercolours and Dad was building model railways when I
was a kid so I never lacked inspiration or encouragement.
I opened my Etsy shop
at the end of March last year as a quick fix to sell some paintings which I
couldn’t find room for. I sold nothing
until September but 16 months later I’m now self-employeed. It’s still weird to
think that my Sketchbook creations are walking the streets of places I’ve never
visited on someone else’s cardigan or adorning a living room wall….I have to
pinch myself sometimes.
How did you come up with your business name, is there any special meaning
behind it?
Sketch.inc is simply a play on words to describe my creative
process ‘Sketching’ and ‘Pen & Ink’.
How would you describe your creative process?
My Sketchbooks chronicle every doodle and idea that pops
into my head. If I had to save one thing from my house in an emergency it would
be my Sketchbooks. Although my Studio is a little (very) chaotic at times every piece is
planned on paper first. The usual refining process starts when it leaves the
page but the end product more often than not closely resembles the original
sketch. I am a Sketcher and Painter at heart but I would never define myself as
either. There are so many fantastic mediums out there to express your self, I
find it very hard to stick with just one or two.
Where do you get your inspiration from?
With my trusty Sketchbooks to hand I’m usually jotting ideas down from
noon till night. The best ideas always come 5 minutes before I fall asleep so
the bedside locker is always staked with paper and pencils. I doodle a lot and
mess around with colour combinations and forms, I love Japanese
animation, abstract expressionism, wrapping paper, textile patterns and
anything else I can get my hands on. The nesting dolls where inspired by a girl in Russian
Doll fancy dress on a night out which reminded me of my Grandmother’s Russian
Dolls I used to deface with a marker pen.
Do you also sell your work at craft shows?
No. But I love the idea of selling face to face with a
customer and have been invited to some craft shows this December. If I get
myself organized in time you may find me behind a stall on Colchester High
Street in a neon rain coat, earmuffs and a hot chocolate.
What is your most cherished handmade item?
Hands down a beautiful Quilt made by my mother last
Christmas. I found out afterwards that it had taken her all year to make. When
I lived in North Wales I was constantly complaining about the cold and the Quilt
became the perfect cocoon wrap for a Sunday afternoon on the sofa watching
Downton Abbey repeats with a Hot Chocolate in one hand and a paint brush in the
other.
Apart from creating things, what do you like to do?
Creating takes up the majority of my time but I do love to
roam vintage clothes shops and rummage through ebay for second hand clothes and
make them my own. I have a not so small collection of Illustrations and Vinyl
Character Toys, which is quickly taking over every shelf and wall space I have
spare. I’m also that annoying friend who has to instagram evvvvvvverything!
If you weren’t an artist, what would you be and why?
I would love to study stop motion animation, sculpting the figures and
building their armature, fascinating! I’ve always loved the old Ray Harryhausen
movies (Jason and the Argonauts, Sinbad) but I’m not sure if I would have the
patients to create 25 frames per second.
Five years from now you will be…
Driving to the Post Office in a Mini Cooper instead of sprinting on foot
(I am STILL learning to drive). Living in my own home rather than renting and
successful enough to take a few holidays without feeling guilty.
Describe yourself in five words:
Daydreamer
Geek
Industrious
Curious
Insomniac
Carrying on with the five theme, if I were to turn on your iPhone, what five
artists/songs would I see on your recently played list?
Oh no! this could be really embarrassing…opening iTunes now!
In descending order…
1. Daniel- Bat for Lashes
2. Colorblind – Counting Crows
3. Underdog - Kasabian
4. You’ve got the dirtee love – Florence and the Machine
(Brit awards 2010)
5. A Whole New World -Aladdin Soundtrack ( I knew their would
be one geek track in there somewhere…doh!)
Lastly,
do you have any advice for anyone thinking about opening their own shop or
participating in craft shows?
Don’t give up! With every
‘paycheck’ job I’ve had over the years (and there have been many) I kept a
sketchbook journal of all my creations in my back pocket/ handbag/
briefcase. Don’t let your creative
Monster go to sleep! Be honest and create what you love and hopefully someone
else will love it too.
