Name: Joanne
Headington
Age: 46
Age: 46
Occupation: Artist/Designer/Tutor
Etsy Shop: Joy Pure And Simple
Tell us a little about yourself.
I’m a single Welsh woman currently living in Lancashire with two children, aged 27 and 17. I have always enjoyed learning how to make things. If I wanted something when I was younger, I would learn how to make it...bleach splashed jeans, holey mohair jumpers, tie-dyed T-Shirts...I even embroidered the hem of my super wide flared jeans...all this in my teens. So making has become who I am. I am a maker.
When did you start creating and how long have you been on
Etsy?
I am becoming more confident with my making skills now though, and the shop has gone through quite a few metamorphosis... which meant I had to learn how to use html, photoshop, and how to take better photographs of my work.
It has all been one steep learning curve.
How did you come up with your business name, is there any
special meaning behind it?
Where
do you get your inspiration from?
There is so much inspiration out there. I am really moved by artists that are true to themselves – they stand out so strongly from those watered down copy-cat versions. And although while learning your art it may be good to copy techniques and styles – eventually you have to create from your heart and soul. Nature, colour and simplicity inspire my designs – and I have always loved collecting fossils and stones. The dinosaur bone ring was one of the hardest rings to let go of!
Do you also sell your work at craft shows?
I have sold at craft fairs and was lucky enough to have a stall at the Welsh Eistedfodd in Bryn Mawr a couple of years ago. It was a very quick lesson in presentation...the customers were more interested in the dried flowers I had used as props, than my jewellery!!
What is your most cherished handmade item?
My Grandmother was always making things for us. It was so wonderful to see traces of her all around our home after she had died so suddenly and unexpectedly. A needle case she made me when I was learning to sew is still the most used and loved treasure in my sewing box.
Apart from creating things, what do you like to do?
Read, write in my journal and walk in the countryside.
If you weren’t an artist, what would you be and why?
A psychologist or sociologist. I find studying people absolutely fascinating.
Five years from now you will be…
I may be living on my own – my children are grown ups already !
Describe yourself in five words:
Impulsive, independent, inquisitive, inspired, introverted.
Carrying on with the five theme, if I were to turn on your <insert whatever type of music player you use here>, what five artists/songs would I see on your recently played list?
Spotify has been running through Rockin’ Robin, Run Run Rudolph and Frosty the Snowman quite a bit this month, though the Sussex Carol and the Hallelujah Chorus has had it’s fair share of the list too!
Lastly, do you have any advice for anyone thinking about opening their own shop or participating in craft shows?
Don’t be afraid to fail. We learn more quickly by making mistakes, and by not giving up!
