Name: Marina Marinski
Age: 29
Occupation: Ceramic designer
Etsy Shop: Marinski Handmades
Tell us a little about yourself.
I'm coming from a beautiful industrial city situated on Adriatic coast called Rijeka (meaning River), Croatia.
During the last couple of years, I have been working with different materials such as plastic, wood & clay. Organic properties of clay has fully occupied my attention. I found it strong and stable and at the same time warm and genuine in its primitiveness. I'm a jewelry and pottery designer and I run a small ceramic studio with a help of my boyfriend Daniel, photographer.
When did you start creating and how long have you been on Etsy?
I have started creating when I was 5 :)
At that age I was living in a big family house, with my cousins, grandparents and I enjoyed making little drawings and handmade presents for them, just to make them smile. That's what I remember. Later on, in high school, I enjoyed making bags, shoes and jewelry for my friends. Since then, I'm totally hooked on working with hands. After a good acceptance of my products in Croatia, I wanted to show my design to the rest of the world, so a year ago I opened an Etsy shop.
How did you come up with your business name, is there any special meaning behind it?
My name is Marina Marinski. People find it funny, like it's joke, but it's for real. I think my father did it on purpose and I'm glad he did it. It seemed like a perfect name for a brand :)
Has your Etsy shop become your full time job? If not, would you like it to be?
A month ago I completely changed the offer of my Etsy shop. Instead of jewelry, I have decided to go with ceramic dishes. I'm super satisfied with the feedback and hoping it will become a part of my full time job.
How would you describe your creative process?
My creative process is made out of tiny steps.
Sometimes I draw my ideas on paper, usually directly to the clay surface. First stage is hand building or building dishes using positive molds I have made out of plaster. Next step is reviving them with the illustration and when they are completely dry they are ready for the first firing.
To protect the drawing and to make dishes useable in the kitchen, I'm applying transparent glaze and returning pieces into the kiln for second firing. That's the production part after which there is still a lot of work to do such as photographing, marketing and packaging design.
Where do you get your inspiration from?
Everything around me can be an inspiration. Life is an inspiration.
Do you also sell your work at craft shows?
I love to sell my products at craft fairs. Couple of times a year I participate in them. I love to spend time with my customers and share experiences with other exhibitors. Craft fair is a place for me, always fulfilled with positive energy.
What is your most cherished handmade item?
It's so hard to pick one and I won't do it. Just love them all.
Everything around me can be an inspiration. Life is an inspiration.
Do you also sell your work at craft shows?
I love to sell my products at craft fairs. Couple of times a year I participate in them. I love to spend time with my customers and share experiences with other exhibitors. Craft fair is a place for me, always fulfilled with positive energy.
What is your most cherished handmade item?
It's so hard to pick one and I won't do it. Just love them all.
Apart from creating things, what do you like to do?
I love to cook, spend time with family and friends, dance, listen to music and travel.
Was there ever any other job you dreamed of having growing up?
Sure, a lot of them when I was a kid like being a lawyer or a nurse. Later on, I discovered that being creative and living out of my own creations is the best job ever.
Five years from now you will be..
making the same cozy ceramics, in a bigger studio, maybe having my own gallery, maybe living in the countryside and having big organic food forest. We will see :)
Describe yourself in five words:
Persistent, energetic, stubborn, imaginative, silly.
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?
Radiohead, Jose Gonzales, Queens Of The Stone Age, Kings of convenience, Little dragon.
Lastly, do you have any advice for anyone thinking about opening their own shop or participating in craft shows?
Just follow your dream and do what you love.
