Interview Series 2: Week 6.1 – Double Feature!

As promised, here is a Tuesday edition Feature!

Today is a feature of one wonderful artist who runs two shops: Phillip runs both Street Flower Art and Street Flower Poetry on Zibbet.  Each one is special in its own unique way, but both are equally beautiful in what they contain!

Without giving away too much in this, I’ll just let Phillip explain it all, shall I?

Name:
Phillip Kelley
Craft:
Handmade keychains, Poetry, Photography.
Favorite material (or medium, whatever you want to call it!):
My favorite medium would have to be nature.
Your Most Popular Seller (whether it be online or at shows you attend):
Well I have not sold a favorite item. But people have commented the most on a male and female cardinal photo card.

5x7 matted clouds spitting out clouds photogragh
Clouds are amazing things, and this formation captured forever in photography, is very uplifting.

What got you into your craft?

My desire to make sure people have hope and joy. That there is a world out there where beauty still is found in the midst of chaos.

 

How did you learn your craft?

Mainly through trial and error. I tried a few things to see if it would work and was sent to the drawing board numerous times.

Handmade key chain
Each keychain is so unique, it took me several moments to choose which one to post – they’re all awesome!

What about YOU? Who is the artist behind those wonderful items?

I am just a quiet thinking type who messes up all the time and finds comfort in the process. Through mistakes, great things come. I am always trying to make my work better and not be content with my normal way of doing things.

5x7 hopper on a thistle photo greeting card
This photo really captures the thistle beautifully, as well as the butterfly pausing for a snack!

What is a typical "working" day for you? How does it usually start and end? How many hours do you spend crafting? How many hours do you spend on other things? What about distractions? I know we all have them! Do you usually accomplish all you wanted to?

I wake up and check my zibbet and thinkin about how to promote it better. Then I get ready for my regular work and head to do that. It helps cover the finances of what I really enjoy.  It starts with my checking zibbet and ends the same way. The amount I spend varies on the item. Some take less time that others. But total time, usually 4-5 hours a day with the different items I create. Other things would be about 9 hours since I am working at a job to fund my artistic side. Yeah I do get distracted, but I usually get my focus back right away. All of this goes for the two zibbet shops I am running. Yeah I believe I do accomplish all that I have wanted to so far. But I always know it is not the end. Just because one thing is done, does not mean more will come for accomplishment sake. Does that make sense?

What happens when you Oops? Everyone gets one sometime or another! Do you get frustrated and destroy/start over, or do you go with the flow and see what comes out in the end?


Hahaha, it happened to me a few times and beads were all over the floor. It was frustrating at first and I even lost some of the beads. But I recovered fine and started over. The item I was experiment at the time with was a beaded necklace. What came out in the end was neat and different than what I normally make.

5x7 framed poem titled New Seed
Beautiful poem, embraced in a lovely aged-look frame for a stunning effect.

What is your design process like? How many tries does it take to be happy with the final product?

I suppose it depends on the item. Through all the editing of my poems before the public sees them takes a couple days to complete. And to put together the photo cards takes about the same time with the editing and assembling of the cards. The key chains are usually the quickest and they take an hour at the most, depending on how I want it to look. It takes maybe 2-5 tries to make the outcome successful.

6x8 framed Deuteronomy 6:5-8 bible passage
Classic words with a classical frame, once again for stunning effect!

What is your greatest roadblock, be it government regulation or that little frustrating thing that just likes to sneak up and stop you in your tracks? Broken needle? Jump ring jumping out of your pliers? Thread knots? Cats? Dogs? The family hedgehog rolled about in your yarn basket?

The family hedgehog is the culprit hahaha. My biggest hangup would actually be a lack of inspiration. If I do not see anything that motivates my to take a picture or write a poem, then I get stuck for a while. It tends to pass after a week at the longest.

All important pricing... Do you have a formula? Do you wing it? Do you feel your work justifies your prices?

Normally I try to gauge how other people does it and make it close to their pricings. I do believe my work easily justifies the prices I have set up.

8x10 Matted Poem titled Sea Captain
A lovely poem matted and waiting to be hung, framed or as it is.

And of course, is there anything else you'd like to say to our "viewers at home"?

Continue to use your giftings and talents to bring blessing to those around you.

 

I truly admire Phillip for his courage to put not just a craft out there, but for also putting words out that have come from his heart and soul.  Every artist has a gift, something they can do well that they can offer the world, but I know few who would offer words, poetry, stories, in this kind of format, rather than in a published book.  It takes far more courage to put them out into the world in this way, since each poem is framed and/or matted and open to view, rather than remaining a curiosity inside a book.  Each word, each photo is a brief glance into the heart, and each is just as beautiful as the others.

Make sure to visit Phillip in both of his shops, Street Flower Art and Street Flower Poetry!

Until Thursday! Thank you one and all for reading!