Feature Friday! - Pikithins

Good morning everyone! (well, not much morning anymore, BUT the internet wasn't working AGAIN, so I'm a couple of hours late at posting this feature! Yeesh.)

Anyhoo, yes, it's another Feature Friday! I met Pikithins on the chats one night (where I meet a lot of friendly and talented etsians!) and fell in love with her shop. All pictures you see are linked right with their etsy listings, so feel free to click away to find out more details! Sit on back and relax and get to know Pikithins!



1. Let us know a bit about yourself!

My name is Carolina and I live in New York. I'm also a college student studying illustration/Poetry in the dual degree program at the New School. Aside from this, I love occupying my time with knotting bracelets, roller skating, badminton, exercising, bowling, walking around the city at night, and eating green tea waffles in Chinatown!



2. When did you start crafting? What/Who inspired you to become an artist? Do you do different crafts that what you sell on Etsy?

During elementary school, on every Sunday, my siblings and I would receive an allowance from my father. With the money, we would all hop on the bus; ride the ferry, and then catch a train to Chinatown in the city. We would always hurry off to Elizabeth Center and spend all of our money on straw stars, origami paper, whistle earrings, string, and metal rings. The burst of bright colours in Chinatown stores inspired me to craft at a young age. Chinatown also introduced knotting and weaving with strings to me since I never did much if it in elementary school. I don't go there as much as I used to, but it still holds one of the top spots on my inspiration list.



3. What was the sole purpose of opening your shop?

For the past year, I have been dealing with a medical condition that really threw me off my sense of motivation in doing anything. Everything seemed pointless to me from my illustrations, my poetry, to my job. Once summer came, I realized all the work I'd been doing had left me unfulfilled because I wasn't doing what I really wanted to do: craft. I had been placing so much time and effort into my education that the hobbies that kept me sane were being left behind! I decided to do some hard core crafting during the summer from dolls, paper sculptures, and finally, to cobra knotted bracelets. After that, I thought opening a shop would be a great idea when a co-worker introduced Etsy to me. I felt fulfilled afterwards because I finally had a goal that included crafting as an intimate process.



4. How did you decide on a shop name?

At first, I was going to name my shop Thiknthins to describe the bracelets I sell as being thin while the beads were thick. However, I decided to play with the idea more when I thought about a nickname my friends knew me by: EggPanPockyMan. The letter P in the name stuck in my head and I decided to replace Thik with Pik. Pikithins is a play on the words 'picky' and 'things'. I am SUPER picky as to how details convey an items personality, but I am open-minded as to how those details come together. Thiknthins described only one product in my shop, while Pikithins captured a part of my creative process that applies to all the products I sell. I want people to think of Pikithins as a shop that functions like an interactive catalog of stories they can have fun with.



5. What venues do you use to promote your work? What is your favourite to use?

I defiantly have a blog where I post projects I'm working on, poetry I write, or any adventures I recently have been on, and free gift giveaways. Check it out here!
My Facebook fan page lists updates to the shop, photo albums of the dolls, and discounts for Facebook Fans!
Blogging is like the inside of my head; I'm welcoming everyone to come in and take a peek at what I'm up to. Blogging feels more intimate and fun then Facebook because the blog itself acts like an imitation of the bloggers character.



6. Is there any other information you'd like to share with anyone?

I have a Halloween sale section up with reduced priced items! I also do custom orders for bracelets and any number of sets for doll head minis!
To the new sellers... think about what your story your item is trying to tell. Don't let the function of an object tie down the story and history that lies behind it. They are just as important as the function.



7. Name a few of your favourite things!

Anything earth tones with a dash of oranges :) I LOVE fabric cuffs with wooden buttons!! Bracelets that don't fall of my 5 inch wrist, wooden board games, knitted green hats, plush toys, wooden toy cars, and necklaces with a wooden ornament on a brown cord.



8. If you had a super power, what would it be and why?

I have a lot of nicknames, and one of them is the Owl. I want to fly just like them!


Well folks, thanks for stopping by to meet Pikithins! She's a truly inspirational young lady, who has incredible talent! Don't forget to stop by Pikithins Blog, and also Pikithins Facebook Fan page to learn more about her and find out what she's working on!