Tell us about yourself.My name is Taryn, I live in Mt. Clemens in an old house built in 1891 and I run a little craft company called TalkingSquid that's been going now for about 2 years. And yes, Squid's can talk!
What are your favorite materials and what types of things do you create with them?Fabric, tee shirts, color, and modern design! I love to recycle, and I'm a total vintage fabric junky...it all started with a one dollar box filled to the brim with vintage fabric scraps that I found at an estate sale...for some reason, the gears just started turning...
What first made you want to become an artist / crafter?I've always been the "artsy type", I went to CCS for photography and quickly learned that traditional schooling wasn't for me. I explored and dabbled in everything from painting to modeling before I started to figure out what my artistic vision was. As someone who is 100% self taught in all of my current crafting, I'm still learning everyday. I really love to take my design concepts and turn them into unique but practical products that people can enjoy.
Where does the inspiration for your work come from?*Sigh* Everywhere...pretty colors, nature, shapes, modern design, fashion, vintage patterns and craft books, eco/green design, traveling...and a lot of daydreaming while I'm dressing mannequins at my normal job.
How do you promote your work?I've always got a pocket full of business cards and a mouthful of words to say about supporting DIY! I also do a lot of chatting and networking with other crafter's, artists and business owners. You have to be fearless when talking about and promoting your own work or you can go belly up pretty fast.
Where can your work be found? You can find me at
www.talkingsquid.etsy.com and
www.myspace.com/talkingsquid currently (a website of my own is coming soon!) You can also find TalkingSquid at local craft fairs (Next Thursday March 6th at the Hamtramck Blowout with Handmade Detroit), you can find my ties at Naka in Ferndale, and some of my items are at
MY MY Art & Craft in Hatboro, PA. Oh, and I think I've got one of those Flickr's too!
What do you like best about the DIY scene?Complete and total creative freedom. There isn't one single person that dictates what I can and cannot make...it's a beautiful thing.
In five years what would you like to be doing?Honestly, I'd like to leave my full time job behind and focus on starting a family and working for myself expanding TalkingSquid. With the success of websites like Etsy, it seems like a total possibility which is VERY exciting!