Friday Features No. 6 -- Featuring RavenX

Good Morning and Happy Friday! Today is the day we give away the "Best Friends" scarf from Fringe. And our winner is: ladavies. Congratulations! I will be contacting you soon!

Our Friday Feature today, features someone many of you might know....RavenX, whose shop name is Dirty Pretty Things. Raven is a "mixed media artist" based in Los Angeles, with a lot of different passions when it comes to creating. She has a very fun profile in her Etsy shop. Raven also has a "wunderfully creative" husband, mikiep.

Raven's creativity includes such wonderful items as Cherry Vanilla Mineral Bath Soak, Greeting Cards printed on the finest Italian cardstock, Delicious Long-Lasting Soy Candles, Clay Sculptures, and Acrylic Paintings. So let's get to know Raven a little better:

TDB: How and when did you get started crafting?
RavenX: Growing up, I remember helping my mum decorate cakes or sew clothes {both for Barbie and for us kids}. She always wanted to be a fashion designer, but like so many other women of that time, she gave up her dream to become a housewife and mother. She was thrilled that I later decided to follow her dream. I moved to New York City 2 weeks after high school with only $300, a dream, and a lot of perserverance…. I literally became a fashion designer with no formal school training. I stayed with that dream for 13 or so years of my life {and eventually got my degree in fashion design too!} …and then moved on to a different artistic side of myself, which is what I do now: acrylic paintings, sculpture, customizable greeting cards, yummy soy candles, bath salts, etc….

TDB: What is your favorite thing to make?
RavenX: Lately, I’ve really been into clay sculpture and pretty painted silhouettes. With clay you can have an idea in your head or sketched out on paper and never really know what you’ll come out with once your hands start to shape it. I’ve been working on new pieces for our Fall 2008 show here in Los Angeles. In the meanwhile, I’m hard at work on some sweet little cutie and some painted silhouette shapes that will be filling my shop soon!
TDB: To what do you attribute your success on Etsy?
RavenX: I am so happy to be where I am on Etsy, especially for only having been a member about eight months now. I have lots of great customers, some who have even now become friends. Many of them tell their friends about my work and are repeat clients, which is always the ultimate reward.
I think my success could be attributed to my doing what I want…mixing it up and offering all the things that I personally love to create. I don’t limit myself into just selling art or candles like many shops do. On one hand, offering only a single type of item is a plus on Etsy since there is no real way to move your store around and you are usually judged by what’s currently on your first page; but I feel that my store is more of a lifestyle…through my eyes. I love the store Anthropologie, so I wanted to create that sort of feeling, selling things that you might wish to have in all aspects or moods of your life. It's a work in progress. Of course I have yet to start doing clothing again…but in time, I’m sure I’ll be back to sewing again and will be offering off-beat wearable goodies too.

TDB: What advice would you give to an Etsy newcomer?
RavenX: Etsy success is all about promoting yourself and great customer service, like any other sales business. You’ll notice that when you’re not out “pimping” yourself, sales will go down. Etsy is so infiltrated with sellers now, that it’s hard to get noticed otherwise. Great photos and descriptions are also a must…think something you might find in a magazine. A sweet little blog with a following doesn’t hurt either…and it’s fun too! I have people find my blog and shop just by their “Googling” certain words. Ultimately, just keep doing what YOU love to do and the sales will follow.

TDB: What do you love to do when you're not crafting or selling on Etsy?
RavenX: Well, since the hubs is also an artist, there isn’t much time that were not being arty or working on our historic house that was last renovated in the Seventies! I also enjoy reading books on spirituality {currently reading the Oprah pick “A New Earth”}, going to low-brow art shows here in LA or eating Sushi. Now, that we have a house with a large yard, I also work in the garden a lot. I’m discovering a new found love of the flowers my mum used to teach me about when I was a child.

TDB: If you could learn a new skill, what would it be?
RavenX: Oh, there are so many, but a main one would be to work in oil paints since I currently only paint with acrylics. Currently, I'm learning how to use a Wacom Tablet to draw and it takes a lot of time and practice!
…and this may sound slightly strange, but I want to learn to weld. I’ve always wanted to work in metal, but have not ever had the chance. ;)

TDB: If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be, and why?
RavenX: I am thankful to have been able to travel as much as I have so far…but two places that are still on my list are Iceland and Japan. I have always felt connected to the Japanese culture and think I was a Geisha in a past life. I remember studying the Japanese lifestyle when I was in school and I was always totally enchanted. I love their genuine curiosity, forward thinking and ability to see things totally opposite than we do here in the West.
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Raven has generously offered to give away some of her fantastic creativity. Up for grabs are:

• Black Dahlia Card - Photographic image on fine Italian cardstock with envelope
  
• Black Cosmos Card - Photographic image on fine Italian cardstock with envelope


• Pink Floral Trio -3 Large Glass Gem Magnets

To Enter: Please visit Raven's Shop, then come back and leave ONE comment with your favorite item from her shop. If you neglect to follow directions, you will not be entered in the drawing. We do this because we really want to promote our featured artists, and that means getting people to go look in their shops! Thanks for helping out. Please make sure that we have a VALID email for you. I have more than once, had to re-pick a winner because someone left an anonymous comment and didn't leave their email!

Giveaway is open worldwide. Deadline for this giveaway is Thursday March 27th at Midnight PST.

Have a wonderful Easter weekend!

Angie

PS...Don't forget to scroll down to the next post to try and win a month of FREE advertising here on The Downtown Boutique!