Saturday, March 21, 2009

Meet Brandy from Broken Hallelujah!

Greetings! Today we are going to explore the art of Brandy from Broken Hallelujah, who creates unique crocheted accessories such as this beautiful "Time for Tea" hat ...
I wish I could crochet like that! Brandy's work is fabulous, and inspiring, and I'm so thrilled that she gave me this opportunity to get to know her better... so, everyone, please take a moment and meet my new friend, Brandy!

How long have you been creating your art?

I have been crocheting and selling my products online for almost 4 years. It'll be 4 years in July.

Where do you sell your art?

Artfire and Etsy

How do you market/advertise your stores?

I have a blog that I try to keep relatively up to date with new items. I also spend time on the Artfire forums, on Plurk (brokenhallelujah), twitter (bhallelujah), flickr, and kaboodle.


Photo from Brandy's Artfire Studio


At what point did you decide to sell your art?

When I couldn't afford to go out and buy yarn because I was spending too much and my crafts were starting to pile up after I'd already made something for everyone I knew.


What advice would you give to someone who is just starting out?

It's hard; it takes a lot of time; and you probably won't see an immediate return on your efforts. The hardest part is having the patience to wait for customers to find you. Take great pictures, get your name out there, network, and keep to it and you'll finally get there.

What inspires you?

Creativity. When I see great new designs that I admire, it pushes me to another level.

Every artist experiences "creative block" - a creative dry spell - how do you deal with creative block?

Take a break. If you try to push it you'll just get even more frustrated with yourself. Just chill out and let it come to you.

How did you choose the medium you work with?


I crocheted when I was young, and so it when I was looking for a hobby to fill some time I had, I felt it would be easier for me to pick up since I had previous knowledge of it.

Photo from Brandy's Artfire Studio

How do you wish to be remembered?

Creative, fun, whimsical.

Who are your favorite artists (living and deceased)?

I'm really not a big art buff. I don't think I could name a favorite artist really. I enjoy old Renaissance paintings, but I'm much more in to movies and tv.

What blogs do you visit on a regular basis?

This is when having your RSS feed emailed to you bits you in the bum because I don't know any of the blogs URLs! I love Tracy at Pink Purl and a Year from Oak Cottage provides great recipes every day. Those are two I love that I remember off the top of my head.

For anyone who might be reading, what shops would you recommend that they visit right now?

http://pegasussoaps.etsy.com, http://3zArt.artfire.com, http://soapylove.etsy.com, http://auntifranni.artfire.com

Any final thoughts?

Thanks so much for this opportunity!

And... thank you Brandy!!!

1 comment:

Brandy said...

Thanks again! This looks so great and I'm really excited to be featured! I'm off to let all my friends know!!!