Meet Shelly of Hana Sakura Designs
You can visit her shop here:
I've been an artist all my life. There hasn't been a single moment where I haven't felt the need to be creative in some way. When I was only 5 years old, I was already drawing my little heart out. All the other little kids would be outside playing on the monkey-bars or playing on the swings. I would be the one who would be inside just drawing away! :o) I think my first picture was a horse with saddle & bridle. (My Mum still has it in my baby book). So the answer to the question, is, I've been an artist for over 30 years now!
How many years have you worked with glass?
My fascination with glass started in 1991, a year out of high school. I got a job at a "The Stained Glass Cabinet Co." in Traverse City, Michigan. I don't know how I lucked out getting a job there, but I did. They taught me EVERYTHING about making stained glass. I've made cabinets, church window panels, suncatchers, kitchen/bathroom cupboards, breadboxes, lamps...You name it, I've done it. (And I have lovely glass-scars to prove it!) I just fell in absolute LOVE with glass from that point on. They did fuse glass there, but, I was more into the stained glass at the time. Only recently did I get hooked into fusing. Dichroic glass is just so incredible to look at and play with. I bought a little bit just "to try" and the rest is history! Now, I'm a full-blown Dichroic addict! (And I don't need any help, thank you very much. I'm happy being addicted!) ;o)
What triggers ideas for new projects?
Oh, everything and anything triggers ideas for me. Most of the time, it's something I see in nature that inspires me (like the colors of some pretty flowers or a butterfly). I could just be talking to someone...Having a "normal" conversation and I'll either hear or see something. Or, I'll be outside playing in one of my flower beds or rose gardens. An idea just "Pops" into my head! It's really weird! There's been times where I'm fast asleep, dreaming away.....Then I'll wake up with an idea for a pair of earrings or a certain color combination for a new floral pendant. I have to write/draw it immediately or I'll forget it by morning! When we were back in Hawai'i two years ago, the gorgeous blue water around Punalu'u Beach on Big Island inspired me to make bright-bright blue jewelry. You just never know where an idea is going to come from.
When do ideas come to you? How often?
They come to me all the time! I think I eat and sleep dichroic glass, I really do! I'd say I get a new idea probably 5-6 times a day, it just depends. We were watching a movie on TV the other night and during a really exciting part, something triggered an idea, so I had to pause the movie (DVR) and go run into the other room to draw it! I think the only time ideas don't come to me is if I'm sick with a cold. I'm especially creative with the ideas if I'm listening to some nice relaxing music.
What percentage of the day do you think about or work on your art?
Thinking about my art is probably 24 hours of my day! Even when I'm at work, supposed to be "working", I'm daydreaming about my jewelry! (Shhh...Don't tell my boss. Although, I think she already knows). She's always catching me staring off into space! ;o)I probably work on my jewelry about 2-4 hours every night after I get home (from the real job). Unless, of course, it's TV night Thursday and I sit in front of the TV all night long. Most of my jewelry making time is during the weekends. I love it and never get tired of it!
Do you create daily?
I go in "spurts" with the creating. I did create daily when I first started, but not so much now. I have a good supply of jewelry on-hand at any one time, so I don't need to create constantly. I sell my jewelry at two different art galleries here, and I need back-up supplies at all times. The only hard part of having a "cushion" of jewelry is I either want to keep it all for myself, or list it all on Etsy! And I have to hold myself back a lot of the time. When it's slow (like right now) I do make up a lot of things at once. Last night, for example, I made 50 new pendants. That way, when it's finally nice outside, I can use what I made up already so I can go out and Play! ;o)
How important is it for you to create art?
It's a BIG stress-reliever for me. I feel it's very important. It's my way to unwind from the day. Most people eat or shop when they're stressed, I create dichroic jewelry! It's just amazing how relaxed I get while making this stuff. And when I cut myself, it doesn't even bother me. I just keep on going! I love being creative! And it doesn't have to be with just jewelry making, either. Creating anything makes me happy. (Painting, gardening, drawing, etc.). Making art with my own two hands is just so cool and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world!
Do you feel that choosing the artist’s life has been a sacrifice?
Have you given up certain luxuries?
No, I wouldn't say a sacrifice at all. It's not a sacrifice if you're doing something you love and it makes you happy! :o) There isn't a single luxury that I've given up or even need. I'm very fortunate to have a hubby who helps me out and lets me live my dream. He's very good to me and I'm thankful for the life we have and the ability we have for me to do this. (dichroic glass isn't exactly a cheap medium.) The only thing I'm sacrificing is I have to work a "normal" job instead of doing this full-time. Our goal is to allow me to do this as a real job. Maybe someday, that dream will come true! In the meantime, I'm just having FUN right now!! :o)
Describe your studio.
Well, it's a total disaster right now. I wouldn't want anyone to see it (so please call me first before coming over!). We have an "extra" bedroom in the basement that we use as my art/glass room. I have glass everywhere! Oh, it's so bad right now, I really need to clean and organize! I have two pretty good sized windows so I can look outside at the birds and the neighbors (need to keep my eye on those folks, you know). I have two large stainless steel tables that I use for stained glass and fusing. My kiln is on the end of one of the tables along with my light box for taking photos of the jewels. My other table has pieces of dichro scattered everywhere! Ugh. I have my glass grinder on another table over there....My "Bobcat" torch and Oxygen Concentrator over there....Oh! It's just a mess! But you know what....I don't know of ANY artist who is truly organized! Most artists are messy-messy! And I'm definitely one of them! If I actually clean stuff and put them where they need to go, I'll never find anything! It's organized chaos! Yeah! That's it! That's my story and I'm stickin' to it!! ;o)
Tell me something about you.
Well, I'm a big goof-ball, in case you couldn't tell! I love making people laugh. Putting a smile on someone else's face is one of the best things in the whole world! Spreading happiness to people makes me happy! :o)But, if you must know....I'm married to my hubby, Dan. We met in college. I was going for Graphic Design & he was in Plastics Engineering. (my nerd-boy). We got married in Maui in 1997 on a lava cliff overlooking the black sand beach. "Ah...". We just love Hawai'i. Anything & everything to do with Hawai'i. We love going on little adventures. Like sailing off the coast of Lana'i, boating around the Great Lakes (we live in Michigan), hiking the lava flows at Kileaua volcano, hiking Mt. Rushmore & the Badlands. We just love being together! He's the best thing that's ever happened to me. ("Aw"). We have three "fur-kids" that we love more than anything. "Hana" our golden retriever (the biggest 85 lb. BABY you'll ever meet!), "Kali" the little buff tiger kitty and "Jack" our orange tiger kitty. Those guys sure keep us on our toes, let me tell ya! :o)I love gardening and have several flower gardens around my yard. (You'll notice a lot of my flowers in the picture-backgrounds of my pendants). Recently, I've gotten addicted to rose gardening. Love the flowers, hate the thorns! (although, I have outsmarted the things....I now have 4 rose bushes that don't have any thorns! Ha! Take that!) My rose gardening addiction started when we had a drugged-up neighbor kid climb my 6 ft. fence and try to get into my house. A couple weeks later, I planted a VERY thorny climbing rose bush where he climbed the fence. I pity the poor fool who tries to climb my fence NOW! That rose is gorgeous, but nasty!! Woah, buddy! I hope you've learned a little bit more about me. I'm surprised I didn't write a novel. I tend to talk a lot! So you all got off pretty easy, I'd say! :o) You all take care!
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