When I first heard that Timothy Adam’s brand new baby, -handmade spark-, was looking for writers, I jump on the opportunity! I just thought that it would so fabulous to write a Five Minutes Spark Interview with some of the people behind Handmade Blogs/Shops/Web Sites about what they do and why they do it! I am thrill to feature Artist and Blogger Penny Eager “creator” of Pocket Carnival, based in Melbourne, Australia…

Meet the Artist Penny behind Pocket Carnival!

✶WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO BECOME AN ARTIST?

When I was much younger, as a child, I was very creative, but through school & university not so much. Towards the end of and after finishing my uni degree I did a few various short courses in different art forms – wet felting, ink illustration, ceramics. Around that time I also happened to lay my mitts on my grandma’s old sewing machine. My current work is a combination of my illustrations and sewing – everything happened fairly organically and slowly, but now I am finally really happy with what I create!

✶CAN YOU TAKE US THROUGH YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS?

Everything starts in my trusty sketchbook. I would be lost without it. I usually go through periods where I just do a lot of little sketches over a day or so – usually there will be a specific inspiration like a book I’ve read, something from a movie, or an illustration or photo. Then, when I am trying to work on an idea for new fabric or a new illustration, I’ll have a look through my sketches and pick out the ideas I like. Sometimes I’ll work on an idea from a long time back – I’m working on a new fabric design now featuring a flamingo which is based upon one of my very first sketches in my current sketchbook. I usually draw really tiny so the book goes back a couple of years!

Once I’ve settled on an idea, I get my special ‘good’ paper and do the illustration in ink, then scan it in and get to work.

✶HOW DO YOU PROMOTE YOUR WORK?

I’m not by any means a superstar at promotion, but I’m getting better! I’ve got a variety of techniques – great customer service helps – I love it when a customer tells me they heard about Pocket Carnival from a friend! I try and approach websites & magazines with work I think they might be interested in, and encourage them to contact me for more info. I carry one of my purses everywhere, and try to display it seductively when I’m paying for something at the shops, or am out with friends!!! And of course I always carry a business card, just in case. I think promotion is really quite a cumulative thing, definitely the longer Pocket Carnival has been running, the more people are finding out about me!

✶THE BEST ADVICE EVER GIVEN TO YOU THAT YOU WOULD PASS ON?

Something along the lines of ‘stick to your guns’ or ‘keep going’! It has taken me a long time to get my business to where I want it to be – many products I’ve created have fallen by the wayside, but finally I’m happy with my direction. If you know you’re making a unique, quality, interesting product that you love, then there’s no reason why with a lot of hard work you can’t be successful!

Also – promote, promote, promote!

✶YOU HAVE MONEY AND 5 MINUTES?  “SHOW & TELL” WHAT YOU WOULD BUY?

I’m trying to redecorate my studio at the moment, so if you’re offering to buy me something, I would like 50 sets of these little paper bunting flags from Little Mo & Friends to cover a whole wall. I think they’d just be layered all over my wall, like scales on a mermaids tail. My walls are still so plain, they need color!

Where to find Pocket Carnival:

website: http://pocketcarnival.com.au/

etsy: http://pocketcarnival.etsy.com/

my shop: http://pocketcarnival.com.au/shop/

blog: http://pocketcarnival.blogspot.com/

twitter: http://twitter.com/pocketpenny/

facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PocketCarnival

Thank You Penny… You are a Star!