"What’s Your Story?" Featuring Artist Nancy Fallon

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I am thrilled to bring you Nancy Fallon as the debut artist in SBLC’s new segment “What’s Your Story”. It won’t be hard to see why I had to know more about this artist. Her versatility and style hooked me. From mixed media pieces to knit coin purses to pendants and beautiful note cards… here are some items I found in her Etsy shop, followed by a detailed interview. Enjoy!




About your work:
Where are you located?


I currently live in Baltimore City, Md.

What do you create?

I have a bit of a.d.d. when it comes to (well, anything) creating, so my products range. I most fully concentrate on my knitwear during the winter season- a line of knit scarves which I’ve just discontinued (attempting to streamline a bit), and a line of knit purses including- coin purses, clutches, medium sized shoulder strap purses, and totes.

During the spring and summer I concentrate on my inventory of miniature card and envelope sets, jewelry, and my mixed media art pieces.



When and why did you set up your online shop?


Back in the summer of 2008, a friend introduced me to etsy and I fell in love with it’s potential. Any artist understands what a renegade thought it is to have the chance to quit your day job and make money doing what you truly love- making things. I was hooked, and in early September I just had to open a shop to see where it could take me.


How do you promote your creations?


This year I’ve actually quit my full time teaching job to allow me to focus solely on my handmades business. I am determined to make it bigger, so this is an area I’m starting to concentrate on. In the past two years, I’ve maintained a blog (http://nfallondesignstudio.blogspot.com), grown my followers through give aways, constant blog reading and commenting, and entrecard. I’ve advertised with project wonderful, done internal promoting on etsy (treasuries, showcases-when you could, forums), and created a facebook fan page.

I’m dreaming bigger this year, currently researching rates on the bigger design blogs and planing to drop a few bones pretty soon in order to hopefully draw in more traffic.


What inspires your work?

I’ve written a few blog posts about what inspires my fine art and my jewelry designs here (http://nfallondesignstudio.blogspot.com/2009/04/inspiration-for-my-contained-series.html)

and here (http://nfallondesignstudio.blogspot.com/2008/10/growth-series-drawings.html)

For my knits and card sets, I’m really inspired by color. I love bright, really saturated colors, and I love finding unexpected combinations that work with one another in oddly attractive ways. For the designs, I just work out something I think I’d love to have or something that would function well with my things. My designs tend to be simple and utilitarian so they don’t fight with the sometimes tastefully outrageous things I have going on in color and texture with them.


What is your must have tool for creating?


Even though I’m admittedly addicted to many different supplies, I have to say my go to supplies are knitting needles. I enjoy knitting most out of everything I make. It’s a repetitive, relaxing activity, with a range of difficulty and potential. Almost every night of the week you will find me settled on the couch, knitting needles in hand.


Do you have any tips for others wanting to turn their art into a business?


You just have to be bold. It’s not an easy thing- you are your only everything- promotor, grunt work doer, maker, graphic designer, writer- you name it, you have to be good at it. Most of us start out knowing next to nothing about on side or the other so it involves a lot of research, patience, and persistence.


Extras:


What good books have you read or movies have you seen lately?


Movies/ shows- We just came to the netflix party, so I’ve been catching up, saw: 500 Days of Summer, Freaks and Geeks (AMAZING!), Brothers, About a Boy, Dexter

Books- Currently Reading- Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance; Recently read- Wicked, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (series),

Where was your last vacation?


I had the amazing (and unusual for me) opportunity to go to Greece and Italy this past summer. A friend from college is now a high school latin teacher, and asked me to go along as a chaperone. Of course I said yes- it was a LOT of hard work- but an unforgettable, incredible trip.


What is your favorite pastime outside of creating?


I’m a big nature buff. I love hiking and camping, just being in the woods or the country side. I go at least twice a month, 3 seasons of the year. Although, it’s tradition for one of my college buddies and I to go torture ourselves trekking through the snow and ice the first snow of every year…


Who is your favorite designer/artist?


I don’t know if I can say just one. My college degree is in Studio Art, concentration in Sculpture, so I’m largely influenced by modern and contemporary artists including: Eva Hesse, Jessica Stockholder, Anne Wilson, Rachel Whiteread, Do Ho Suh, Tara Donovan, so many others…

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