Pasadena Vendor Spotlight: Sone
1. How did you get your start in the handmade community?
My grandma taught me how to crochet one summer and I started making earrings out of crochet and buttons. At this time I was studying art at UCLA. I took the option to study abroad in South Africa for 1 semester. So I started wearing these earrings to my art classes there and many students wanted to buy them. When I came back to UCLA the same thing happened. Being near very eclectic and cool boutiques, I started selling them on consignment at a few shops in the area.
2. What do you feel makes your work unique and truly your own?
My approach in making/designing. I come from a fine art background so the initial stage is sketching out shapes from the environment. The things I find interesting can be very ordinary or a small detail of something. Then I think, can I wear this, would I want to wear this, how can I make it so it can be worn, what materials will help me achieve this idea? I am interested in making timeless pieces, not trends. It's also exciting to make pieces that are modular. Simple pieces that can be combined, rearranged, and reimagined by the wearer (such as the front back earrings and second hole earrings)
3. What or Who Inspires you?
It's hard to find things that don't inspire me. I see fascinating shapes everywhere. Shadows, strange angles of furniture, my backyard, construction sites, wires sticking out from electrical poles, unfinished buildings. I take quick photos of them and look through them at home. Going to a contemporary museum is super inspiring. I go with my 4 year-old son so it's even more eye opening seeing it from his point-of-view. Also, hardware stores are great for ideas. I go through each aisle looking at tools, parts, shapes.
4. What is your creative process like?
I have a sketchbook and I make small drawings here and there. Being a mom I don't have the luxury of having a long stretch of time to focus on one thing. So when I have 20mins, I just stop and look around and search for shapes that catch my eye and document them. I make a lot of little drawings and I am not precious about them, I just put as many ideas down as they come. When I get a bit of quiet time (usually when my son is asleep) I look through all the drawings (and sometimes photos) and pick out a few and manipulate them and think about how they can be simplified and become wearable objects. Then I may make some samples.
But sometimes this process is completely flipped. I love hardware stores and when I find a really cool part or piece there I think, how can I incorporate this into my work. So sometimes the work is completely informed by the material.
5. What is the coolest artistic tip you have ever received?
The value of learning many techniques. I love to learn and having many making solutions under your belt puts you in a position to fully realize your ideas.
6. What can we expect to see from you at Jackalope?
I will have minimalistic, playful, versatile earrings and necklaces. I look forward to helping shoppers try them on and find their own combinations. Almost every earring design has the option of being sold per piece (instead of as a pair) so you can create different asymmetrical looks. It's so exciting to see my work on someone else, it totally changes the context. As soon as they wear it, it becomes something else, something new.
7. Where can we learn more about you?