Today I am excited to be sharing with you the amazing work of an artist from Greece. It is Tatiana, of
la boom! I was first attracted to her work by the way she makes simple things look meaningful, putting them in little shadowboxes and on pedestals, and the themes she presents... I had a very hard time choosing just a few items from her Etsy shop, but I finally did it, as you will see in the pictures. As it turned out, Tatiana is a very interesting person as well, a very real person -and that's what makes her a genuine artist!
Tell us a few things about yourself.
Hello! I am Tatiana. I am 35 years old, married to a fantastic man. I was born and raised in
Athens, Greece. I grew up in a creative family, as my mother and my aunt are painting, sewing and generally crafting since I was a small child. I had a huge crash on Maths as a teenager and I always wanted to study them and work in the research field. But, life had other plans so I ended up to be a graphic designer. I never stopped to craft though, mainly floating in paperland :) After years of working in companies as a designer, I felt last year, it was time to do something on my own. So, my husband and I, moved to our beloved Antiparos island in search for better life quality, peace and simplicity. I currently work at home but my dream is to open a small shop one day, where I can sell my crafts and undertake events like weddings and baptisms along with visual communication.
What is the most important influence on your work?
Nature. I am so totally into it that I find it difficult not to include even an idea of it in my work. Living in the countryside, has been a serious part of my life that I can't overlook. I love the way animals communicate with with each other and with people and what they might think. Everyday I hear the sounds of chickens, goats, birds and ducks and I make stories in my mind that influence me to create, along with the smell of the sea, weather changes, walks in the fields, lemon trees. I try to "capture" all these images in my shadowboxes.
Is there a relationship between innocence and inspiration?
Innocence is inspiration by itself. Nowadays it is so rare to meet purity in everything that has turned into a whole subject for me to explore. I like to think how things where like many years ago and how values where high in people's
hearts and minds. I am inspired of childhood a lot. Small children playing, riding their bikes, walking around, their connection to the universe is maybe the most innocent thing of all. I think that I tend to keep this innocence in a box, to preserve it from damage like something important and highly valuable.
What are the things that inspire you?
Apart from nature and childhood I mentioned before, I love typography. Especially the smell of freshly printed books. I can't help myself from opening them and smell the ink on the paper! I also love paper in general, midcentury era, curiosities, magicians, circus and carnivals, antiques, vintage findings, music and especially swing and rock n roll era. Last but not least, my husband. He supports me in everything and he often gives me ideas and tips on my work. Living with him makes me a better person everyday in a way I can enjoy all the small things around me, discover their true value and transfer them into my work.
Do you recycle?
I do whenever I can. One of the difficulties of living in a small island like Antiparos, is that you have to adjust to what this place has to offer you apart from all the good things. Unfortunately, recycling (garbage) is still absent here, but we hope this year to finally come into our lives! Other than that, I recycle a lot, I rarely throw away things I can transform them to something else useful. Old paper, packaging and clothes always find their second nature in my home :)
How do you spend your free time?
One of the things I enjoy at the island is heaps of free time. Although at this very moment, I create stuff all the time, so I dedicate most of my time to my work. I always loved the fact that my work is like a hobby to me. Usually though, I love bicycling, taking long walks at the beach, exploring the village and taking photos, gathering materials for crafting, listening to music, watching movies especially during wintertime and cooking!
What are you working on at the moment?
In the beginning of this year I read an article at etsy, where an artist was urging us to start a 365 project. I loved the motivation of creating something everyday. For me was the sparkle I was looking for, cause what I do, apart from some co-operations about visual communication, is my mainly job. I wanted to make my business work and for that I had to create often. So I started a project, where I make something everyday. It is difficult though, because I spend a lot of time on that and inspiration is not always there. I have to go out and find it :) Up to now, I am satisfied of how this going, but I still have almost 11 months ahead! But I love the challenge!
Thank you so much Tatiana!
I would like to thank you for the opportunity to share these things with you and your readers. It was a pleasure!
You can find out more about Tatiana's work in
her blog, and this is where she presents
her everyday crafting project.
