While I was thinking about what I would write in this post, I started thinking of all the emails I get asking questions about the same three things: my odd collections, my inspiration and my tattoos.
ODD COLLECTIONS:
I’ve collected things my whole life. As a child I collected butterflies, plastic army men and art supplies. Today I seek out antique bug collections, cracked doll heads and vintage scissors. Some things never change. Why am I drawn to things like bent & rusted bird cages, worn out softballs & vintage dental samples? Maybe it’s their colors, their shapes or their textures? Or maybe it’s just their oddness? I never have been one to follow trends, see a room in a magazine and try to copy or see the world through rose-colored glasses…I prefer faded red. I like to take things people don’t see as beautiful and somehow make them beautiful. It’s in those simple, rusted, faded; almost mundane things that I force people to look at in a new light.
INSPIRATION:
I’m not sure where my inspiration comes from for my design work. Whether it’s graphic design, home décor, photo styling or even fashion, I rely on a feeling. My collections speak to me and it’s in those vintage objects that I get a feeling for a project. Rust, dirt, scratches, dents and worn imperfections come alive in my work. When I began Urban Prairie over two years ago, I had no idea it would become this “cult” style thing. My Urban Prairie website began as a way for me to showcase my design work and hopefully inspire others. It seems I have struck a cord with the “new” generation of designers and collectors. Within the many emails I receive, one message rings forth – It seems I’ve made it acceptable to view things differently. Although it’s inspiring to me to know that I’ve been told that I have made it “cool” to collect and design with odd finds, I would never take the credit. I simply feel design should always have an element of surprise. Don’t just think outside the box, deconstruct the box and turn it into something new and different altogether.
TATTOOS:
Tattoos are another thing I’ve loved since I was a child. I remember studying my dad’s tattoos for hours. I pretended to tattoo them on with a color pencil. My youngest daughter does that to mine now. Again, like my collections, I think I’m drawn to their colors and shapes. Their meaning is personal, but their designs I want to make a statement...a statement about me.
The same goes for by work.
