Look at the crafters: Kiamyka

Good morning its an early post from me today which probaly won't be happening ever again. Today i'm going to show you some items from another fab crafter. We had a chat to see where the greatness comes from

When did you start crafting?

I come from a family of creative people and I started crafting at the age of 4 when my Grandma taught me to knit and sew. For my Grandma it was always a necessity but for me it was a mixture of necessity and a desire to be different. My early memories are also of sitting watching Granddad in his shed, where he would make all manner of things from wood but he was not as forthcoming in showing me how to use his tools as this was the late 50's, early 60s and a girl ought to have known her place.

Throughout my life I have used my creative edge purely for myself, my home and and my family, focussing mainly on sewing, knitting and crocheting. From getting my first home in the 1970s I was into re-modelling and making the old look different which meant getting to grips with power tools. When programmes like Changing Rooms hit the TV Channels it was already old hat for me.

My children always wore clothes which were different to the other kids because I made them all- it's a family joke that all the boys in the family had the same shirt as my son's shirts were handed down to 3 of his cousins and so 4 of them have school photos wearing the same shirt.As my career in Adult education progressed and I climbed the ladder from teacher to Head of a Community Adult Education Centre my creative streak was subdued due to the pressures of work and it was only when my health led me to quit working that I was able to focus once again on creating and ultimatley my Jewellry business was born.

What inspires you?

Whilst shape and form are obvioulsy important in my designs, I am inspired by the colours I see all around me every day. I especially like to use starkly contrasting colours together, but these choices are always inspired by what the natural world puts together eg Blue and orange combinations inspired by kingfishers. Close ispection of flowers also give some wonderful clues of which colours will work well together. Often I decide i want to make something with a particular stone and I just sit contemplating it , wondering how best to team it up and I have Eureka moments and just seem to "know" the perfect compliment for it

Do you have a favourite item out of your range?

I don't mean this to sound arrogant, but I love all the pieces I make as I know one day it will be just perfect for one particular person. I am currently working on a totally new range, some of the initial ideas have been previewed on my blog (http://kiamyka.blogspot.com/2010/06/new-ideas-new-designs.html) These are such a change from anything I have created before but i am just loving working with the palettes of colours available in Czech Seed beads. The new designs are so tactile too and i love the fact people just want to hold onto them when they pick them up to view them.

What is your favourite tip for other crafters?

I think the best advice I can offer is to enjoy what you do, regardless of the actual craft- strive to be different and tap into your own unique creativity. Mix with other like minded people as the interaction fires and inspires you further. See other crafters as friends rather than competitors and share ideas and information - it's a win win situation. Never undersell yourself, and set realistic prices to cover the time aspect of your work too. Love life!