HOW DID YOU GET STARTED ON YOUR CREATIVE PATH?--My father is an artist and comes from a long line of crafty folks. It was his hope for me, as his first born, to carry on that tradition, hence naming me ARTina. I started out drawing and then I transitioned into sewing by making my own Barbie doll clothes as a young girl.
WHAT DO YOU CREATE?--I create handmade accessories such as handbags, hair accessories, and crochet earrings. On a local level I also do alterations and garment construction...but not so much lately because grad school is so demanding.
WHAT INSPIRES YOU TO CREATE?--My inspiration is mostly color and fabric. Sometimes I will see a piece of fabric that I simply must have because something about it "tells" me what it should be when I look at it. As I don't have any definite knowledge of what cultures truly make up my family tree, I am also very inspired by other languages, clothing, and customs. I also just like drafting patterns and putting things together! Sometimes I don't produce as much as I would like because as I'm making one item, I'm envisioning how I could make it better and the next thing you know, I'm redrafting the pattern!
HOW HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO MAKE A LIVING BY BEING YOUR AUTHENTIC, CREATIVE SELF?--I am positive that if I could get my creative ADHD in check I could live off of what I make. In the meantime my creative fix is mostly a decent side hustle for myself.
WHAT NEW PROJECTS ARE YOU WORKING ON?--Well, as far as school goes (I'm working towards my Master of Fine Arts degree), I am producing various types of fiber arts using skin modification (tattoos, piercing, scarification, etc.) as inspiration. So far I've made a few "extreme" handbags and I'm working on dolls. As far as MASHULU I'm making clutches, shoulder bags, and oversized bags that could also be used as baby bags, overnight bags, or carry-ons. I would love to throw in some funky appliquéd tanks and tees in the spring. We'll see.
HOW CAN PEOPLE FIND & SUPPORT YOUR WORK? My main site is where I will have all my newest pieces and where you can request custom items: http://www.mashulu757.com/.
I also Tweet (@MASHULU757
I have a fan page on Facebook
I blog http://mashulu.blogspot.com/ and my creative "experiments" may be purchased on Etsy at discounted prices http://mashulu.etsy.com/.
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