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Moving Against the Grain

in Featured Crafters, Handmade, Woodworking on

It’s wonderful to wake up in the morning and actually want to go to work. It’s an ideal situation, and I’m just ecstatic that I can do this for a living, and be creative again. To anyone who is reading this, if you’re not doing a job you love, start today. It’s totally worth it!

Christine Fields

Random Facts About You?

I wear a necklace, every day, that has a stone in it that my father gave my mother.

I'm happily married, and we have 5 dogs, so when we aren't working, we're probably vacuuming.

I talk to my plants, but they don't ever answer back.

I love the smell of old books, the holiday decorations from the attic, and popsicle boxes.



What got you started crafting?

Honestly? I've been creative and artsy my whole life. The first award I won was in the first or second grade, because I don't think the beaming smiles my mom gave me, when she hung my work on the fridge, count. Although, I love her for them. I took art classes in both high school and college, so I've gotten good at this whole drawing thing. Crafts in particular, I've done since, what?....girl scouts? I don't know, my mom was always super-crafty making things for church bazaars and stuff. Maybe I get the talent from her.

Most recently? I was a tax manager at a local mid-sized accounting firm for almost 10 years. I resigned in late June of 2010, and I guess I'm not that good at sitting around doing "nothing" all day, so I started a business. That's how Rustic Carvings got it's start.



What is your source of inspiration?

I find pretty much everything inspiring. Oh, I have my "I don't feel very creative today" days, but normally I'm pretty intrigued with the world around me. I guess that comes from being creative - you find a lot interesting. I can get "lost" in Etsy perusing other people's work and just being completely blown away by their ideas and talent! I may see something like a handmade dish towel and then get an idea for an art piece. Because I never, ever, ever throw out wood, I may walk into the garage, and the pile of odds and ends wood pieces sparks an idea. I don't think my brain works like "normal" people's. And, of course, my family, friends, and my dogs are a huge inspiration to me.



What have you made recently?

Recently, I've been trying to perfect these trees I carve out with a scroll saw. I haven't worked up a name for them yet, though. The first one I kept because I liked it so much. It's a bad habit! Ha! Honestly, though, the firsts don't usually come out very well, and in the case of this tree, it cracked in several places. Although I fixed it, so it's fine and stable again, I just didn't feel comfortable selling it. I'm ever thankful of my husband for letting our house be the showcase of my first tries that didn't go so well. Check out my blog for more about the trees.





Where do you sell your crafts presently?

I sell my work through Etsy, but I'm also looking at ArtFire now. I've done one craft show, but wasn't all that impressed with the turnout. I may try another one at the end of the year, this year, just to see if it was a fluke or I need to stick to other venues. I'm talking to a couple local shops about carrying my work. I also talk about my stuff, to anyone who will listen to me!! Oh, and my friends. They come up with ideas, I swear, just to keep me busy. I love their support.



Why are handmade crafts important to you?

Handmade things, no matter what they are, usually take a lot of time and effort. Which means that someone's heart and soul were worked into it. That's incredibly special and not something you can buy from a huge chain retailer. I like the uniqueness of handmade things, the great ideas, and the care that gets put into them. There's nothing quite like it.



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