There are good people in the world. People do care. And you can inspire change no matter how small…everywhere you go. Today there was a homeless man at a stop light. I rolled down my window and handed him a dollar (I don’t carry much cash but it was something.) The woman behind me rolled down her window and gave him some money, and so did the woman behind her.
Did they give because I did? Maybe not. But the point is, good feelings are contagious. You pass along some positive energy, make someone smile and don’t judge them in the instant you see them…and good things will follow.
Bit by bit we change the world, step by step we mark the course, and the path that has been long since overgrown with bushes and weeds is often the best path to walk. <3 Love, be loved, give to those who need...and smile. Life is too short for anything else! <3
Courtney Herz
Random Facts About You?1) I am happy, a little eccentric, but never dull <3 2) I am a hopeless romantic, and am lucky enough to have found my love which inspires much of my work. 3) I am nature based and my work reflects it. 4) I walk to the beat of a different drummer. Actually they had to make a different drum but...
What got you started crafting?
Art is in my blood. It was a long journey discovering what type of artisan I am. I went from doing everything to doing this one thing that I love so much, which is making jewelry that is inspired from my own prose and poetry, drawn from nature and romance, usually combined in some fashion, such as a romantic walk through the woods.
I still do other crafts, but not professionally (except sometimes at craft shows).
I've always made things. When kids were out playing, I was in writing stories and drawings, off in my land of magical creatures and places. I still live there, but shhh don't tell! =)
What is your source of inspiration?
Nature and romance, hands down. I am captivated by nature and inspired greatly by simple romances, hand in hand walking through the woods, a kiss stolen in the rain while watching swans on the pond....these little moments in life that we so often overlook as important...these are the things we will remember when we don't remember our own name. I treasure them, and I create them, as much as I can, so I never have to let them go. If you can wear that day at the pond...you can treasure it and make the intangible somehow...some way...tangible.
What have you made recently?
I recently made a glass pearl (I'm a vegan shop) bracelet in steely grey glass pearls with silver tone wire. I hand wired the whole piece together and added a cute little magnetic clasp for easy closure. On one side of the bracelet, the side that faces up on the top of the hand, I placed a sterling silver plated swan.
My boyfriend showed me this pond by my house I didn't even know existed. There are swans there and ducks, and we go there often. One time it started raining and very spontaneously we said, let's go to the park and kiss in the rain! We ran through the park in the rain and then stood on the cobble edge around the pond watching the swans. A stolen kiss in the rain while watching swans on the pond....true story...made tangible.
I made a matching necklace, as well. This is going up in my shop later tonight! =)
Where do you sell your crafts presently?
I sell mainly on Etsy. I love Etsy for everything they offer artisans. I also sell in person and to people I know.
Why are handmade crafts important to you?
Why anything else? Handmade is that personal connection. Nobody sitting in a corporate office of a big box brand name store is putting their heart into their pieces. I hand make each and every item, I ask my customer what their favorite colour is, I handmake the packaging accordingly, I look at their profiles on Etsy and see if they have a favourite thing in life...like frogs...and add a sticker of a frog....handmae is personal. It's that one on one connection we lose in this day and age. That connection with another human being. Every person in the world who owns a piece of my jewelry has a piece of my heart, and that is so awesome. I can personalize anything for them, and they truly become like friends, even like family, to me. Handmade is one of the only true connections we have anymore, and I just love it to pieces! <3 Plus, it helps me not have to have a boss. I am my own boss, and I have my own life and have time for those I love and this life is too short to slave away for somebody who could care less whether they let me go or keep me. My fate is in my own hands, and that is priceless.
Find Me
LocationSunny California
Email Address
Courtney Herz
Personal Website
http://www.happilyunemployedwomen.blogspot.com
Store Website
http://phoebesattic.artfire.com
@phoebesattic
http://www.facebook.com/courtneyherz