Blog
Changing Directions: Get to Know These One of a Kind Makers
10 . 24 . 2022
Did you know that the average person changes careers 5-7 times over the course of their working life? We spoke with four artists who will be exhibiting at the One of a Kind Holiday Show who took the leap from their traditional jobs to pursue their craft full-time!
Timothy Hall meticulously handcrafts pieces for the home from salvaged wood native to his home in Union Pier, Michigan.
Tell us about your work and creative approach.
Timothy: The wood I use dictates how the final piece will look. The entire idea is to allow the wood to show its beauty while the design and function become secondary. I never go into making anything to "force" the material to be something other than what it is.
What led you to pursue a full-time career as an artist?
Timothy: The desire to create was always there. It took years of working in more traditional careers for me to realize what makes me the happiest is to be making. If I am able to create something that others find worthy, then why not commit to that life?
Where do you find the inspiration?
Timothy: From everything around me. Over time, the more I have concentrated on exploring the woods I utilize I became "trained" at noticing the subtleties of everyday life. The way a candy wrapper lays on the ground or the way a weed grows or some other design created by humans. There is beauty everywhere once you are awakened to it.
Is there anything you're hoping to shop for or looking forward to seeing at the Holiday Show this year?
Timothy: Yes! Ceramics, photography and paintings. We have several items in our home that we have bought at the One of a Kind Show in the past. I hope to continue that tradition!
Rachel Sevcik started PigMint on a whim in January 2020. She creates hand-dyed, wearable items for infants, toddlers, kids and adults, as well as a selection of home goods. Each piece is dyed by hand with fiber reactive dyes and an ice-dyeing process that takes a full 24 hours to complete.
When did you decide to pursue your craft full-time?
Rachel: I always knew I would be an artist from a very young age. I spent my childhood creating and crafting and drawing. After college, I went had a career as a graphic designer. But in late 2019 I stumbled upon this craft, taking blank, white clothes and making them come alive with color. By January 2020 my online shop was up and running.
What are you especially excited to bring to the Holiday Show this year?
Rachel: I am just about to introduce the PigMint Backpack Bar! It will include hand-dyed backpacks with a variety of accessories for people to fully customize their bags.
When you're not working on your art, how do you spend your free time?
Rachel: I spend my free time with my husband and our 4 kids who participate in all sorts of activities and sports. I also love traveling, barre, rom-coms and knitting.
What handmade possession do you most cherish?
Rachel: I have a painting hanging in my house that hung in my grandmother's apartment for many years. I don't know much about it, or the artist, but it is of ballerinas and it holds a special place in my heart. Now my 5-year old daughter loves to dance and wants to be a ballerina, I think that is a really special connection.
Rachel Stork, metalsmith and founder of Anatomical Elements, has a unique style that blends her professional background in medical illustration with jewelry, sculpture & accessories. She handcrafts anatomically-correct items to give a visual voice to, and start conversations about, invisible illnesses.
Tell us about your work and creative process.
Rachel: I have a background in medical illustration and so my metalwork is anatomical and illustrative in nature. Each time I do a new or custom project, I learn about different conditions and research the anatomy involved. Everything starts with a hand drawn sketch that I digitize. My metalwork mimics 2D illustration and I create depth with layers of metal.
What did you do before you pursued your craft professionally?
Rachel: Art has always been a part of my life, but I also have a deep interest in science & medicine. I received my Master of Science degree in Biomedical Visualization & Medical Illustration in 2007. But I realized I missed making physical art with my hands. I took a first-time metalsmithing class in 2011 and my 2 worlds collided in the best of ways!
Is there anything new you're excited to bring to the show?
Rachel: I am excited to bring some new pieces that are focused on another interest of mine--plants and nature!
Is there anything in particular you're looking forward to seeing at the Holiday Show this year?
Rachel: I always keep my eye out for any other artists incorporating anatomy into their work to add to my collection!
Illustrator Abbas Husain specializes in hand-pulled screen prints, which he creates at local printmaking shop, Spudnik Press, in Chicago's West Town neighborhood.
Tell us about your work.
Abbas: I make screen prints featuring bright colors and goofy characters or creatures. When I have a new idea for a print, I start with rough sketching to determine the composition. With pencil & pen or digital drawing, I draw the linework for the design and then digitally build all the layers of color underneath. I print each piece by hand, carefully layering each color, making sure they line up, and letting them dry in between layers.
What led you to a full-time career as an artist?
Abbas: After finishing art school at the University of Michigan, I spent several years managing a graphics department at an apparel company. After I left that job in 2016, I took a screen printing class at a local print shop in Detroit, and my first few prints did well on social media--which was good because I had already quit my day job!
Where do you find the inspiration and motivation to create your art?
Abbas: I want my art to evoke joy. I think laughter is a valuable and underappreciated reaction to art. I approach pop art and humorous subjects to elevate them to the quality of fine art.
What are you especially excited to bring to the Holiday Show this year?
Abbas: I'm in the middle of developing a bunch of vintage-inspired designs for new screen prints this winter. I'm feeling inspired by Art Nouveau shapes and colors and combining them with my signature silly animals.
Meet these makers and more at the One of a Kind Holiday Show, December 1-4!