This week, the Etsy Twitter Team has gone far afield to interview our shop of the week: Meet Ana Pina, the creative mind behind anapinatelier. She handcrafts jewelry which she is happy to ship all over the world.
Ana lives in live in Porto, the second largest city of Portugal, which is a small European country facing the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Ana describes it as "a diverse country, with sunny beaches, a beautiful countryside and mild weather." In fact, Ana is so eloquent, I will let you in on our conversation:
What do you want your customers to know most about your products?
"I create an original, unique and feminine jewelry line using mostly gemstones and metal, but also mixing different materials such as glass, wood or plastic with a vintage touch. I developp distinct collections to match different kind of personalities: some pieces are modern and rich, some are colorful with an ethnic style and some are more simple and light."
What inspires you to create?
"I couldn’t live without art – it makes me feel alive and constantly inspired. When I create jewelry I feel inspired by the versatility of combining different kind of elements, by textures and colors of natural materials such as gemstones. I also feel inspired by art itself and I love to learn watching other artists work – it makes me look at things in a new way and experimenting is a fundamental part of creation."
How does your location inspire/affect your work?:
"...I like the diversity and the small scale of the city, that allows me to walk from my home to the historic center, where I can easily visit exhibitions and craft fairs.I also live relatively near the sea and I can't live long without pay it a visit - it inspires me and makes me feel renewed!"
What is your favorite thing about your craft?
"I love to improvise as I create and my pieces often reflect states of mind – I love this intuitive side of crafting, which is an ally of technique. When I started about two years ago I was so inexperienced and I evolved a lot! It’s great the feeling of creating something unique with my own hands and to realize that other people appreciate it – I feel rewarded."
What is one of your current business goals?
"I have opened my etsy shop a few months ago, but the sales are few… I’d love to see it grow and I’ve been working on it. In my dreams I’d love to make a living with my art or at least to dedicate to it the most of my daily time, so I could evolve even more. I’ve been thinking about the possibility to take a jewelry class and invest more time in painting, which was my first and biggest passion."
What special events or plans do you have planned for Fall/Winter?
"I recently launched a new Collection line that I wish to develop during this season. It’s the Pendant Collection and it’s designed thinking about the colder days, with long and medium necklaces to use over your clothes and some hot colors. I also intend to have a promotion thinking about Christmas shopping, so stay tuned!"
How do you use Twitter? Do you have a business goal with Twitter?"I use twitter to promote my shop and spread my blog posts, which are about my work and my life. I also like to connect with other artists that share some common interests."
What is the single most important way you bring traffic/sales to your shop?"Since I created a blog...writing regularly became part of the whole creative process and this as been a great divulgation tool, but also a way to share my life and connect with others. Lately I've been also receiving a lot of feedback through facebook."
Ana is as gifted with her words as she is with her artistic jewelry!
Free Worldwide Shipping
if you buy two or more products!
Use the code “etsy twitter team” at check out and
the shipping cost will be refunded through Paypal after your purchase.
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Etsy Shop: http://anapinatelier.etsy.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/anapinatelier
Facebook: http://facebook.com/anapinatelier
Flickr: http://flickr.com/photos/kuartzo
Blog: http://anapina-blog.blogspot.com
Website: http://anapina.com
