What's your real name?My name is Åse (pronounced as ‘awesome’ without the ‘me’) Stödberg. In Swedish we have these circles and dots over some a’s and e’s which I don’t know if your computers will manage…
Where were you born & raised?
I was born in Stockholm, Sweden.
Where are you now & what led you there?
I live in Bromma, a suburb to Stockholm, in a small house with husband and two children still home. One moved out. We moved here when our first child was borne.
What types of creations do you sell in your Etsy shop(s)?
I sell prints of my original watercolor paintings. I will also sell paperwork (small notebooks,
scrapbooks, accordionbooks, etc.) by and by.
What's your educational background, as it relates to your work?
I went to an art school I Stockholm and have worked as a freelance illustrator ever since.
What age and how'd you get started creating?
I have been sketching and painting as long as I can remember. My father is an illustrator and he always worked from home, so it was quite natural to follow in his footsteps.
What's your muse, or what turns that little creative light inside you on?
Rather banal: nature is my major inspiration. I also work with gardening and I get a lot of inspiration from everything growing. I love looking closely into a plant’s details. I discover something new every day, even in my own well-known garden.
Where do you create? Do you have a whole studio, a room, a closet space?
I work at home in a room of my own.
Do you belong to any Street Teams? If so, which ones and why? If not, why not?
Since I’m a newbie, I haven’t yet investigated all the things you can do on ETSY. Street teams sound like a good idea. I will try to find one that would suit me. Perhaps it’s time for a Swedish Team?
Where else (if any) do you sell your work? Please list any other places you sell, whether online or at a store by you.
Until now I have only made illustrations to order, for magazines, newspapers and books. This is the first time I’ve tried selling my own work on a larger scale. I’m a member of an association of Swedish illustrators and on their homepage I show examples of my work: http://illustratorcentrum.se/asestodberg
What's your favorite thing about selling on Etsy?
I think it’s fantastic to be part of a community of all sorts of creative people from all over the world. So far I haven’t sold anything, but now there’s a tiny chance that someone outside Sweden will see my things. Just look: you found me and gave me this opportunity to feature on your blog. Thank you so much!
Recommend your five favorite shops on Etsy.
It’s almost impossible to choose, but here goes:
1) Corpseknit – beautiful knitted items
2) Clevergirl – pretty jewelry
3) BourneDesigns – imaginative stone items
4) aCatsNest – a newbie like me, from Sweden
5) Yoola - fantastic frail-looking jewelry and other items
Show us pictures of your three favorite items from your own shop.
Thank you for sharing with us Åse, and good luck with your shop!~Amber aka Blue Scarab
Lovely interview and gorgeous shop!
ReplyDeleteYes we should open a Swedish Etsy team!
ReplyDeleteThanks for listing me in your top 5 Åse!