We continue our series of posts interviewing “recycled art” crafters & artists. This week, we interviewed Cindy Fortin from the blog Upcycled Design Lab as she is one of our active crafters and she bring nice ideas from all kind of materials to the Recyclart community. If you think you deserve to be featured in the next interview, please, drop us an email.
Tell us a little more about you? Who you are? Where are you from?
Hi my name is Cindy. I live in the beautiful state of Colorado with a wonderful guy two dogs and a cat. For several years I worked in corporate America but for the past 10 years I have enjoyed part time employment and more time to pursue things I enjoy.
Why do you craft?
The short answer is it keeps me sane. It is the best therapy I know of.
How did you learn?
My mother taught me to sew and my father made me all kinds of great toys and Halloween Costumes when I was kid. I also like to experiment.
Since when are you working with recycled & upcycled materials?
I guess I have been upcycling since I was a kid. I can remember making puppet heads from empty ivory soap bottles. I also made my prom dress from the fabric that was used on the sets from one of our high school plays.
What are your can’t-live-without essentials?
Not sure but I do find myself using E6000 glue on a lot of projects. :)
How would you describe your style? Are there any crafters/artists/designers that you particularly look up to?
I would describe my style as Upcycling 101. I like to use my imagination and work with lots of different materials. Most of my projects are easy to intermediate skill level and don’t require a lot a specialty tools or training. I also like to use common items so that others can easily duplicate the projects.
How is your workspace, how do you make it inspiring?
I tend to work all over the house. I am lucky enough to have a room dedicated to crafting and creating but most of the time my projects tend to spill out into other rooms.
What sorts of things are inspiring you right now? Where do you look for inspiration?
I am inspired by things I need or want. If I need something I try to figure out a way to make it with things I have on hand.
When do you feel the most creative?
At night I tend to fall asleep designing projects in my head.
We live in such a mass-produced, buy-it-now society. Why should people continue to make things by hand?
Creating and making things is part of human nature. I think that sustainable living and DIY are only getting started.
We follow your work since a long time and we saw that you work with different kind of materials, do you have a favorite medium to work with?
I don’t really have a favorite medium. I like to cut, paste, hammer, sew, melt, mix, paint, dye, mold, tear, bleach, stain, bend, disassemble and reassemble things.
What are your tips for people who’d like to start crafting?
Make time for it and dive in.
What is your favorite thing to do (other than crafting)?
I enjoy reading, hiking and working on my blog.
Thanks a lot Cindy for this interview! :)
To see all the posts by Cindy, it’s here.
