Featured Artist: Lori Paximadis

This week’s featured artist is Lori Paximadis, who sells on Etsy as virtuallori.

Which is your favorite tool? Why?
Oh, it’s so hard to pick a favorite. I’m such a tool girl, and there are probably at least a dozen I’d be lost without. My current favorite is probably my torch. I’ve been playing with it a lot lately, perfecting my bezel technique and making headpins.

What are your favorite business tools?
I am a slave to Quicken, for both my personal life and my businesses. Absolutely everything gets entered there, and it’s so easy to see where I am and what I need to do to meet my goals.

What keeps you going?
Caffeine. An overwhelming need to express myself, through whatever means (art, writing, gardening…).

How has Cleveland Handmade/Cleveland Etsy team affected your business and your craft?
Cleveland Handmade has really blossomed this year. What a fantastic, supportive, crazy-creative group of individuals. That we’ve been able to build this community and keep it positive and thriving is a miracle to me. That support system has been invaluable in helping get my work out there and seen.

If the Internet disappeared tomorrow, what would you do?
Cry. Scream. Throw things. The Internet is such a big part of my day and the way I work, both with my publishing business and with my jewelry business. And it’s such a fabulous way to keep in touch and build new relationships.

You’ve been around the crafty block awhile. Any wisdom you don’t mind sharing?
First, you have to establish your own style and hone your craft. There will always be copycats, but I find it pretty easy to tell when someone is just copying something and their heart isn’t in it. That said, there really isn’t all that much new under the sun. It’s kind of hard to take complaints seriously when what’s being “copied” is, say, a simple circle of sterling silver on a stock chain. It’s been done. Repeatedly.

I teach, and I would be highly disappointed (although maybe not utterly surprised) to see a student producing and selling an exact copy of one of the sample pieces I bring to class. I do take pains in my handouts and in class to address copyright concerns, and I may mention something if I encountered “my” work by someone else in the wild, but mostly I leave it up to karma to sort it out. I am a big believer in the karmic boomerang.

Fill in the ____.
Odd, isn’t it, that we always want to fill in the quiet spaces with something?

Selling on Etsy is:
Fun. The majority of my sales are still in shops, at shows, and in person, but I’ve made some great friends and connections and have learned a lot by being part of the Etsy community.

When I close my eyes at night I see:
Vivid, crazy dreams.

My dream house has:
A magical, invisible, deer-proof fence to keep them from eating all my plants.

If I were stuck on a desert island:
I’d probably be the first one to lose it.

The post office is:
Irritating. The people are generally nice, but the rules are so byzantine and incomprehensible.

I can’t live without:
Strong black tea. Dark chocolate.

The only ugly color is:
The purpleish, brownish gray the former owners painted numerous rooms of this house.

The best day of my life was:
The day I got married. Not in that creepy way over-the-top brides view it as the best day (with the implication that it’s all downhill from there), but from the standpoint that it was the beginning of a grand new adventure with the love of my life.

The song I would like to erase from the world’s collective memory is:
Where to start? I could spend a week or two just on that project, starting with most of Fergie’s solo output.

This is how I feel about sending freebies in my packages:
I’m not cheap, but I’m not a fan of random, unrelated freebies, since they’re not something I like to receive myself. Now, if someone ordered, say, a dozen pairs of earrings or bookmarks or something, I’d probably throw an extra one in there just for fun, but not as a rule.

Sunbeam or Kitchenaid?
Either.

World Market or Pier 1?
World Market. They have wine.

Starbucks or your local coffeeshop?
Local coffeeshop, that currently being Russo’s in Fairview Park. I drink coffee very rarely, though. I’m a tea girl. I wish Russo’s had a better selection.

Good shoes or good purse?
Sadly, I have to say good shoes. My feet do not do well in cheap or poorly constructed shoes. I do adore a lovely purse, though…

Orange or pink?
Blue.

Chunky necklace or dainty necklace?
Dainty.

Gift card or cash?
Cash. I tend to forget about gift cards, and I’d rather spend the cash on supplies than some random sweater at Macy’s just because I have a card for there.

Where can we find your work?
My Etsy shop: virtuallori.etsy.com
Rometrics Salon-Spa in Westlake
BayARTS Gallery in Bay Village
Assorted shows throughout the year (listed on my website)
Through January 2, 2009, in the gallery at Avon Lake Public Library