:: Calm Under Tension :: 

Today I’m introducing you to Kimberly Kostal, the jewelry artist known as Lazy K Beads & Stampede Jewelry and a credit pro in the fishing industry.  Here’s a little trivia about her business name.  She’s not lazy per say, it's actually her brand, as in cattle (leaning k). Plus, she and her family have a cabin in Stampede Pass.  It’s a place she loves to create.

I first met Kimberly through the Northwest Creative Spirits PMC guild.  I heard wonderful stories about her amazing creations and her personal adventures.  I’ve been fortunate enough to observe that she approaches art with an open mind and a tenacity that you don’t often see.  I recently taught our guild how to carve stamps and she went so far as to use the stamps she carved and even a few of the decorative table wear (napkins) to create a thank you card for me. It was very touching and said a lot about her devotion to art.

I asked her a few questions to help you learn more about her as an artist.  One thing I really like about Kimberly is that she gets straight to the point.  I often see this pondering look in her eyes when I’ve asked her questions in-person, but she doesn’t dilly dally.  Rather, she’s thoughtful and purposeful.  Having known and met so many who are glued to their smartphones and can’t break away to even converse with you, her moments to ponder your question are refreshing.  Without further ado, here’s our email interview:

GG: Tell me a little about how you became an artist.
KK: I guess you can say I've been creating for a long time. I danced most of my youth with softballl & cheerleading. In college, I earned an AA in Fine Arts and taught dance through City Parks & Recreation and even danced at Bumbershoot a couple of times. 

In my mid 30's I stopped dancing and looked for new medium to express myself with. Glass, wire, PMC and as many classes I could find fit the bill. I took a glass bead class at Pratt early 90's. I was very lucky to get in on the Fusion Beads store classes with now national glass bead teachers. I put together a small studio in one of our bedrooms and bought a kiln, then started making beads. I took wire jewelry classes then met the Queen of Possibilities [Peg Gyldenege] and my love of PMC was created.  I’ve sold my jewelry at the Woodinville / Kirkland public markets, Burien Strawberry Festival, Mill Creek Festival & Northgate Festival.   

GG: No two muses are the same.  What inspires you to create? 
KK: Life inspires me. Everyday we see, hear, smell & feel our way around.  Don't use earbuds! Like my bracelet with the dog/cat charm. I started to make it a cat but that little Yorkie made her way into my inspiration. 

GG: What kind of person do you see wearing your jewelry? 
KK: I see my jewelry gal/guy wanting a one of a kind piece of jewelry. They're not afraid to pay for quality work/premium product.

GG: What is the meaning behind your jewelry?  Or, what do each of the pieces represent to you?
KK: It represents to me that I can connect with my customer a same sense of whimsy or design.

GG: How would you define your style of jewelry?
KK: Mostly whimsical style has been mentioned by customers at the Public markets and festivals I've done.

Thanks for sharing with us today Kimberly!  I wish you joy and prosperity on your artistic adventures.  Keep on creating and bringing your “Lazy K” whimsy to the world.
Connect with Kimberly on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lazykbeads 
If you’d like to be a featured artist on my blog, please contact me by email.   

Sharing, Innovation, and Creative industries.  I really like what Johanna Blakely is thinking about and researching.  I'm floored that the more open industries are the more successful. Gets me thinking that maybe I need to worry less and create more.  After all, it's my head, my creativity, my dreams that turn the ideas into reality.  I'm the unique factor in my art and fashion.  If someone copies me, I'll just reinvent myself. The flow is always there.

 After watching it, what are your thoughts?

I was recently inducted into a guild of artists who focus mainly on Precious Metal Clay work. However, all members are talented, multi-craftual artists. We challenge ourselves to inspire and encourage our muse of creativity.  This year, we will do a trading challenge with paper.  

HOW DOES IT WORK? 

• Each artist will start with a blank sheet of water color paper.  Your job is to start the process by drawing, painting, inking, stamping, or some other such 2-D element of transforming it from a blank sheet.  
  
• Then, we will exchange the papers at our monthly Guild meetings.  We will take the next paper given to us and do some 2-D art transformation to it.  We will kindly attempt to stick to the theme that the owner or that the paper appears to evolve toward.
  
• When the year is complete or total number of artists in the project have all improved upon every sheet involved, we will get our original sheets back.
  

LIMITATIONS
The beauty of any challenge, just like Project Runway, is that we restrict ourselves in one or more areas to encourage our creative muse.  Our restrictions are: 

• Limited to 30 days to complete each paper improvement
• Can only use the art supplies we currently have in our stash. NO. Buying. New. Stuff!
• We must work in 2-dimension, limit 3-D. We are not building the Eiffel Tower of Paper.

PAST CHALLENGE EXPERIENCE
A little more than 5 years ago, I participated in a similar challenge focused around a Take Out Box container.  At that time, I chose the theme for my box to be, "The Olive Branch of Peace."  I emphatically proclaimed that I did not want any of those gaudy peace symbols.  Mine was a theme of Grecian Olive Branches.  

But, my severity encouraged the clown muse in the other artists.  They made peace signs and had to fight against their the nature of their clown as they embellished my box otherwise risk my displeasure.  And who would want to encourage unhappiness and displeasure while working on a "Peace" themed box?  Oh, how I offered them such contrast and opportunity to be silly, but I couldn't get beyond it.  In then end, I realized that if I had not been so emphatic that the theme must be followed, I may have received an entirely different box.  

USING WHAT I'VE LEARNED FROM ART CHALLENGES
So, this time, I did not plan.  I did not think. I did not even start until the day before the first exchange.  I opened one of my drawers of art supplies and pulled out the box that broke free the easiest.  A box of Oil Pastels. I opened the box, pulled out the first color that sparked my interest, sky blue, and began to wave wands of blue diagonally across the paper all willy-nilly.  I let the pastel move where it wanted.  Then, I added in color as each of the other pastels called out their turns.  It was really quite fun.  I feel as though I've cheated, because it only took me 10 min including the prep time.  But, it feels better.  Plus, I keep sensing a whisper, "I'm done. No more. That's plenty." from the paper itself.  

I quite like the results.  I see clouds and a long grassy knoll.  I see brilliant color and smooth fluid pastel medium.  There's plenty of white space to work with.  I am open to what the other artists will create.  I am allowing their muse and my paper to converse and encourage each artist my paper meets.  

2011 has given me much opportunity to re-evaluate what I want and need.  I found this image from Jolkona quite thought provoking.  

For many years, traditional "Buy This!" marketing has been prominent.  But,  stronger than that is the ever constant suggestion from a friend which converts leads into sales.  We resonate more deeply when we can connect with another person.  And, with all the affects that the invent of the web and more recently, sites like Facebook and Yelp have brought to our economies, greater business success and customer loyalty is found by embracing the social referral "engines".  

Organizations like PBS are no exception to this phenomenon.  In fact, they must reach more deeply and touch the core of their viewers in order to encourage their emotional response into giving and supporting public media.  In my opinion, the programming they bring is something that I cherish and welcome in our extremist and shock like programming that we so often find.  However, what I think is more important to share with you in this post is how they are asking their customers (aka viewers) to share their personal experiences in how Masterpiece has changed their lives.  

Clip of the newsletter as emailed from PBS on 

The User Perspective
I've been watching their posts on Facebook and in the email newsletter I receive weekly which refer to their "Share your Masterpiece story" social marketing campaign.  It took about 4-5 times of seeing this before I would click on the link.  Now that I've seen one video, I was impressed by the high quality of videography.  They didn't skimp on making a video about a viewer. Which shows me that they are willing to put some of their money into this and take a risk that it will result in larger viewer support.  This also says that if I want to share my story and show what PBS/Masterpiece has done to improve and enhance my life and if they chose my story, that I'd get a really great "moment" to share with the world.   


Since I have a business and want to share my creations with the world, being a featured viewer in a PBS video could be considered "free" advertising.  While they wouldn't likely talk about my company name or the products I create, they might show me in a light that draws a new audience to my work.  Yes, I could make my own video, there are enough places and people with equipment and a willingness.  But, to have a video made in Masterpiece quality? Oh what a delight and an honor it would be.  It would still require my investment of time and possibly other costs to me, but I don't yet have the audience that PBS does.  That is a very big deal.  


The Company Perspective
Now that, you've heard what this type of campaign can mean to one user, let's think through what that might mean to PBS.  I am a power user and regular content generator when it comes to my online behavior.  I'm online every day and most of the time (5 out of 7 days) I create content online on one or more sites.  However, I'm not the typical 1st on the band-wagon, Early Adopter.  Usually, I'm part of the Early Majority (see this awesome article for more on what these terms mean).  I'm the, let-me-watch-and-see-how-it-works-out-then-I'll-try-it-and-evangelize-it type.  But, once I believe in something, I will stand behind it, and then sell it's wonders and glories to my friends and family.  


The majority of the people online are listeners.  I'd venture a guess that 90% of you reading this have never commented on a blog and may only "like" or comment on a facebook post once every 3-4 weeks.  In all likelihood, I make up less than 5% of the online community.  While I don't have a statistic on this, judging by my circle of friends, family, and co-workers (which I fully admit could be statistically skewed) who are typically Early to Late Majority and primarily listeners in their online behaviors, I'd estimate 5% to be fairly realistic. 


Critique
The one area that they're missing out on reaching new people with this campaign is on their website.  No where on there can I find a link to watch the videos, nor is it clear that it's going on.  The only way I saw this was because I read to the bottom of my newsletter.  This can be a strategy or a lost opportunity.  If you're trying to narrow down your audience to particular types of viewers for a campaign, then use one channel (ie newsletter subscribers might be more loyal and have a higher likelihood of donating).  If you are trying to reach out to all your viewers, then put the campaign in multiple places.  Don't assume that one channel will reach everyone.  Even those who haunt online sites may miss the campaign you want to reach them with.  But, be cautious, making it too glaring, in-their-face, or too frequent of an update about it will turn people off.  So, place it in all the prominent locations and be judicious about how often you make it known.  Again, be aware of your audience and their reading/viewing statistics. 

Now, I encourage you to watch this video and observe your own reaction.  

• Does it interest or inspire you?  
  
• If you're a current PBS viewer, does it make you want to go watch something on PBS  or better yet, donate?  
  
• If you're not a current PBS  viewer, are you now willing to seek them out?  
• Did you even know that PBS is showing Masterpiece shows online at no additional cost?  
  

I finally had an opportunity to have a few of my sewing projects photographed.  I've made lots of things, but find it difficult to take a quality photo.  Thanks to Bonnie King's genius for posing people in ways that make them look their best, I have these 2 tops to show you.   

The one on the left I've named Tropical Pink.  It's the most brilliant, florida-esque pink. As I sewed it, I kept being reminded of of the delightful creations by Oilily and Gudrun Sjodon.  I've always admired them and felt their color pallets really emulate my personality.  The sides of Tropical Pink are made of poly red lace over the top of hot pink rayon knit.  The front/back are made of Kaffe Fasset's quilting cotton in GP100 Red.  Then, I finished it off by trimming with a t-shirt cotton knit in aqua.  I love wearing this top.  Feels good, somewhat slimming due to the lines.  I like that I get the design lines in it without it being tightly fitting.

The one on the right is the Anna Tunic pattern by Amy Butler.  You'll laugh... originally I had this fabric to make a pillow case.  So, the collar is the former trim and the body the main top fabric.  I really love this top.  But, the pattern was so bulky and ill fitting that I needed to take darts in.  Yeah, that wasn't fun because I'd already put the liner in at the point I decided I needed darts.  But, I've gotten lots of wear out of this top.  It's perfect under a cardi, especially one that doesn't close fully.