Meet the Members - Little Creatures

And we arrive to the last day of "Mentor Month" interviews.

Hope you've liked this series of interviews and meeting our members.

Now we have Inês Fonseca aka "The Little Creatures".

She has wonderfully detailed little clay creatures to show us.

Come along. :)

Bat brooch inspired by Almada Negreiros by  The Little Creatures

Name: Inês Fonseca aka The Little Creatures
Shop: http://Thelittlecreatures.etsy.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Little-Creatures/234165149968578
Blog: http://www.thelittlecreatures.wordpress.com/

Hello! Could you tell us a little about yourself?

My name is Inês and I am an archivist and a crafter living in Scotland. I am passionate about both things: the role of archives in our lives; and about the process of creating something new using my hands. I started working with polymer clay as a hobby when I was a teenager and for the past 2 years it has become a part-time project.

Inês Fonseca aka The Little Creatures

What made choose this craft (art)?

I was very lucky to grow up surrounded by makers, my mother being an artisan. I have always loved crafts and when I was 15 I discovered polymer clay. It combines the modelling capacities of clay with colour and it has the major advantage of not requiring much equipment... mostly your hands and imagination!

Why sell on Etsy?

I discovered Etsy a little by accident and I must say it was a very happy one. There were some artists I knew that had shops on Etsy and I started exploring. At the time I was still in Lisbon and I was doing a few craft fairs. I was getting a lot of good feedback from people on my work so I decided to give it a try.

Madame Berthe's mouse lemur by  The Little Creatures

What do you find most inspiring?

This is a really hard question: I love being surrounded by nature and by history. At the moment I am amazed by the changes in the colours of the leaves and by the afternoon sunlight. But I am also the kind of person that can get lost in Flickr and EOL discovering creatures and plants from all around the world.

You were involved in the "Mentor Month" program on Etsy. What was the most important thing that you took from it?
I think other people mentioned this before but usually working in the creative sector as a maker can make you feel quite isolated. I thing the process of sharing was the most important thing for me. It was a great way to see that most of the issues I face (or have faced at some point) are common to other people. I definitely think that we should come out more as community, being more cohesive and supportive, but also to build confidence in ourselves.

Berry Birds Post Earrings by  The Little Creatures

Name a person you find inspiring and why?

I would elect Jane Goodal. She has spent her life doing an amazing work as an anthropologist and she also has a huge role in environmental conservation issues. Her life story is truly inspiring but I was recently surprised to know that though she is almost 80 years old, she is still working actively in what she believes.

All photos by Inês Fonseca aka The Little Creatures.

Check the other Meet the Members interviews.