Meet the Members - Aurea Praga

The Rat Mask Ring - Animal Shadows series

Name: Aurea Praga
Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/AureaPraga
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Golden-Plague-Aurea-Praga-/318848965720

Hello! Could you tell us a little about yourself?

Hi! Well, I was born in Madeira Island, spent my childhood in Brazil, my teen years in Viseu, came to Porto to study Communication Design and stayed here since then. Nowadays, I dedicate most of my time exploring (more like struggling with) relations between illustration and jewellery, for I’m in love with them both.

experiments - Mea Culpa series

What made you choose this craft (art)?

I think I’ve always been a storyteller trying to find my way to communicate. As I suck in writing, drawing is a much easier tool for me to do that. Jewellery came later, as a result of my visual ideas, using the body to add meaning to them.

Mea Culpa earrings (photo: Mané Pupo)

Why sell on Etsy?
I decided to open my Etsy shop when I was ready to show my work worldwide. Etsy offers you a vast audience of buyers that would take years for me to acquire in a personal webshop. It allows my work to reach places where I’ve never been in person, and that’s a great feeling!

adding japanese lacquer to a few rings - I'm All Ears series

The Lac Kitten - I'm All Ears series

What do you find most inspiring?
I guess human nature is my main source of inspiration. I often use animal references and other nature elements as well, but it’s always connected to human feelings, our needs, our joy, our disappointments… I think my work is a process to understand those feelings.

Denial - Grief series

You were involved in the "Mentor Month" program on Etsy. What was the most important thing that you took from it?

Selling on Etsy can be a pretty lonely activity, mostly when you don’t have the time to take an active part in the community. During the “Mentor Month” program, I used my shop as an example for many topics and realized it could use some improvement too, hehe.

What do you love to hear from your customers?

My customers feedback is quite important to me, it can light up my day in a second. It’s a strong motivation that keeps me going when I’m feeling down. Lately, one of the comments that really touched me says “I love it so much it hurts”. Isn’t that worth all the effort?

The Fox Mask Ring - Animal Shadows series

All photos unless otherwise stated on the photo are by Aurea Praga.

Check the other Meet the Members interviews.