Artist Interview a Case Study

Artist Interview

A Case Study of an Artist:

INSPIRING JOBS

It was a Saturday afternoon when this petite woman who's wearing a beige hat, a big brown shoulder bag walked towards me in a very carefree manner. She waved, smiled, and sat on the chair across mine in this brightly-lit restaurant. To any ordinary observer, she would strike you as just about any other woman, but her story proved otherwise. I have known her for quite some time now because of an art gallery I once attended, but today, she came to me to tell her story, her work and how she makes a good living out the things that she truly enjoy.

Her Beginnings: Discovering the Love for Art

Her name is Myung Urso (I was granted the approval to disclose her real name in this paper). She began her story on how she has been inclined towards the arts ever since. At the tender age of seven, she began drawing. Her love for arts was something she saw from her parents as she states, "My mother loved to draw and so did my father. All of us were encouraged to draw by our parents. They used to enroll us in art classes…[and they also] buy us handicraft pieces that we can build." It is in this process of exploring the arts that she found how liberating and enjoying this experience is as she narrates, "…these artistic activities carried on until I got older and eventually I realized that whenever I draw or build cute objects from the materials that I have, I feel that I am most relaxed. It takes my troubles away. They say that it is cliche but it's true. It's like you're on a different dimension whenever you express your artistic abilities."

Art: Venturing into an Enterprise

Myung Urso had several jobs before but she did not feel fully satisfied. One time, when she was sketching the necklace of her aunt, an idea stumbled in her mind. It was at this very moment that she realized that she might actually be able to make a good business out of her jewelry designs.

She started this business at her house in 2007. She made jewelries and souvenirs using mixed media such as silk, cotton, paper, thread, lacquer, stone, bead, and glass. She also made it a point to be able to explore by using different shape and forms in her art pieces. She offered low prices for people who are looking for souvenirs.

In order to improver on her craft, she regularly participates in craft shows especially for the Spring, Summer, and Fall Collections during October and November. She also finds these occasions as ways by which she's able to get information and new ideas from the people who attend the show. She is able to get connections by meeting gallery and stone owners. Her booth in the craft show which can cost about $1,000 is considered a good investment because she's able to get connections and market information. For her business, she needs little investment: as her pieces are small, there is no need for delivery trucks, she is also self-employed and therefore needs very little human capital.