Featured Creator- art2theextreme

Today's featured creator is art2theextreme! Nicole is an elementary art teacher and creator extrodinare from Indianapolis. Check out her etsy shop at http://art2theextreme.etsy.com/.

You have a variety of things in your shop- crayons, woodblocks, screenprints, plushies, purses...which is your favorite? How did you come to all of these creative venues?

I have always been creating art and constantly finding new things to try out and create. Thoughout college, I focused mainly on ceramics and printmaking, which are my favorite types of art to create! I also discovered a love for sewing. I make a large variety of handbags from up-cycled clothing and ties (although none are really in my shop at the moment). My tie purses are a popular item when I have them in stock (which should be in the next two months or so when school calms down). I am constantly finding fun and creative things for my elementary art students to create and they inspire me so much. That is why I have recently turned to creating things for kids. Most popular have been my Rainbow Crayons and Jumbo Rainbow crayons.My boyfriend’s mother creates the plushies and doll cloths that can be found in my shop. At first, her items were selling more than mine!! I do sell a wide variety of things and some say that I should have separate shops, but I do not see an issue and I have a little “Something for Everyone…”

At your "day job" you are an elementary art teacher. How do you find time to run an etsy shop, blog, advertise, and still teach your kiddos?

Wow.. what a question! I do not know where the time even comes from because I am constantly working! I come straight home from school (I am a FIRST YEAR elementary art teacher) and immediately begin working on my Etsy, blog, and the ACEO book I am publishing. It keeps me very busy. I am even working for a company in NY right now as well. What keeps me going and keeps me sane is my very supportive boyfriend (who is not currently friends with my computer or Etsy right now) and wonderful family. My dad owns his own business, which is where I assume I get my drive and want to put myself and my art out there in the first place. Organization is key for me. I have to do lists and try not to think of EVERYTHING that I have to get done or it gets too overwhelming. It took me a while to learn how to stop, breathe, and let everything go when I reach the point where I need a break and time to relax.

I remember getting in trouble when I was little for trying to melt crayons in the microwave. Your crayons put a huge smile on my face! Do you recycle the crayons from your classroom? If not, where do you find the crayons?!

I know a few kids who tried to do that as well (cough cough). Thank you for your kind comments and I am glad they make you happy. They are my most sold item right now and I have even taken a few wholesale orders recently. Those butterfly crayons drive me insane when I wholesaled those. They are so much fun to use though. The idea came from my texture unit I was doing with my kindergarten classes. They were excited to “make their own crayons” (at that point I was melting them in the oven with Dixie cups) We used glue on manila file folder rectangles to make patterns and shapes. When the glue dried, each student got their own rainbow crayon and used them for a texture rubbing. We made a huge mural for the hallway using the crayons and patterns the students made. I do used recycled crayons. Over the past year, many teachers have given me boxes of old crayons that are not as good to use with art projects. I have TONS from over the years and a few local preschools have donated them to me (I even traded for some of my shaped crayons). I have been trying to contact Crayola and Rose-Art to see if they will sell me a bulk supply of crayons without wrappers, but cannot get anyone yet.

Describe your creative environment.

Since I am a first year teacher, I have a smaller apartment (I have purple walls since this is the only time in my life I can really paint something purple), so I create everywhere and anywhere. My kitchen is not very functional as a kitchen at the moment since the crayon factory took over. My dining room table has been turned into a pendant making station, my bedroom has turned into my office, and various projects I am working on can be found all over my apartment. I am normally a very organized person, but you would not know it by the looks of my creative mess. When I move to a house, I am hoping to have a HUGE studio!

Why do you create? (I know that's a broad question, so answer however you like!)

Creating art is a stress reliever for me. I love the idea of being able to make things for people or being able to sell my work at affordable prices. I believe that art should be affordable and I love teaching others how to create the things I love to make. I always have something new I want to try. The only problem is finding the time to make it or having too many projects going at once.

I love community and collaborative projects! I have recently put together an ACEO art book that I am publishing that features Etsy artists and my elementary school student ATC art. All the proceeds from the book go to ACEO education and buying the students books to help them create the Artist Trading Cards. More about this project can be found on my second blog:http://createcollecttrade.blogspot.com/of in the listing for Create. Collect. Trade. In my shop!