Meet Jonathan (elefint).
Jonathan has been a part of Teamt International since June 2009. Check out his etsy shop at www.elefint.etsy.com.
Personal....
Married/single?
Single
Kids/no kids?
No kids. But 3 nieces and 3 nephews that might as well be my own because I love them so much.
Pets/no pets?
The random gecko that somehow finds its way into my apartment.
Day job?
Because I'm in an insamely fast paces school (40 hrs. of class/week and bachelor's in 21 months), that leaves me with 2 hours sleep, 20 hours for printing tees, and 5 hours for drinking coffee. Oh yeah, and I have to be a Digital Artist somewhere in there. (That's my current defree: Digital Arts and Design at Full Sail University) So a day job? Tha's what elefint if for! And I love it!
p.s. if you want to check out my Motion Graphics go to my Vimeo!
http://www.vimeo.com/6598699
Location?
I'm currently in Casselberry, FL. I grew up in Rochester, NY for my whole life before coming down for school last year.
Age?
25 big ones.
How many languages do you speak and what are they?
Other than English, I try my hardest to communicate in Spanish with some practice in Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Honduras. I've made a handful of trips down there to work in some orphanages. The kids there humor my Spanish "speaking skills". We find it easier to communicate through love and compassion.
Do you play an instrument?
I've played guitar for about 10 years. Thank you mom for bringing me to all those lessons. There's nothing better than setting up my Gibson, turning the lights down and getting lost in an instrumental session.
Can you sing?
I do. I try. I've gone from my high school "punk band" to leading music for my church. And of course singing like a loud fool in my car, but who doesn't do that?
Lets Talk Business...
What's a good story behind your craft and what got you started?
Photography is at the root of all of my creativity. From working in the darkroom when I was in high school, I loved to tangible feel and look of watching my prints be revealed right before my eyes. I love the smells and the whole ambiance it gave me. Screen printing brings me back to that. It's also a great way for me to combine my digital artwork with a more traditional medium, and it gets me off the stinkin' computer and gets my hands dirty.
Where do you get inspiration?
I get inspiration from all sorts of places. It could be an abandoned shopping cart in the corner of the parking lot, or some phenomenal artwork on a random blog. I just love observing and taking in all of the beauties of life. It's full of so many little things for us to enjoy. I try to capture that emotion in my artwork. And it's even better when someone can wear it on a t-shirt.
Does you family help with your business/hobby?
My uncle and cousin have a pretty big screen printing shop up in Rochester. MUCH bigger than my walk in closet that I turned into a darkroom. But we've never collaborated. Maybe there's unknown inspiration behind that.
Do you like you craft/hobby?
I love it. I still love lifting the screen and seeing my artwork in ink. It's so great.
How do you market?
Other than the obvious marketing we all try on Etsy, I try hard to post to blogs, get involved in t-shirt giveaways (currently giving one away on nerdlike.com). That's one of my goals for 2010: More Marketing!
What gets neglected when you're tending to your shop or creating?
The care for any of my clothes! I think all of my favorite tees and jeans now have ink on them. I always think, "ahh...I'll just be careful." And I always get ink on my clothes. I'll never learn.
What are your future plans for your business?
This year I'm excited to get many more designs up in my shop! AND to start printing on more dresses, t-shirt styles, and maybe even scarves. I wanna try to push the limit. Since 2009 was the first time I've ever even tried screen printing, I've had to experiment with what works and what fails for the "design to print process". I think I've got a much better grasp on it now. I would love to get a new design in my shop at least every other week. It's a bit of a process, but it's so rewarding to see a new design up! (look out for the "beardy tees").
Any bad experiences with etsy....rude customers/bad buy?
Nothing too crazy. A little impatience here and there. I think I've realized even more now how instantly everybody wants everything. It's a little different in the Etsy community.
Especially the fact that I do my shirts per order. That means ordering the color/size of the blank shirt, shipping to me, printing, drying, then shipping. That can take up to two weeks sometimes to get to someone.
For fun.....
Are you Awesome?
I mean.....I think we all get the stamp of awesomeness for being on Teamt.
When was the last time you had a staring contest?
Like a month ago with my niece Annalee. She won.
When was the last time you fell asleep with the TV on?
I try sometimes, but I always get too into what is on. Especially putting on a Wes Anderson movie. Huge mistake if I wanna sleep.
Do you believe in love at first sight?
I think the idea of love is possible, but acutal love...I mean really? I think if I was in the grocery store and a girl walked up to me and said, "I was just weighing my bananas, then I looked up and saw you. I'm in love with you." I'd say, "I think you're crazy. Go finish weighing your bananas. Then we'll talk." I think you have to know who someone really is before falling in love with them.
Are vampires real?
Because of my ridiculous school schedule (classes 5pm - 1am, yes you read that right), I've been forced to be a creature of the night. And I may have seen a vampire the other day. Or maybe it was the 7th cup of coffee I was seeing.
Does pushing the elevator button more than once make it arrive faster?
No, but I wish the light on the button would continue to turn on and off. They're fun to illuminate.
Where you named after anyone?
This is kind of ridiculous. But has anyone ever seen the movie Rollerball with James Caaa? Well, his name is Jonathan, and the whole crowd chants, "Jonathan! Jonathan! Jonathan!" in it. I think my dad thought it was pretty epic, so he carried on the Caan legacy.
What is the first thing you notice about people?
I think their mannerisms. People are so unique in their own way. Those unconscious things that people do that really make up who they are.
What is on your mouse pad?
The Starbucks logo is my mouse pad. Okay, yes. I'm an addict. (I unwittingly just sipped coffee after writing that. Wow)
If you were another person would you be friends with you?
If I gave me a free t-shirt.
Favorites.....
Favorite number?
I do a lot of things in odd numbers. I'm not quite sure why?
Favorite flower?
I've always liked orchids. I feel like it's teh closest thing to having a tree in your house. But if I ever had a house big enough, I'd have a tree in the center with art all over the walls.
Favorite color?
GREEN! I love green. It's such an energetic color, but there's also the earth tone green that is so soothing and great to be around. It's just a well rounded color. Great personality.
Favorite smells?
Coffee in the morning. The smell of Guatemala (vague I know, but it has a smell). Sharpies. Making popcorn. Outside when its like 5 degrees and snowing, so crisp. Making homemade raviolis in my parent's ravioli kitchen (big Italian family).
Favorite Food?
Sushi. Garbage Plates (a Rochester original). Google it. It looks gross, but it's heavenly. And greasy.
Favorite etsy shop?
I can't get enough of Ashleys's work. She is such an amazing illustrator. I'm constantly checking her new work. And AliciaBock. An amazing vintage capturing photographer.
Favorite pass-time?
Walking at duck. My guitars and pedal board. Acting 5 years old with my nieces/nephews. Photography. Being a geek in my Adobe/3D programs. Reading Psalms.
Favorite Memory?
Too many good ones. There's a heavenly place on earth called Camp Hickory Hill. We've been going there since I was about 6 years old on Labor Day and Memorial Day weekends. The memories continue to grow there. Always an epic weekend at the Hick.
Favorite YouTube Video?
Well, I'm not an uber fan of Fatboy Sim, but I watched this music video of his recently and it had my stomach hurting cause I was laughing so hard. It's kind of ridiculous.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=so9DBHCo64Q
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Feb 2010 Team Member Feature - Elefint (Jonathan)
Monday, February 1, 2010
Team Treasuries made for February 2010
5/09 BeckyM*
6/09 BovineBubbles
5/09 BrownBagVintage*
6/09 CarvelCountrySoaps**
5/09 CatherineReece*
5/09 CyndieSmithDesigns^
11/09 DawnCorrespondence/DoiliesandDaisies^*
6/09 Eclu*
6/09 Elefint*
6/09 EdensWake***
11/09 FairyFolk****
6/09 FiveForty****
2/10 GetReadySetGO***
6/09 Glassetc/PhoFun^***
6/09 Handamade^
6/09 hcHappyCat*
5/09 InboundThread*
6/09 Ixela**
5/09 Jenji1
6/09 JennyNDesign**
5/09 JenSanCandles**
6/09 JuicyGraphics/JustineNielsen^
8/09 LaChiffonniere/AnnyMay****
5/09 LinenMe
5/09 Mamachee/BornWithIt *
5/09 MooShooPork/LittlePapoose*
8/09 NancyWallisDesigns****
5/09 OrganicOdysseys/PolkaDotSandals/AlmostArtifacts/StudioARTBEAD*
11/09 PattyLakinsmith**
2/10 Peylu/ForeverInMyHeart/FolkArtVision***
5/09 PipingHotPapers/RunAliceRun***
12/09 PonderandStitch*
6/09 SarahJohnAfana/Schemata^*
7/09 SayYourPiece**
6/09 SmallEarthVintage****
7/09 Sooooound*
12/09 TheFancyLamb***
5/09 TheNightjar**
5/09 TrendyKnitting/EliteBrides**
6/09 VintageAimee**
6/09 VintageConfections**
10/09 WhiskerKisses*
Monday, January 4, 2010
Front Page Treasuries for January 2010
curated by DawnCorrespondence on Jan. 29
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curated by FairyFolk on Jan. 27
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curated by glassetc on Jan. 25
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curated by glassetc on Jan. 19
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curated by DawnCorrespondence on Jan. 15
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curated by DawnCorrespondence on Jan. 14
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curated by JuicyGraphics on Jan. 12
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curated by EdensWake on Jan. 6
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curated by eclu on Jan. 3
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Saturday, January 2, 2010
January Team Member Feature - TheNightJar (Tarra)
The Nightjar (Tarra) has been a member of Team Treasury since May 2009 (Same month we started the team). It has been so much fun getting to know this talented and friendly artist, and now we get to peer a little deeper with these photos and questionnaire Tarra has provided for us. Thank you Tarra for being an awesome team member!
Personal…
What furniture/design/home décor piece do you love most? A bronze statuary horse that my Dad left to me in his will. When I look at it my dad is with me again, encouraging me to do my art.
Married/Single? Married for 13 years
Kids/no kids ? Two kids, Pearson and Fauna , Boy/Girl Twins who will be three years old on Jan 12th-yeah!
Pets/no pets? Two curmudgeonly 20 year old cats, three legged Sweet Pea and her brother Spartacus. We got the two of them at the pound and they were from the same litter, so they are twins too!
Day job? College Art teacher and professional artist/painter
Location? I now live in Oakland, California but I grew up in New York City.
Age? Older than my darling cats
How many languages do you speak and what are they? Sadly, only English
Do you play an instrument? I had guitar lessons when I was 12, I wanted to be in a girl band and be cool but didn't want to put in the effort to actually learn how to play ;O
Can you sing? … Not if I want you to like me… I really wish I could sing though!
Lets Talk Business…
Where do you get you inspirations? Mostly from my dreams but also from watching nature closely. Before I had children I watched birds and collected them when I found them. Much to my husbands dismay I would freeze them and take them out to paint when I needed a still life subject. I have a stunningly beautiful Cedar Waxwing in my freezer who had flown into our front living room window. I also have a tiny Bewicks wren… and an my mascot Armadillo for my studio- but he is taxidermed and I didn’t find him in the wild. I also have a giant collection of nests, my hummingbird nest is my favorite.
Does your family help with your business/hobby? My husband has always, always helped with carting around my paintings to one show or another, he is tremendously helpful. Some of my work is 5 or 6 foot paintings on wood panel, so that is not a small task. My three year old son Pearson always comments and critiques my felt animals (when he is angling to have it)
Do you like your craft/hobby? Oh yeah! Absolutely! Sometimes I feel frustration if things don’t go as well as I had hoped and then I think that I may quit. So I think to myself , “what would I do if I quit painting?” and the answer is always that I would then have more time to paint. Painting and creating art work and craft is so much a part of me that I cant imagine anything different.
How do you market? Mostly by word of mouth but also on Twitter, my blog www.nightjarnightjar.blogspot.com and by advertising on Modish, Craftcult, and what ever other blog/or website that catches my fancy. Also, there is an event in Oakland called the Oakland Art Murmur where galleries keep their doors open late the first Friday of the month. The gallery where I show my paintings, Mercury20, has hordes of people during the Murmur, so I put out my cards for my Etsy shop then.
What gets neglected when you're tending to your shop or creating? My beauty sleep....and also my clothes and hair and personal grooming. Sometimes I get so into it I don't notice any time going by and then-bam!-3 hours later I still haven't taken that shower.
For Fun…..
When was the last time you had a staring contest? Wow. Maybe when I was twelve with my cat. He won.
When was the last time you fell asleep with the TV on? I never have fallen asleep with the TV on so, maybe I am saving that special experience for old age.
Do you believe in love at first sight? There is surely Lust at first sight, but not true love. My husband and I didn’t even like each other at first meeting…and 20 years later….love is continuing to bloom
Are vampires real? Only in a scary dream once in a while.
Does pushing the elevator button more than once make it arrive faster? Oh, heck yeah, I mean I grew up in New York
Where you named after anyone? Not a person but the old capitol of Ireland- my Dad was Irish and my (Italian) mom thought of my name and thought my Dad would like it.
What is the first thing you notice about people? Their eyes
What is on your mouse pad? Dirt….and coffee stains, a Santa Claus candy wrapper.
Favorites…..
Favorite number? Call me numerically challenged. Numbers freak me out really, so I don’t have one.
Favorite flower? Jasmin- the strong scent makes me swoon with happiness
Favorite color? Scarlet because it is so vibrant and pertains to life (blood) and passion
Favorite Smells? Coffee, roses, my husbands neck
Favorite food? ... What, only one? Is chocolate a food?
Favorite etsy shop? there are so many fantastic shops and there are different shops for different things like the ones that I actually buy from and the ones that I would love to buy from but can't afford. Groundwork shop is really great, her work is amazing. I love Poodlebreath and Pogoshop, Attiladesigns, VintageConfections, Plainspirit, and Madebysam.......Oh, so many more! It is really incredible how many quality shops there are on Etsy.
Favorite memory? When I was little I would Catch lightening bugs and put them in jars on warm summer evenings...then I would draw on the sidewalk with them
Friday, January 1, 2010
Team Treasuries made for January 2010
January Incentive - Kate of OrganicOdysseys, PolkaDotSandals, AlmostArtifacts and StudioARTBEAD is offering $20 off any item in any of her shops for the top winner and Alice of PipingHotPapers is offering a $15 shop credit in either PHP or RunAliceRun for the 2nd most treasuries for our January incentive.
This is a team list of treasury makers for the month of January. When you make a team treasury, featuring at least 6 of your mates (6 different shops - but not any of your own shops), you will get a star next to your Shop Name.
5/09 BeckyM*
8/09 BlueNostalgia
6/09 BovineBubbles *
5/09 BrownBagVintage^*
6/09 CarvelCountrySoaps***
5/09 CatherineReece**
5/09 CyndieSmithDesigns****
11/09 DawnCorrespondence^***
6/09 Eclu*
6/09 Elefint*
6/09 EdensWake****
11/09 FairyFolk***
6/09 FiveForty***
6/09 Glassetc/PhoFun^**
6/09 Handamade^**
6/09 hcHappyCat*
5/09 InboundThread**
6/09 Ixela***
5/09 Jenji1
6/09 JennyNDesign/EightFold**
5/09 JenSanCandles***
6/09 JuicyGraphics/JustineNielsen*
8/09 LaChiffonniere/AnnyMay^*
5/09 LinenMe
5/09 Mamachee/BornWithIt ***
5/09 MooShooPork/LittlePapoose *
8/09 NancyWallisDesigns***
5/09 OrganicOdysseys/PolkaDotSandals/AlmostArtifacts/StudioARTBEAD***
11/09 PattyLakinsmith*
5/09 PipingHotPapers/RunAliceRun ^**
12/09 PonderandStitch***
6/09 SarahJohnAfana/Schemata***
7/09 SayYourPiece^*
6/09 SmallEarthVintage^*
7/09 Sooooound*
12/09 TheFancyLamb^*
5/09 TheNightjar^
5/09 TrendyKnitting/EliteBrides*
6/09 VintageAimee****
6/09 VintageConfections^*
10/09 WhiskerKisses**
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Front Page Treasuries Made for December
12-29 by PipingHotPapers
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12-22 by jennyndesign (originally 6 team members)
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12-18 by cyndiesmithdesigns
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12-14 by glassetc
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12-3 by theNightJar
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12-1 by Handamade
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12-1 by schemata
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Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Team Treasuries made for December 2009
December Incentive - Cyndie of cyndiesmithdesigns is offering an incentive for December's winner of the most treasuries - a pair of sterling silver, change-a-bead earrings with your choice of beads.
Geraldine of Handamade will contribute an apple cozy for December's runner-up.
This is a team list of treasury makers for the month of December. When you make a team treasury, featuring at least 6 of your mates (6 different shops), you will get a star next to your Shop Name.
Who has made a Treasury:
5/09 BeckyM *
8/09 BlueNostalgia*
6/09 BovineBubbles*
5/09 BrownBagVintage***
6/09 CarvelCountrySoaps
5/09 CatherineReece*
5/09 CyndieSmithDesigns^^
11/09 DawnCorrespondence***
6/09 Eclu
6/09 Elefint *
6/09 EdensWake***
11/09 FairyFolk****
6/09 FiveForty****
6/09 Glassetc/PhoFun ^***
6/09 Handamade****
6/09 hcHappyCat
5/09 InboundThread *
6/09 Ixela****
5/09 Jenji1
6/09 JennyNDesign/EightFold ^
5/09 JenSanCandles^***
5/09 JewelsOfEden
6/09 JuicyGraphics/JustineNielsen**
8/09 LaChiffonniere/AnnyMay****
5/09 LinenMe*
5/09 Mamachee/BornWithIt^
6/09 Mandag *
5/09 MooShooPork/LittlePapoose*
8/09 NancyWallisDesigns**
5/09 OrganicOdysseys/PolkaDotSandals/AlmostArtifacts/StudioARTBEAD^
11/09 PattyLakinsmith***
5/09 PipingHotPapers ^**
12/09 PonderandStitch **
6/09 SarahJohnAfana/Schemata****
7/09 SayYourPiece****
6/09 SmallEarthVintage^*
7/09 Sooooound
12/09 TheFancyLamb *
5/09 TheNightjar***
5/09 TrendyKnitting/EliteBrides**
6/09 VintageAimee *
6/09 VintageConfections ^
10/09 WhiskerKisses