We chat with designer, Etsy store owner and maker of wonky, playful ceramic creations Bea Bellingham about the event and what makes Etsy so great.
What can we expect at the Etsy Sydney Made Markets?
Expect a celebration of all things handmade and a chance to meet some of the region’s best makers, designers and curators at the more than 70 stalls.
You’ll also get a chance to strut your stuff at the silent disco entrance, refuel with some delicious food truck delicacies, and soak up the array of nearby Vivid Sydney waterfront activities.
Where do you think Etsy fits in the broader design community?
I think for a lot of people Etsy is a stepping stone into the design community. Its accessibility allows those creatives who may have not known where to start showing their work previously, now not only have access to a world-wide audience, but also a supportive local community through its teams (such as Sydney Made).
On the flip-side, Etsy is an easy-in for members of the public to get to know the amazing array of designs out there, and get to know the makers behind them.
I think one of the reasons Etsy is such a successful platform is that it doesn’t try to take over the existing communities, but actively supports the sellers within them. It means that sellers can grow within Etsy, while exploring the broader design community.
Bea in her workshop
What does ‘authentic’ design mean to you?
For me, authentic design is putting a yourself into a work.
As an artist I’m influenced by hundreds of other designers, makers and artists; but I’m also influenced by hundreds of personal experiences. Authenticity comes when you take a little bit of these ideas and memories, chuck them in a mixing pot and try to pull out something that represents you.
I feel that it’s important the work that comes out of my studio has been hand-formed and hand-painted, but most importantly has a little bit of me in each piece.
A collection of Bea’s designs
What inspires you when you’re designing?
I find inspiration seeks me out more often than not; conversations with friends, something seen in day-to-day life, a joke, a colour, a pattern, a shape, a doodle and even let the clay tell me the shape it wants to be.
I find the hardest part is trying to filter the noise into something usable, and this usually comes through trial and error.
Where do you think Australian design is headed?
I hope to see more of the personal, thoughtful, playful and handmade design that I’ve come to love from Australian designers.
Bea’s ceramics
Who are some of your favourite Australian Etsy stores?
https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/AmyBlueIllustration
Pop-culture delights that crack me up.
https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/TheBilboaLoft
Beautiful hand-printed clothing that makes me want to take a permenant east-coast roadtrip
www.etsy.com/shop/ElisaBartels
This clever lady does wonderful things with Australian porcelain and is working on amazing naturally dyed fabric to-boot.
And all of these makers and more will be there on 4 June and the Etsy Sydney Made Markets!
Etsy Sydney Made Markets
vividsydney.com/etsy
Things by Bea
etsy.com/shop/thingsbybea
Some of the stallholders who will be present at Etsy Sydney Made Markets