We went to Chicago Children's Museum last Spring Break. Our daughter was interested in a class they offered that day, to make a shadow puppet. There, I met Andrea, from Owlyshadowpuppet.
Well... as fellow Etsian, I just have to interview her. I'm always curios about how do people start doing what they are doing. So, I began by asking her about her background.
Owlyshadowpuppets:
I think I have been making things my whole life! As a kid I was happiest when left alone but I got into everything. If you turned your back on me you might find me melting things on the stove, or trying to sew my own clothes, or cutting the back off of a wooden kitchen chair (to turn it into a coffee table, of course!). It was a natural progression for me to get a BFA in fine art, but I have never been completely pacified with one medium. I moved from drawing to ceramics to photography to small assemblages to a little bit of puppet theater.
Over the years I gathered up a strange bundle of skills and found myself working for a small company that makes architectural models. I enjoyed the design aspect of the job, and now realize that maybe I should have been a designer! *sigh* Anyway, I was using a laser cutter at my model-making job and I was interested in seeing what things I could laser-cut. And I started designing shadow puppets-- mainly for my own amusement, but!
also because they are the perfect thing to laser-cut. Eventually I was able to quit the model-making job, sell the shadow puppets through ETSY, and do some free-lance theater design on the side. It is scary sometimes to work for yourself, but I do love the freedom of it.
Bigib:
Why do you choose mat-board as your material?
Owlyshadowpuppets:
I use black mat-board to make the shadow puppets- I like the sturdiness of it, and it cuts very clean, which is important for some of the more delicate details on the puppets.
Bigib:
Anything new or big project coming up?
Owlyshadowpuppets:
Right now I am working on a robot shadow puppet and a "moonscape" to hold it. I think there will be a little space ship in the background. I'm also working on trying to write a script-- I'm hoping to have a month off this summer to produce a shadow puppet show, and I'm not sure yet if I want to work with the characters I have or just invent all new characters. One idea is to do a show and "broadcast" it in sections on Utube. Wouldn't that be neat? Maybe it could be a series of bedtime stories for kids to watch, all done with shadows and puppets.
Bigib: Some people get inspirations when they're in the shower (like me:)
How do you get your ideas?
Owlyshadowpuppets:
I think ideas just come to me. When I come up with something it literally "comes up" in my head, I mean one minute I am stumped and the next I am excited and have an idea. I like to draw at my kitchen table to help myself picture the ideas--this is where I keep track of things and make changes. My desk has all these little sketches on it, mixed in with lists and usually sprinkled over with pens and computer cords. If I am making a new puppet, I make a few versions of it before I get it right.
Bigib: Do you innovate?
Owlyshadowpuppets:
I'm always trying to do things a little better! I'm much better now at packing and shipping the shadow puppets, and I recently organized all my work and household papers-- it helps so much to know where things are! But there is still room for improvement. I'm trying to find ways to recycle the left-over mat board from making the puppets, and I would like to make a tool that bends wire into the shapes I need. (I do the wire bending and twisting by hand right now, and my wrists get sore) Often my brother has good suggestions for me, he knows a lot about the way materials work and sees possibilities I don't see.
Bigib: I'm sure you got tons of your favorite items. What's your most favorite?
Owlyshadowpuppets:
My Favorite Items:
my cats, plants, bikes, funky jewelry, my dish collection, cuckoo clocks, fair-trade coffee, vintage table cloths, wood chisels, bamboo, clear storage bins, starwars postage stamps, Harper's magazine, and smores. Of all of these, I will only tell you specifically about the bamboo: I live in Chicago where it gets very cold in winter... and I love bamboo but always thought it was a tropical plant. But now I see there is this new kind of bamboo called "Green Panda" that can grow here! It grows to 8 feet tall with small leaves, and it's beautiful. I want to plant some in my yard. What could be better than having your own forest of bamboo? Also, it would be fun to make big kites from the bamboo poles.
I hope people out there all get a chance to do what they love, or to find their own happiness with every-day life. If you had to say why you work, what would you say? I'm always trying to remind myself that my "chores" and my "work" and my "free-time" are all connected. A very content person once told me an old Zen proverb: "Before enlightenment, chop wood and carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood and carry water."
To learn more about Andrea's work, you can visit her website .
She also shares "Shadow Puppet Lesson" on her http://www.owlyshadowpuppets.com
(Teachers: this is a great activity for children).
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