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| Jodie Hansen! |
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| Double sided Star Wars magnet for the dishwasher, designed by Jodie! |
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| A shot of Jodie's home studio |
We asked Jodie... What do you do when you're not making art?
"Outside of my side business, I'm a full-time Senior designer in an advertising agency (Trampoline) here in Halifax. I've worked for the same company for 30 years! I jokingly say my side-hustle is my second full-time job. At least when I retire, I'll be down to one full-time job. :) Needless to say outside of that, I have very little free time..."
Tampoline used to have their office space above the gallery, and thats actually how we met Jodie!
Jodie would take art breaks and visit the gallery, eventually those breaks would turn into fun brainstorming chats and many wonderful art ideas would come to life!
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| Jodie never stops! See her here at one of the many markets she does... everything she sells is available through us! |
Where does your inspiration come from?
"Most of my inspiration comes from things around me - mostly pop culture. Puns are my favourite as I think we all need to laugh every day... especially these days. I'm a giant nerd at heart and my side business started with illustrating Stars Wars and Star Trek funny cards."
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| A shot of Jodie's desk space with some of her producs |
What is something people may not know about you?
"Something people might not know about me... I'm originally from Ontario and competed in provincial competitions for both Gymnastics and High Jump in the same year.(a longggg time ago....). I also used to play the trumpet in my younger years."
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| Jodie's very organized studio storage! |
What do you like to listen to while you work?
"I like to watch/listen to True Crime documentaries while I work. I'm looking down most of the time that it's on and for the most part you can just listen to them and know what's happening. It also means that I get really behind on favourite shows and movies I'd like to watch. I seem to be always busy creating!"
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| A shot of the art in Jodie's space... Art makers are art lovers too! Some works pictured are by Jodie herself and other's from other artists we carry at the gallery! |
What is your proudest moment in your art career?
"I have two proud moments that have happened to me in my later years in my career. Four years ago, I was contacted by Barnes & Noble and they were interested in carrying my die cut calendars. I almost didn't believe it! I'm just finishing up my 4th year with them. Such an exciting opportunity for my one-woman small business! Also this year, I was ranked #83 in Canada by Strategy magazine in the Designer category."
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| Jodie's die cut calenders getting boxed up and ready to be shipped out! |
What is a piece of advice you have to give?
"My best advice is to just give something creative a try. What's the worst that can happen? My background is illustration and I started illustrating my own Christmas card every year after graduating art school. I started selling them here and there and kept expanding. Now I have over 80 retails stores selling my quirky products! I love just playing around with things and seeing if people are interested. It still blows my mind that I make something and people want to buy it!"
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| Jodie Hansen, Schitts Creek Bookmark - Moira, her arms go over the page! |
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| T.HANKS Greeting card by Jodie |
T.HANKS for reading this week's Sunday Studio Days blog!