{local markets} :: a place for twiggs

yes, today i am the guest! well, hi there to all of you! how are you doing? it has been quite a day today, as mr kobe has been really energetic and tries to do whatever he wants and with a lot of stubbornness! fortunately mr twiggs is arriving tomorrow (thank goodness, i cannot wait for him to be here!) and this will become a two parents’ task!

so why me today? because today we celebrate woman’s day and though i am not that into huge celebrations… we did manage to vote, work, wear mini-skirts, study… and so on… because i am unemployed… because i am trying to make my business grow… because i managed to open three shops. because i believe it will be possible. because right now i am feeling really annoyed because i can’t read a single job ad that actually makes me want to answer that ad. because i love what i do now. because i would love to keep doing it and being able to support myself. because i want to answer those questions myself!

can you tell us something about yourself? what don’t you know already, right? well… i am claudia, studied psychology, worked in an high school and loved it… worked in consulting business for almost four years. don’t want to go back. i am creative, though i just realized that a few months ago. i love photography and wish to make my business grow with photography and posters based on photography or just typography. would love to learn how to sew and knit. i live in lisbon with my boyfriend and our dog.

how did {a place for twiggs} start? well, back in september 2009 i was feeling the need to write. i have always loved to write, nothing in particular but sometimes i just felt the need to write about my thoughts, emotions… and was feeling a bit lost. yes, i was going to turn 29 and felt lost. quite common, don’t you agree? so i started the blog… i was on flickr but was not understanding why no one would comment on my pictures. a few months later i started to learn photoshop… developed my skills… kept blogging… started to have some ideas for the blog… started to wonder about opening an etsy shop… and everything happened in june 2010. from then on, i have had a few ideas for the posters project… but for now, asides from photography, have just created a line with photography and words.

what inspires you? like every other artist… everything that moves and does not move. everything that surrounds me. colours, shapes, words, patterns… lisbon… anything that crosses our path is capable of inspiring us. we just need to be open minded to receive that information. i think that i try to seek for optimism and all the greatness that this city has to offer… and bring that to my work.

what advice can you give for those small business owners in our country? don’t give up! really… i know it takes time, patience, time, effort, work, hard work… you will not find your golden egg in your first day. you need to dig, dig, dig, dig… develop yourself… open your mind, believe in yourself. yes, there will be days in which you think about quitting… but you can’t. you need to stop what you are doing for a moment, go outside and think about other things. but never quit. it takes hard work, but when you taste a bit of success… it is the most thrilling feeling in the world!

what do you think would be helpful for those small business owners in our country? well, the government could be more helpful. we are living in an difficult time, concerning faith in our government and economical situation. we could use some faith in our work as well, some promoting work from our own country. this ain’t just a cute hobby. this is my life. we could use better taxes, adjusted to those really small. if i become a business owner i have to pay around 120€/$170 every month for social security, besides other taxes… even if my business is still growing or just starting. how can i manage that? there could be other projects for those who wish to do something for themselves… this can really make our country more visible, creatively speaking. we could boost a part of the economy if someone believed in us. we could grow if only people could look at our work and think about quality, instead of just a certain amount of money. it is handmade, people! handmade! we are designer-makers. even photography… it takes us hours to make our work look like it does.

 

i have an {etsy shop} dedicated to photography… another {etsy shop} dedicated to lomography (and soon film, as well)… and a {big cartel shop} for my photography+typography work (and soon posters). why these three? because i want them in separate places. i want them to have their own personality. so…

i will be having a sale during this week, in order to celebrate the {big cartel} launch. so… if you are reading this, and you wish to order some of my prints, enter {celebratingmarch} on the “message to seller”and i will refund you with a 50% of your order (shipping costs not included). all prices on the images are the current prices. you shall have 50% discount on those prices, but do not forget to include the message! happy tuesday ladies!