Today we’d like to introduce you to Micki Lamb.
Hi Micki, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am the owner and artist of Snark & Soul through which I sell handmade, upcycled art and wearables. I began my work life as an artist, then switched to mental health therapy with children and adolescents. During the pandemic, my home office was also my art and craft room, which reignited my identity as an artist.
Working with upcycled items was necessary when in quarantine and when fearing damage to other things when I was teaching myself to sew. Now, repurposing and upcycling is a passion, and all items contain all or some upcycled elements. This makes foraging at thrift stores, garage sales, and online necessary, which feeds my pack rat mentality. The self-imposed mandate to use what I have on hand or have just thrifted feeds my desire for novelty, problem-solving, and ADHD-style art making ( think “ many projects at once in various stages of completion”).
I embrace humor and the unexpected, creating purses of jeans, blazers, coffee tins, cigar boxes, and children’s bib overalls. Quilts of saris become jackets, old business cards are watercolored, lightly sealed with Clear acrylic and suspended from silver-plated findings. Greeting cards and coloring books, opossum-themed, rely on snarky humor.
When making more traditional hang-on-the-wall art, there are still some surprises. Quilt and embroidery hoops become frames for mindful but energetic free-motion quilting of scrap threads and fabrics, sometimes even plastic grocery bags, receipts, and other unexpected materials. The resultant pieces are suitable for wall hanging, but lively in a window where daylight shines through.
Snark & Soul vends and shows in southeastern and central Ohio and via the website snarknsoul@gmail.com. Custom items may be requested, such as favorite concert t-shirts being reconstructed with scarf or kantha quilt sleeves or affixed to flannel shirts, or purses or bags created from one’s own or a loved one’s jeans or suit jackets.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Early on, most items I created were small and sold very inexpensively, so sales only supported my art habit. Some shows yielded low sales, once a borrowed tent buckled in the rain, drenching objects of paper and fabric. Early in my sewing journey, purses were made without zippers as I did not yet know how to affix them, some things were sewn inside-out, pins left in and not easily accessible. Once at an outside show I left my van parked by a food truck. Afterward, my van was covered with sprayed grease.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My most popular items are kantha jackets and long vests, revamped concert tees, opossum coloring books. (particularly Sweary ‘Possums), and seasonal items including snarky Christmas cards and snarky Christmas ornaments with a playing card base. The kantha clothing and the larger free-motion art pieces and jeans jackets with free-motion panels are the most recognizable items in my booth and in shops.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
I sought skills-building videos online and befriended regional shop owners who would critique and often sell my work. I’d also advise newer makers or art entrepreneurs to discover local art guilds and maker spaces. Here you will find like-minded individuals with access to physical tools and knowledge of marketing, identification of your audience, good display or packaging design, and connection to other makers and markets. Follow your bliss and use your connections.
Pricing:
- Long kantha jackets and vests $70-80
- Free-motion hoops 8-27”, $10-150
- Coloring books $8 physical copy, $5 digital copy
- Upcycled concert shirts $30-35
- Jeans jackets and short kantha jackets $50-65
Contact Info:
- Email: Snarknsoul@gmail.com
