Today we’d like to introduce you to Tiffany Berry.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I have always been an artistic person, but I never thought about it as a career path. I went to school for psychology and worked in related fields for a few years, and then when my first daughter was born a little over 10 years ago and I quit my job to stay home with her, I decided to dabble more in my artistic side hobbies. At the time, that was photography for me. I did that for years as a small side business while my girls were toddlers, and I actually take marketing photos on the side still today for other local small businesses like my own.
Then, about a year ago, I was talking with a good friend on the phone while we looked at macrame pieces online to purchase for our homes, and as we were browsing, I became really interested in the creation process that this art form must take. It looked so very interesting, and I decided that I had to give it a try. I sort of laughed about my crazy ideas to make my own piece, and I fully expected to hate macrame because I tend to hate any craft that takes a long time to create, I’m very impatient like that, but I went out and bought a roll of rope anyway, got on the internet to learn some basic knots and found a couple article tutorials with photos, and got started. I learned two types of knots that day and I made my first macrame using just those two knots.
I actually couldn’t believe how much I enjoyed making that first piece and I was addicted from the start. I went out to get more rope, and continued to practice. I began posting my pieces on my personal Instagram, and soon after that, I had friends asking to purchase a piece for a baby shower or wedding, etc. I decided at that point to open an Etsy shop to start selling my pieces too. I figured that I couldn’t just keep them all, and I wanted to keep making them. A small shop was the perfect way to keep creating these fiber art pieces realistically.
From there, this very small shop idea took on a life of its own. I found myself doing local markets within a month or two, and then a design firm in Los Angeles contacted me to custom make large floor to ceiling pieces for a new restaurant. My small side shop quickly became a full-time job. A job that I love doing. I never thought that one day I would say that I’m a full-time artist, and I couldn’t be happier about that.
Please tell us about your art.
Today my pieces are both macrame and woven fiber art, and my personal favorite is the combining the two in the same art piece. I create all my pieces by hand in my home studio; I have racks to create macrame pieces on and a few looms for weaving. I also have a pulley system set up in my garage that I use to work on extremely large pieces that are far too big to work on in my workroom. I am the sole artist for this business, so you can imagine the time that has gone in to growing this shop to the point that it is at now, but I love creating with these fibers, and this business has allowed me to keep exploring my creativity in a way that wouldn’t have been possible without it.
We also were a family of four living on one income before I started this shop, and as you can imagine, that is a very budgeted life. String Bean Macrame Co has given my family the income to create a little breathing room at a time that it was very much needed. As every small business owner will tell you, each purchase makes an actual person over-the-moon happy, and I’m so thankful for each person out there who has made this dream possible for me and my family.
It’s also not just my small business you support when buying from String Bean Macrame Co. I purchase all my materials through other small businesses as well. My strings and ropes come from other small shops, some that actually hand dye the colors you see in my pieces. I purchase my driftwood and other materials for rods from other small businesses. Even my signature tags attached to the backs of my pieces were created for me by another small shop after I sent her a photo of my signature and logo. I am a big believer in supporting small business, and honestly, the quality cannot be beat.
We often hear from artists that being an artist can be lonely. Any advice for those looking to connect with other artists?
I actually do not find that at all to be the case in today’s social media era. I have connected with so many other artists and small business owners through social media, especially on Instagram. There is a huge community over competition mindset on these platforms; more people are out there to help and provide advice than you can even imagine. If you are exploring the idea of turning your art into a career, definitely put yourself out there on social media and find the world of like-minded artists out there ready to embrace you. I am also very open with other businesses about my process, or tricks of the trade, and I work with other amazing macrame artists locally for workshops too.
I remember being a little afraid, when starting this business, to go public (so-to-speak) on social media. I felt like other local artists would feel that I was encroaching on their territory or something of the sort, but I found that it is very much the opposite out there, and that the artist community is full of some really great people who I am privileged to know now, and some have even become very good friends.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
You can find my work on my Instagram, my website, and in my Etsy shop. You can also find me and my work at local markets such as the Old Town Night Market, or the Vintage Soul Flea Market. My market events schedule can also be found on my website.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.stringbeanmacrameco.com
- Email: stringbeanmacrame@yahoo.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/stringbeanmacrameco
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stringbeanmacramecompany
- Other: linktr.ee/stringbeanmacrameco
Image Credit:
Ahjile Miller Photography, T Berry Photography.
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