I met Michele a few weeks ago on Facebook and was instantly in love with her ATCs. Reading her pageCreations by Mit I discovered she is a book illustrator, writer and a model horse painter. I wanted to know more about her so I sent her a few questions. Here are her answers.
1) The day you stepped into your creative space for the first time, did you already know how you wanted your studio to look like or did the design evolve from the actual space?
My studio space is pretty small, so it was easy to envision how it would look based on the furniture I wanted to put in the room. The arrangement didn’t take much thought because I was limited in what I could do, but over time, there have been all kinds of additions that have made the room more fun and conducive to creativity. For example, one wall is covered by a giant poster of a bunny I drew for a children’s Easter party. He has no tail because he was a “pin-the-tail-on-the-bunny” which makes him a bit of an oddity, & absolutely perfect for my studio. I had a mascot for over 2 years, a wonderful little hamster named Miss Miga, who made the room a very happy place! She would watch me when I’d work on the computer until she fell asleep and literally fell over. I have to admit, I spend a lot less time in there since she passed away a year ago this month, and have been gravitating more to my dining room table, or working on my lap desk. The spot where her tank sat still looks empty after all this time.
2) After the work is done, do you clean up after each piece, after each day or whenever you can´t find the table any more?
My dedicated workspace is an organized disaster area. It looks like a bomb has hit it, but somehow I know exactly where everything is! I generally just clear some space when I want to draw. Some of the mediums I work in for the model horses (the pure pigments and ground up pastels) are just easier to keep in place, so I have a separate work area that stays set up for that. I have recently acquired a lap desk that allows me to do my drawing pretty much anywhere, and when I choose to use it, I always clean up after myself when I’m done because I try to limit my messes to the studio and dining room table only!
3) Which is your best time of the day to create? Music or silence?
I try very hard to be productive in the morning, but I have found when it comes to my artwork, I really get into a groove after dinner. I can sit for hours and completely lose track of time. I often look up to find it’s after midnight! I find that music or silence makes no difference, but I usually enjoy putting my ipod on shuffle and having it surprise me. I listen to all types of music: hard rock, heavy metal, smooth jazz, country, pop and soft rock. There is even Spanish guitar on there! So I definitely get surprises!
4) Which is your next project?
I am currently working on a new children’s book project that I am very excited about. I also just discovered ACEOs/ATCs (Artist trading cards) and am having a lot of fun with those. And I am working on a new customized model horse to offer to my Facebook fans. Plus, I have a couple of personal projects in the works that will hopefully be holiday gifts!
5) Where can we find you on line?
website: www.creationsbymit.com
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Creations-By-Mit/344366542465
And now my (Paula´s) own piece for AEDM 2014 Day #02:
10 thoughts on “Michele Katz found a new expression in ATCs”
The web is full of interesting people, isn´t it? I like connecting artists and cool people in general.