Interview / Tokara Sexton of Love Sexton

I'm super excited to present to you the first ever interview on this blog! Hopefully there will
be many more to come in the near future - I really believe in supporting other artists and small
business owners. I love reading about how they got where they are today, their process and the challenges they may have faced along the way. So, let's get right into it!

Love Sexton features accessories that are bright, sassy and will definitely make you stand out
in a crowd. The combination of color and texture makes for a truly astounding look. You can
learn more about Tokara and Love Sexton through her Facebook page, or on Twitter and of
course you should head on over to her shop and check out the rest of her work!

First of all, where does the name Love Sexton come from?
Sexton is my last name. I meant it to be sort of like the end of a letter, as in "Love, Sexton".

I’m very intrigued with the colors in your work. What draws you to the materials you 
use? What first inspired you to paint such bright colors onto faux leather?
I am drawn to all bright colors. I love to surround myself with them as they make me happy. 
My house is painted in bright blues, yellows, and pinks. I am an artist at heart, I really 
wanted to incorporate my painting into my accessory making. I had been making the gold, 
black, and white style feathers for a long time, but I wanted COLOR! So through much trial 
and error I finally found the right fit between type of paint and type of material. 

Are there other materials you’d like to try?
I have worked with silks before but I have never tried painting them. I think that's a 
future venture.

Did you have any big challenges when you started Love Sexton? Any current challenges?
Start up money I guess was the biggest challenge. I really want only high quality supplies 
in my shop so it took a while to build up a collection of items and materials to work with.

As for current challenges, just keeping up with demand all by myself. It's still at the point 
where I am enjoying it and not too stressed out, and I want to keep it that way. 

What is your personal style like?
I guess I am part rocker style, part pin up girl. Very opposite. I am a very girly girl either way. 
I wear a lot of black with bright pops of color like the Neon Aztec earrings, or bright makeup.

Do you have any major influences or places to go for inspiration?
I love all fashion. Love the designers who take chances. Love to check out fashion blogs.

How do you go about promoting your shop?
Etsy is a great place to get noticed. I try and contact boutiques and blogs when I have time. 
It's kind of hard to promote when you're running a one girl business. 

Where do you hope to see Love Sexton in the next year?
For right now I would like to maintain. I have some new ideas in the works, so I would like 
to get enough time to create and get those out.

Do you have any pearls of wisdom for other creatives?
Be patient, try not to get discouraged (I have been doing this since 2006). Keep coming up 
with original pieces and your hard work will get noticed!

Thanks, Tokara!

Wanted

Have you heard of Lab Partners? Pretty much everything about them rocks. Their website is soooo well done, and it's clear that they put a lot of thought into it. I mean, just look at that front page animation. These letterpressed prints have my heart's undivided attention. As I'm in the middle of overhauling my apartment, and finally putting serious thought into every room, these prints would be perfect sittin' pretty over my dresser. They're part of a series called "Hunt and Gather" inspired by treasures found at flea markets. Le sigh, it's always uplifting to see great work being put into the world. Prints, you will be mine one of these days!

Admiring / Rifle Paper Co.

What can I say about Rifle Paper Co.? Everything in their shop is simply a visual delight.
It makes you feel like you're in a fantasy land filled with pretty flowers, delicious fruits and
glamorous Parisian women, all the time. The lighthearted nature of their vast array of products
from notepads, to stationery and wedding invitations is a reminder to revel in the small details
all around you. Above are just a small handful of my current favorites from them. What are yours?

NEW PRINTS IN THE SHOP

Woohoo! It's been a while since I've been able to add some new cards to the shop, but today I had the chance to add some photographic prints. I'm hard at work on some prints I'm really excited about, and without revealing too much, all I'll reveal is that they involve hand-rendered type. Hope you guys enjoy, I'll be adding lots of new stuff in the next few weeks! Oh, and don't forget it's 10% off for the next week!