Focus On: Mink Hebert

A few months ago I got a yen for a bag. I don't do bags so it was quite a challenge for me to identify what I wanted and to stay in any sort of budget. Enter acajou, quirky, yet not too loud and with the addition of a custom pocket, perfect!
Mink impressed me with her professionalism as well, and I'd recommend her any time!
Love my bag, by the way!

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Name: Mink Hebert

Shop: http://acajou.etsy.com

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Tell us about yourself. What makes you, you?
I communicate through making things. I am interested in beauty and freedom~ creating for me is always an attempt to express that.

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Do you see yourself as an artist or craftsman or both?

Both. I think of Acajou as craft because a bag's function outweighs the import of it's visual language. I also paint and consider that more "serious" art.

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What made you want to be an artist?

I don't know that I ever made the conscious decision to be an artist. I have always been driven to create and I just think of it as play. It is a privilege and also a necessity.

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Why bags?

Bags are fun to make... I like pushing the possibilities of with them because the form is basic and their purpose so commonplace.

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How do you see your style?

Sophisticated yet childlike. Sometimes elegant, sometimes quirky.

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What's the most wonderful thing you've made? The oddest?

One of the first Little Kite Handbags I made captures what I am trying to achieve- I still go back to it as a reference. The oddest? Some of the things that don't make it to my shop!

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What inspires you?

Many things. I am inspired by Japanese, Scandinavian, and French design. Nature, children's books, the animal kingdom, anatomy, color, etc.

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Tell us about your creative process.

I spend the most time putting fabrics together. Looking at how colors and textures work together or contrast. I have patterns I made that I use for construction of each style of bag. The fun part is working with the individual textiles to make a piece unique.

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How did you get on Etsy and where else do you sell?

I found Etsy by chance almost two years ago and it took me a while to open shop. I also sell my bags in a boutique called, Tapestry, in Calgary, Canada and I am currently looking at other local venues to feature my designs.

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Describe your shop.

Busy, cheerful!

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Make a recommendation.

This is the first shop on Etsy that I hearted:http://www.charmfoundry.etsy.com/

I love it...

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Tell us the answer to a question that we didn't ask, but should have. If you can't think of anything, tell us something random.

What is next for Acajou? I am making dolls with the leftover scraps from my bags- I am excited because this is a way for me to keep from wasting fabric.