Get To Know... Phydeaux

Well, I've been trying to come up with a great introduction for my next interviewee, but I think I just have to let her shops, blogs and finished sentences say it all. Meet Brenda, the woman who runs Phydeaux and Phydelle. She knits scarves and accessories for people and fashion dolls and lives to blog all about it. She's also excited to be adding mitts to her shop and is generous enough to give away a pair to a lucky winner!I am… a business manager, a writer, an artist, a knit wear designer, a daughter, a friend, a sister, a momma to two kitties, a lifelong student, a cook, a gardener, a dreamer, a realist, a small business owner, an entrepreneur, a lover of books, a dark chocolate addict :) and a watcher of too much TV.

I was… all of the above! As well as a student and healthcare worker. And once, I only dreamed about being able to sell my creations …
In my early 20’s, my life was going to be about art and writing. And medicine. What can I say, I’m right and left brained! I certainly didn’t foresee where I’d be more than 20 years later.

I will be… a success, wherever life continues to take me. I’m thinking positive! I’m at an interesting point in my life, with major decisions to be made, any of which will result in completely different futures. More short term, I am very excited about knitting designs being published in 2010. I’m excited about new possibilities with knitting (this holiday season and winter will have many new creations at Phydeaux Designs!).

I’m very excited about re-embracing painting and drawing and typography, creative processes that I couldn’t imagine my life without 20 and 30 years ago, and yet I put them away for nearly 20 years! I’m excited about my true love, writing, and the opportunities and directions that writing will take me in the next year. But most of all, I’m excited about exploring and reconciling the differences and the similarities and the surprises between my young 20 self and my current 40 something self.

I am motivated by… creativity, originality, learning new things, achieving potential. In business speak, I’m driven by intrinsic, rather than external, motivators. I motivate myself, which sometimes mean I need to kick myself in the pants to be motivated! I’m constantly trying to learn, grow, improve – all of which motivate me. When I’m stagnant and stuck mentally and emotionally, it shows in my work! When I get stuck creatively, I challenge myself to learn a new skill. I felt creatively stuck this Spring, after a super busy holiday season for Phydeaux, and a bit disheartened by a lack of originality I was seeing in other folks’ work. So, I chose to stop looking at others’ work – if I or other people are being copied, freaking out about it wasn’t doing me any good – and also decided to finally learn how to knit lace. And did!

My passion is… continual learning and growing. I can’t imagine a life without both! I’m never “done.” I’m always challenging myself to learn a new skill, whether a knitting technique or HTML coding for my blog or a new way to roast a chicken. I can always do and be better!

Many people don’t know that I… competed in the 1984 Olympics. I’m kidding! I’ve done nothing quite that exciting! Well, let’s see … I believe that Big Foot exists. I am seriously freaked out about clowns. I’ve never travelled outside of the US. I used to make all my own clothes. I’ve never smoked. I am a videogame junky – haven’t played any of my games for so long – I miss it! I hate iced tea. Now you all know a bunch of things about me!

I’d like to learn to… make stained glass windows! Dye and spin my own yarn (I’m working on the latter)! Program videogames – wouldn’t that be fun? Animate – the good old fashioned way, not computerized. The list of things I’d like to learn is endless!

I wish I had known… that Piglet is pig. Oh my gosh, I didn’t know what kind of animal Piglet was when I was young! It just didn’t make sense to me – he couldn’t be a PIG, since he didn’t have a curly tail! I felt like such an idiot when I figured it out … as an adult! (By the way, you might be laughing, since this is so obvious to the rest of the world, but my brother totally gets this!)

If I won the lottery, I would… pay off all of my and my family’s debts. Invest wisely. Buy myself my dream piece of land with cottage by the ocean and take in abandoned kittens. And design and create and write to my heart’s content. Sigh.

I’d like to thank the Academy for… the opportunity to play myself in my life story. It’s definitely the most challenging role I’ve ever been offered!
Now for the Giveaway!
So here's how you can enter to win one of the brand new mitts from Phydeaux. Visit her Etsy shop and post a comment to tell me what your favorite item is and what colors you'd like to see more of. You have until Oct. 26th to enter, and please make sure I have a way to contact you. The winner will be announced on Oct 27th.
Additional entries:
1. Follow Brenda's blog.
2. Join her mailing list, which you can do from her blog, and tell me that you did.
3. Follow my blog.
4. Twitter about this giveaway. Please have @juneshindesigns in the tweet.
5. Become a Facebook Fan of June Shin, and post a comment on my wall.
6. Blog about this giveaway and link back to this post.

Special offer just for you!
Brenda is also offering 15% off your order and free first class shipping (not including gift certificates)! Just mention my blog at checkout. This is valid until Oct. 26th.