Anicca, Arts Inspired By Nature

Canvas Print of Original Photography by Melody of Anicca

 Today we are going to hear from our featured local artisan, Melody Ryan. She is a photographer, artist, and jewelry creator, and owns the online shop Anicca. She also has vintage items available in her Etsy store. Her shop name and inspiration comes from nature and the cycle of life and death that each living thing must move through..."although every little thing that arises to exist in this universe will eventually cease to be- will return to the dust; 
for a shining moment in time, every little thing stands still- frozen and glorious in its own special moment of existence."

I live in Nashville, TN. I love it here, because it is filled with art and music. There are so many different areas here that are very unique, and there is ALWAYS something interesting going on. It has a wonderful, deep-rooted artistic community that I am happy to be a part of!


 I dabble in all sorts of crafts and love to create anything and work with any kind of materials, but have recently settled on jewelry-making and photography. My first artistic passion was painting. I still paint occasionally, but photography has definitely won over my heart. I also really love the editing process of photography. I started crafting hemp jewelry when I was younger, which eventually transitioned to making all kinds of jewelry and working with metal.

In the near future, I plan on getting more involved in showing my work at different events and participating in more shows and festivals. But my main goal is that I would especially love to eventually be able to travel around the world to do exotic wildlife photography.

There is a great art supply store here in Nashville called Plaza that also offers a wide variety of art classes. And of course, there is the trusty Hobby Lobby down the road that I always get a little too carried away in. :)

My favorite item at the moment is a long bronze necklace with criss-crossing chains that dangle down and have little feather charms and a blue skull charm hanging from them. 

I have a facebook page at www.facebook.com/oAnicca
Currently, I have a happy spring coupon for 20% off any item in my store! Enter the code "BIRD00" (zeroes)

Two New Shops!

We'd like to welcome our two new shops to the team:


EsthersAntechamber - "we offer body care, custom made costuming, and accessories for the off-beat world"


JamieBowwe - bright, colorful, young rings and earrings


Welcome, ladies!


-The MET

Sunday Shop

Zephyr Art is the shop you go to if you're looking for quirky and fun accessories.
Their pieces, jewelry and otherwise, are bright, chunky and colorful. Especially this first piece. I love how all of the different textures and colors come together in this Cuff Bracelet. 



I would call their pieces bohemian chic.

I love these Fabric Earrings... the almost-pearl button against the bright blue yarn. It's fun and eye-catching.


Did I mention that they are also artists? Well, it's not like something this creative could come from anything less than an artist's hands. Or a couple of pairs of them. 

Okay Julie, how long have you been crafting and what got you started?
As a business Eppie Cataldo Bailey and I (Julie Barrett Cataldo) started in 2001. When we met, Eppie was primarily illustrating and I was primarily painting. We realized we have a common Art Philosophy of using the freedom and joy we feel in creating to spread our conviction that Art can and should be part of everybody's lives. Because we believe collaboration makes a bigger impact, we joined forces.
Your shop is a "close collaboration of creativity" with you in Tennessee and your sister-in-law in Pennsylvania. It can't be easy when you're 800 miles apart. How do you make that work?
We talk on the phone A LOT. (We are on the phone together right now, answering these questions!) Some days we feel like the phone is an extension of ourselves. Computers are helpful for transferring images and ideas and we spend considerable amounts of time in either place together. We have artist networks in both areas with which we are involved, because we believe real experiences create better art than a solitary vacuum. 
You have three kids, one on the way, and one is being home schooled. How do you find the time?
Eppie also has 4 children, three of which are home schooled. The way we find time is to refuse to the alternative: to not have time for our passion. We incorporate Art into our school and we live "school". There is no distinction between "school" ,"Art" or "life". Sometimes we have to do lessons when we want to paint and sometimes we paint when we should be doing lessons, it all evens out for us. There is no miracle here, sometimes things (laundry, dishes) get done and sometimes they don't, we've learned to accept this. We strive to balance structured education with our tenants of freedom and creativity. 


I think we can all agree with Eppie and Julie on how important art and creativity are in every day life.


Be sure and stop by their shop and check out the rest of their fun and funky work!


Thanks so much for sharing, Julie (...and Eppie in Pennsylvania)! 


-The Murfreesboro Etsy Team
http://www.etsy.com/teams/5505/murfreesboro-etsy-team


featured shop: zephyrart.etsy.com
featured shop's fb fanpage: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Zephyr-Art/112101272164246?sk=wall