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Some indie designers would like to turn the stereotypical image of suburban life – cookie-cutter lifestyles, exclusive neighborhoods, homogeneous – on its head. Why shouldn’t suburban shoppers enjoy unique and eclectic fashion accessories? Stevie Ballow is one of the designers heading the revolution. Stevie caught the attention of DIYthing through her brand Eutectic. In a recent interview, DIYthing spoke to Stevie about the indie design movement, design values, shopping habits, and balance. Eutectic is one of several brands that this indie designer has created as part of her larger business venture. Stevie choose Eutectic as the name for this brand because it refers to the point at which individual elements combine to form a unique substance. The key is balance; elements must complement each other.
Of course, brands have stories to tell. I asked Stevie what story Eutectic wanted to tell. Her goal is to gain mainstream recognition, but with an unexpected twist. At the heart of Eutectic is changing the mindset that one needs lots of stuff. She wants to start with the minds of the people in suburban Houston where she lives. She feels that DIY culture hasn’t yet reached out that far. Typically, a suburbanite buys everything from the mall or similar shopping outlets. With mainstream recognition, Stevie hopes to gain entrée for her message to the suburban consumer that handcrafted items have extra value in the fact of their uniqueness. Too, changed shopping habits will mean economic support for the local community as well as the artists who live and work there. Stevie is a firm believer that when consumers purchase handcrafted items they benefit because they’ve bought something that will last.
Stevie describes herself as a DIY rebel. As with most indie designers, Stevie comes to her work through a non-traditional path. She is an engineer by training. Although she has never used her engineering degree in the traditional sense, the training is evident in her work. In fact, Eutectic is an engineering term.
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DIY rebel is a mindset for Stevie. She has never let the fact that she wasn’t educated in a certain field stop her. When she started designing jewelry, she had to teach herself about the business so she looked things up and did her research. This attitude reflects a view that “back in the day” people not only self-education complemented formal education. To get her business going and to market her brands, Stevie has been pretty much a self-contained, one-woman show.
Stevie considered spending money for a PR rep or distributing samples everywhere, but she has found successful alternative strategies. Currently, she uses two methods for making her art visible. One way is to sell her handcrafted items at the local Midtown Farmer’s Market, which is open to craft vendors and artists from the local community. Her other marketing method is the Internet.
The Eutectic brand is available online at Stevie’s website as well as several indie web showcases including (Smashing Darling and ararething.etsy.com). Her work will also be carried soon in the Hi Art gallery in San Marcos, TX. Hi Art is a unique showcase providing venues for painting and sculpture, performance, transmedia, alternative media, functional art, and jewelry.
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Many of the artists highlighted on DYthing are discovered through online communities like Stylehive, Etsy and Flickr as well as other indie blogs. We find that indie artists support each other and their mutual support is a good thing for the indie arts community.
Stevie’s message for other DIYers is to make yourself visible by visiting the blogs of other designers; people have to be able to find you. For her part, she has invested in networking rather than ads. So, she visits and makes comments on Flickr as well as blogs such as Switchboard among others. She participates in traditional support communities such as WIVLA (Women in the Visual and Literary Arts) and Houston Craft Mafia. She finds support in going to the meetings and hearing other people talk about what they do. Stevie encourages other creatives to join groups that will support them through both hard and good times.
Visit Stevie’s company, Rara Avis. Rara Avis is a Graphic Design and Creative Projects company.
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