Today we’d like to introduce you to Allison Anne Brown
Hi Allison Anne, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Since a young age I have always been interested in art. I took many classes and explored different types of medias throughout grade school and went to schools including the Fine Arts center and the South Carolina Governor’s school. There I decided to focus in ceramic sculpture as I love working three-dimensionally. I got a Bachelor of Fine Art from the University of South Carolina with a focus in Ceramics sculpture. After college I produced out of my studio, exhibited regionally and taught classes. After about 10 years of working in sculpture I decided that I wanted to make something a little bit more accessible to the general public. I have always had a fondness for jewelry and had my own huge personal collection so it was a natural transition to make jewelry. I have now been running DARKSTAR MACHINATIONS for about 3 years.
I also run a nomadic teaching business called NOMAD Mobile art studio, were I teach classes out and a bout wherever is most convenient for my students. This helps me keep busy and balance my schedule out during the slow season for jewelry sales in the winter and summer. It is incredibly rewarding work that helps me share the joy of creating with others.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It definitely hasn’t been what I expected. I’ve had to change my expectations and my mindset about being an artist. I think a lot of that came from not really knowing what I wanted out of the practice of artmaking. There are so many ways to be a creative person, and all of them are valid. However when you are trying to make money from your art you have to think about it like a business. You have to think about your artwork as a product with a specific type of customer and a specific budget. I think the big shift happened for me when I decided that I wanted to make the type of art that was accessible to people like me, both financially and as something that they would appreciate day to day.
One of the big challenges was also capital. It literally takes money to make money especially when you’re making something in production. Every time I need to increase my inventory I have to invest money in my business. Once I started working full-time and then putting my excess income into the business I was able to get a lot further a lot faster. I had to sacrifice some of my time doing what I loved in order to get the business part of my business going.
Along the way I also wasted a lot of time on art shows and events that weren’t really giving me any revenue because those were the events that had the prestige or were fun. You have to find your audience and your market and it’s not always what you expect it to be.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I have always been an avid reader and lover of stories, myths, and legends. I am also a regular practitioner of martial arts. As a result my designs are often inspired by stories, my favorites being myths and science fiction. I also love the designs of weapons, armor and fortifications. Because of my love of both ancient and futuristic themes, my pieces have a sense of timelessness and they seem to fit in both an old world society or a civilization from the distant future. I find the dichotomy and ambiguity of this timelessness to be very satisfying and is the core of my design inspiration.
My designs are original and unique in their expression of my own personally developed aesthetic- I focus on designing pieces that are timeless and classic, but also unique and fresh. My pieces can be shown in many contexts including fine art shows, craft shows, Renaissance fairs, and pop culture conventions.
My customers enjoy my pieces and they often come back to buy more. They often tell me they feel empowered, like a warrior or a goddess. It is incredibly rewarding to know that my pieces this impact on someone. And that they are able to enjoy that feeling over and over again.
Most of what I produce and sell is jewelry made from copper, brass, aluminum, and silver with traditional and modern metalworking techniques. A reflection of my inspiration from modern and ancient stories and an ode to the history of metalworking. Many of my pieces are cut out with a laser cutter. With the help of studio assistants, all work is hand-made in my studio and includes: Earrings, bracelets, earcuffs, pendants, rings, hair sticks, belly chains, necklaces and more.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
My family has always been incredibly helpful and supportive to me. My parents helped me repair my house or done my laundry when I had a completely booked schedule because of shows or production. My sister has always been my biggest fan and huge supporter of my work. I’ve spent many hours talking to her about the business and my designs.
I also have many friends who have supported me along the way and each and every thing that they did for me added up to make this incredibly hectic lifestyle possible.
There are also a few other artists and business owners who went out of their way to give me advice when others would not. The Crafty Celts in particular have been incredibly informative and helpful to me and understanding the business in ways that no one else had the experience to explain.
There are really too many people to name every single one of them specifically, but if you’ve helped me you know who you are! I will always thankful to the community for being supportive. It really does take a village, I couldn’t have done it without all of the help I’ve received.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.darkstarmachinations.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/darkstar.machine/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DarkStarMachinations/
