Category: Meet The Creative

My name is Cliff Nietvelt and I am the owner and operator of Cliff Nietvelt Photography. I have two Etsy shops: NatureAsInspiration and CurbAndStreets. I am a photographer who primarily takes photos pf nature (wildlife and landscapes) as well as urban images. I print my photos on a wide variety of mediums: convent photo paper, metal, canvas, wooden blocks, and I also make pillow covers.

I take photos when I can: locally or on longer trips. It is a great release for my brain. I also get inspired by going to art galleries, seeing movies, plays, and live music. It is good to expand your mind to other art forms, and by doing so you will continue to grow.

I am a full-time wildlife biologist, and I work for the Provincial government. My creative side helps my science brain and vice versa.

I was born and raised in southern Ontario, Mississauga to be exact. After I finished my Bachelor degree, I headed West to the Rockies to begin graduate work and my career as a biologist.

I like a customer who is very insightful and very passionate about art. They also tell me a story or reason as to why they like a certain image. Often these customers will stop by and say hello at another show or the following year to say how much they enjoyed their purchase. This reminds me the reason why I do shows like Vancouver Etsy.

I collaborate with many Canadian partners to get my work printed to the highest standard. I also mat and mount all of my photos. I would say the best part is finding the “right” image for a particular product. For my pillow covers, the most difficult but satisfying part of finding an image that “works” and is also the right tone, shade, colour pallete, and a pattern that will fit. For example, pillow with wildlife on the rarely work, and the image has to be perfectly framed. I get many requests about having a print they like to be put onto a pillow. The vast majority of the time that image will not work. I would guess that less than 5% of my images will work for a pillow cover.

Transporting my products and setting up my display for a large show. I have a large variety of products from Art Cards all the way up to 20×30 metal prints that are delicate. Getting all of this into my SUV as well as my panels to hang the prints is a challenge. I have really refined this over the past year or so, but it is never easy!

I do this primarily because I love nature and photography and I want to share this with the public. There is something great about sharing your passion with others and it feels good to bring joy to people.

Right now it is quite tidy! If I am doing a number of fall and Christmas shows, if can be a beautiful mess.

EastVan Bees is a small local business built out of a passion for beekeeping. In 2010 we took up the hobby of beekeeping and quickly fell in love. In 2016, following a Cancer diagnosis and treatment, we decided to turn our love into our “work”. We have been fortunate to bring our honey and products to our local community ever since. We hope you enjoy our honey and things we make as much as we do!

Working with bees keeps me on my toes.

This is beyond full time.

I was born in New Westminster and raised in Victoria but have lived in East Vancouver for over 35 years.

All my customers are my favorite but i do love the ones that appreciate the work the bees do for us.

The bees do the majority of the work but we help along the way. My favorite part is spinning the honey in the extractor.

The most challenging part of the business is keeping up with the book keeping.

Its a very sticky business.

I try to keep it tidy but i am a bit messy.

Hi my name is Serena and I am the boss lady of Chu Chu! I have a fine arts degree in mural painting and installation sculpture and am certified at Craft Council for fibre arts. At my studio I create contemporary black and white ceramics, hand sculpted resin jewellery and teach a variety of creative art classes. I love playing with different media and continually learning new and unique techniques. Teaching has become a lifeline into human interactions and sharing the passion and joy with others.

Surrounding myself with other creative people in different disciplines. We can find inspiration walking around in a neighbourhood or just chatting with other artists and seeing what they are obsessed with!

It is not my full time gig although sometimes it feels like it! During the day I work as a brand specialist in web and graphic design. At night and on the weekends I get to get away from the screen and work with my hands instead!

I was born and raised in Toronto and moved to Vancouver 11 years ago, whoa…time really flies!

I have loads! One of my very loyal customers is slowly collecting pieces from the Geometric Mountain series, it’s always nice to see a familiar face at markets. My other customers are predominately students that come to my workshops and they always come with good spirits and lots of laughter.

I make my ceramics on the wheel, with moulds and by hand building. I like to experiment with different techniques like air brushing, screen printing and borrowing techniques from other disciplines and try to incorporate it so it works with clay. My favourite part is carving, least favourite is glazing!

Time. Ceramics are not a quick product to make, there are several stages plus there’s always a chance of a margin of error in any stage. It can take weeks for a batch of tableware to be complete. Shipping is a challenge as well as it is a breakable item and can be weighty. Larger boxes with extra padding need to be used which also adds to the cost of shipping.

My business is run by a single person…moi! I produce product, market, photograph, pack, ship and do all the other background tasks that are necessary to run a small business.

Neat & tidy! Because the space is used for several disciplines and converts to a classroom, I try to keep it as organized as possible at all times.

Growing up in Revelstoke, BC I have always had a passion for creating. Wanting to know how things are created and trying new ideas. Candles have always been a love of mine but 7 years ago I was found out that a a lot of the candles that I owned were made out of petroleum and used lead wicks.

My partner was diagnosed with ALS and we eliminated all toxins from our home to help him deal with his illness. Since then I have been on the hunt for a clean burning candle. I did a lot of research with the different types of wax and choose a premium unique apricot and coconut blend.

I only use 100% cotton wicks and cosmetic-grade fine fragrance oils. The fragrances I used are all phthalate free. Each candle is made in small batches and poured by hand in Vancouver, BC.

I have always been in a building that I share with other artists. I stay creative by talking to other artists and collaborating together on projects.

Right now You + Me Candles isn’t my fulltime job. I am a Manager of Digital Experience at Douglas College.

I was born in Maple Ridge but raised in Revelstoke, BC. Growing up in Revelstoke instilled a strong sense of community in me. I love to work with other that have that same sense of a strong community.

My favorite customer is a therapist in Vancouver that uses our room sprays in her practice before each customer comes into her office. Making a relaxing and welcoming atmosphere for her clients.

All of my products are made by hand. Each candle is poured by hand. My favorite part is when companies reach out to me to create custom candles for them. I have become a master at mixing fragrances to create unique experiences.

The most challenging part of my business is staying on top of trends and photography.

That every product is made by hand. Every candle they receive is poured and labeled by hand. I love creating candles and I hope they experience that love when they try our products for the first time.

It depends on the time of year. Mostly its tidy until its the holiday season and it can get alittle messy but everything has its place and it always put away.

Hello, I’m Tamara, a nature wanderer and watercolour artist! I spend a lot of time in nature, and translate the essence of those experiences into artwork. I make my own prints and treasures as a way to share this magic with others. I am environmentally minded and strive to make lower-impact products with sustainability in focus.

I have the opposite problem. How do I tame my creative mind so that I can better attend the present moment? And my answer to this is: Nature. I always return to the concept that time with nature: a walk in the forest, a lie-down under a tree, a pause to look at the sky, will calm us and bring us to the present.

Yes it is. My day job is “living”, which I’m grateful for. It isn’t the easiest path.

The idea and transformation. From the moment the concept is conceived (which feels a lot like a sacred “arrival” of sorts), to those first brush strokes. The colours choose themselves and these little parts of the process are always pretty exciting!

Ordered chaos. I prefer a minimalist tidy space and try to maintain this. Throughout the day, though, my space will transform into dramatic chaos. And somehow, in a day or two, or three, I always find a way to put in back into order.

Hi! My name is Sara. I am from Surrey B.C. Canada and I make knitted hats. I started knitting in March of 2019 and absolutely love it! I started because a good friend of mine was knitting and was creating so many beautiful items that I wanted to give knitting a try. From there, I created Knitting with Nellie. The name Nellie is special to me because my great grandmother was named Nellie. I never meet her but I have the honour of having Nellie as my middle name.

Sometimes to stay creative I have to put my knitting down and do something else. By doing other things I’m able to open my mind to different idea and from there I can create beautiful things.

Unfortunately its not my fulltime job. However one day I hope it will be. I’m a preschool teacher. I absolutely love my job. I love that I’m able to inspire the next generation of people!

I was born and raised in Richmond. I loved growing up and living there but in 2006 we moved to Surrey. I love living in Surrey and can’t imagine living anywhere else.

When buying a hat from Knitting with Nellie you are guaranteed to get a unique and special hat. The amazingly soft hand-dyed yarn gives each hat a unique look that will be like no other.

Hi! My name is Jeanne.  As far as I can remember I have always been surrounded by stuffed animals, and so it is pretty naturally that I started my handmade stuffed animal shop on Etsy.  Inspired by my lifelong plush companion Sissi, I have designed a collection of handmade stuffed animals for little ones (or grownups).  I cut, machine sew, hand-stitch, and stuff each Sissi & Co stuffed animal with great love and care, and hope to find a loving home for each of them.

I like looking at what other makers do, and one of my favourite things is browsing fabric shops to find the next fabric I am going to work with.

Sissi & Co is just a part my day as the rest of the time I work as a project manager. But in the long run, I would love for it to become my full-time gig. Doing what I am passionate about, while having the flexibility of running my own little shop.

I grew up in Brittany, westernmost region of France, and moved to Vancouver 3 years ago. I first fell in love with the beautiful nature of British Columbia, and then fell in love with my favourite Canadian. We are getting married next year!

I am very grateful for the support I’ve had from my family and friends. My most special customer is my sister, as she was the very first one to order from my little Etsy shop.

I cut, machine sew, hand-stitch, and stuff each Sissi & Co stuffed animal myself with great love and care.  I first cut all the pieces of fabric I need, pin them together and sew them to make the body of the stuffed animal and its cloth. I embroider each little nose by hand, add a nice little ribbon and stuff the body with hypoallergenic polyester filling.  I mindfully pick each material and the body is a soft minky fabric, while his clothes are made of colourful cotton fabric.

The most challenging part was to come up with the design. I spent countless hours drafting patterns and trying out prototypes until I got the result I was looking for. I also wanted to make sure my process was as efficient as possible and easy to replicate. And so now I can really focus on enjoying the making of each stuffed animal.

One of my favourite things is making custom orders. Each stuffed animal I make is unique, and when I am making is I love to think of the person who ordered it and the little one it is going to go to.

My little workshop is very tidy and organized. I like it when things are nicely aligned and my fabrics are neatly stacked in a colour scale.

Hello, I’m Lucy. I have a background in fashion and textile design and a keen interest in all things sustainable; two things that often don’t get along with each other.
I have a passion for keeping the earth happy and have over the years slowly changed the way I consume. This led me to reusing materials and making products for the home, mainly just for myself, but then I started to make (and couldn’t stop making) these for my friends who enjoyed them as much as I did. So the brand started as a hobby and is still going as a hobby!

I always have a project on the go. I’m not very good at sitting still and doing nothing, being crafty is how I relax. If I couldn’t create I think I would go insane!

Nope, this is my side gig. I am currently working as a designer and production manager for a start up women’s bike wear brand here in Vancouver. It’s an awesome brand and I’m super excited to see where it goes.

I was not. I was born and raised in England and decided to give Canada a try (thanks to the Dad, I inherited a Canadian passport!) Five years on and I think the trial period is over and I just can’t leave! There’s so much to do here and I haven’t even scratched the surface.

Everyone is my favourite customer because it means one less disposable product has been bought and won’t be clogging up landfill. It warms me when my customers really appreciate the product, not only the zero waste, reusable aspect, but the time and effort that goes into making each piece.

I create zero waste, reusable products. I started with the dish cloth and hankie. My absolute favourite part is choosing the lovely fabrics. I also love seeing products come together, it gives me satisfaction when I have a completed pile of products.

Finding the time to do everything! There are just never enough hours in the day and I have a constant list that never seems to get any shorter.

How much time and effort actually goes into making products, even the simplest ones.

It depends on what day it is! For the most part my workspace (aka a table in my bedroom) it’s an organised mess. However, I do find I work better when everything is tidy and in its place. Tidy space = tidy head. My dream is to have a studio space that is not my bedroom.

I make cute anthropomorphic animal and fantastical human art inspired by my love of wildlife, unusual animals and my favourite pop culture characters. Sometimes, my art has elements of what I dreamt of while sleeping. I love to paint and my favourite painting medium is oil paints on canvas or wood panels. I also really like to draw and illustrate with ink in black and white. I am a mostly self taught artist, but I have a background in design (Environmental Design) through university and work. With my art, I want to bring smiles and joy to people who encounter them.

I was born and raised in the city of Vancouver, which I am told I am a unicorn, because people tell me they rarely meet people who are born and raised Vancourites.

My full colour art is created with oil painting, which I turn into beautiful art prints and greeting cards. I try not to get to stuck on one medium and I love to experiment, so I also love to create black and white illustrations on watercolour paper. From those BW illustrations, I make them into screen printed patches with help from a local screen printer. My favourite part is finishing a painting or illustration.

I wish customers know long my process is from development drawings to rough sketch on my chosen medium to the actually painting.  Each painting can have more than 15 layers of paint and because I paint with oil, it takes a bit longer to dry than watercolour or acrylics.  Most of my paintings take a few weeks to complete.  Also there is constant pressure of not just creating new art, but new products that best showcases my brand.

My creative space is neat as I set up, then it becomes a beautiful mess as I work.  I get covered in paint, sometimes paint gets in my hair and behind my ears, but I clean up afterwards.  Going to neat, to a very beautiful mess to tidy again, works for me.

I’m Amanda Weedmark; Graphic designer, digital illustrator, and creative entrepreneur based in Burnaby – on the ancestral and unceded homelands of the hən̓ q ̓əmin̓ əm ̓ and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh speaking peoples. I want to extend appreciation for the opportunity to live on this shared territory.

As a creative, I love helping funky, free spirits tap into their passions and share their story. I achieve this by offering stand-out designs on high quality paper goods and gifts, like stickers, apparel, and stationery.

Staying creative to me is about observing what’s happening around me, looking back on good times, or exploring something new. Anything that is outside of the “everyday” seems to inspire fresh ideas.

After 3 years of side hustling this business evenings and weekends, I was finally able to go full-time with it in January of 2020. It was scary to leave a stable 10-year, in-house design position for a big unknown. But I had seen enough success from my work to know that I could do more with a full 8 hours a day dedicated to it.

I was born and raised in the suburbs of Maple Ridge. Sundays would be spent at my grandma’s acreage, splashing around in Alouette River or cozying up in front of the fire with a tea. And summer’s were spent fishing on my dad’s commercial fish boat to make an extra few bucks or just take in being surrounded by nature. As a teen, my friends and I would head into Vancouver on occasion and hit up all the record and second-hand shops looking for good music to groove to and cool clothes to repurpose and make our own. All of this has definitely had influence on my work.

A recent favorite is when I received a handwritten letter in the mail from a customer. I felt so special to know that someone took time out of their day to send me some love and share their story. Reminds me of the days where my friends and I would write letters to each other. It was so exciting and joyful to get those in the mail and spend time reading it, and writing back. It sparked that same feeling of joy again – and is something I want to offer my customers too.

I design everything myself, with good old fashioned pencil and paper. I then digitize the designs in Illustrator and send it off to small production shops to be turned into merch. My favorite is seeing my work in real life and seeing how customers react or use it.

Knowing what will sell and investing in new product or designs. It’s always tough to know and how much to invest. But I’m always for trying something in small batches before I dismiss it completely – or not try at all. Sometimes it doesn’t work so you sell it off as best you can and discontinue it. Other times you hit a nerve and it has wild momentum you could have never predicted. You really never know.

I strive to do my part in being as environmental as I can be with packaging and/or product; Eco-friendly material or inks, natural paper, and recycled material. Any packaging that I receive from my merch orders that is not environmentally friendly, is taken to my local eco-centre to be recycled. Every year I try to do better than the last. I also donate funds every year to a number of charities based on need or local interests and is something I want to do more of in the future.

I work out of the corner of my living room so it can get messy at times when there’s very little room to give everything a proper “home”. Shipping supplies are stored in the tv stand, artwork is strewn across the coffee table, our dining room table doubles as a ship station. It’s no where near Instagram-worthy and can be tricky working in such a small space but I’ve managed to make it work. Turns out you can do alot with very little and you find creative ways to make it work when you have to. Being a very organized and minimalist person, it can get to me sometimes but I have realized that it’s not forever, it’s just for now. And one day I will have that lovely office space to stretch out in.