Artist Chat – Lucie Wicker Photography

Lucie at Work

Lucie Wicker’s work was profiled in my very first Fab 5 Friday Finds post. I ended up purchasing the Fenway Park coasters and have received many compliments from visitors. The series of photographs are not your typical ballpark photos and include scenes the typical visitor may not notice. My brother is now also a proud owner of a set of these coasters. I also had the pleasure of meeting Lucie at the SoWa Holiday Market. In this interview, Lucie talks about her love of photography

I have always enjoyed photography as a hobby, starting in high school when I took darkroom classes at the Art Institute of Boston. I loved capturing images of beautiful, interesting things around me and sharing them with others. A few years ago I began taking it more seriously, partly because I realized my full-time job would not fill my creative needs. I needed an outlet so I bought a printer and began selling my prints on Etsy and at the Sowa Open Market in the South End. I also became more involved in Open Studios events and local shows in the Boston area.

The Public Garden

Which one of your items best describes you as an artist at this point in time?

Do you have any mentors or groups, both online and offline, that you meet with as you grow your business?

Yes, probably the most valuable group I belong to is Boston Handmade which is a group of local artisans who meet up regularly to discuss artwork, businesses, etc. We also participate in craft shows and even organize our own. It’s a great way to get feedback, bounce ideas around, and develop personal relationships with people who share a common interest in creating things by hand.

My currently favorite charity is Kiva.org which I think I was drawn to more as an small business owner than an artist but it is still somewhat related. Kiva is a “micro-lending” organization that allows you to feel personally connected to the small business you are lending money to. Being able to see exactly who your money is going to and how it is helping them is extremely rewarding and you know that you are contributing to someone’s livelihood and entrepreneurial dreams.

Another more recent one I’ve learned about is Craft Hope (www.crafthope.com). They opened an Etsy store, crafthope.etsy.com, that accepts donations from other crafters with all of the money from sales going to Doctors Without Boarders for their efforts in Haiti. They’ve been open for about a week and have already made over 1000 sales! So amazing and inspiring.

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