We were lucky to catch up with Christina Tarbush recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Christina, thanks for joining us today. Can you take us back in time to the first dollar you earned as a creative – how did it happen? What’s the story?

When I discovered my craft I was still working full time at an International Shipping company. I had been there at least 10 years by then and never intended on selling my earrings there. My first pair was created by me to match with a suit I had purchased for work because I got tired of others wearing the same earrings as me and I was bored with the ones I saw in stores. When I wore my earrings at work with that suit and even different outfits, people started asking about them and wanted a pair of their own, I started bringing some in and would literally sell them out of my car at lunch to my co-workers and I could not believe it. It wasn’t a lot of sales at first but it helped with gas money and groceries at times and I was extremely happy as I was a single Mom at the time. I remember this one time I earned a $50 bill from a sale of some earrings from a co-worker. She was on the top floor and one of the Trade Managers there who admired my work. I will never forget that elevator back down to my desk, I cried in disbelief that I could make that much with my hands and newspaper. I was so grateful for this gift and was in awe of myself.

Christina, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Hello, I am Christina and I am the paper mache artist behind Inspired Mache earrings. I create earrings from newspapers, magazines, and various papers making them one-of-a-kind pieces of art and very light-weight ear candy. I got into this craft by just simply wanting to make a special pair of earrings for myself with paper mache and it grew into something bigger than I expected. Many of my customers prefer the earrings I make because they are very lightweight and unique. Many of the pairs I make are one of a kind because that print or pattern I found in that magazine or newspaper was the only copy I had so it can’t be created again by me. It’s also an awesome opportunity to be able to create pieces that are made from recycled materials, playing a small part in saving the planet.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

The first story that comes to mind regarding me building an audience on social media would be getting my art in the right hands. I have a close friend, more like an Artist Sister who reached out to me one day about my work. She said she was sending her work along with some others to the one and only Tabitha Brown and wanted me to have a chance to include my work as well. At first, I wasn’t so sure it would make a difference and feared it would only be a free pair of earrings I give out without any real advancement for me. I sent my earrings to her because I knew that this friend would only suggest something super beneficial to me as she was so excited for the chance. It took a few weeks, maybe even a month before it happened but it happened. It was during the pandemic and I was no longer able to attend any vending events to sell my work and everything slowed down for me. I had my Etsy store online but still did not have the social media followers I needed to keep sales flowing. Tabitha Brown received my work and shared it with her followers and everything changed. I got so many followers within the hour of her posting them and the few pairs I had on Etsy that had been there forever all sold so fast. I was in disbelief. From there I started having release dates for my followers to know when to expect new inventory and posted pics of them ahead of time so they can be prepared and not miss it. For maybe the next 5 releases I would sell out in less than 30 minutes. It was insane. I felt like I couldn’t make them fast enough. If I were to offer any advice, maybe try to get your work to the right person who has a strong social media presence. I would also encourage them to learn all possible about posting and creating videos for their followers. I am still learning this as things are always changing. I can say it has also helped me to build followers as well.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

My most rewarding aspect of being an artist is the freedom it gives. There is no KPI or grading that I am aware of. I can create what I feel or what I am inspired by. I get to decide when and how and how many.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/INSPIREDMACHE
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/inspiredmache/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/papermacheearrings