We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Talia Tkaczyk. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Talia below.

Talia, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?

I am very happy creating shell designs, yes. I definitely feel very blessed. Have I wondered what it would be like to have a regular job? No, haha, I have not. Actually, I know very well what a normal job feels like. When I was 23 years old, I finished my education as a Registered Nurse (RN), passed nursing boards, and went straight to work in a local emergency department (ED) as a new graduate RN. My husband and I shortly after had our first son, Parker, and almost right away I felt a pull from where I felt I belonged. A few years went by, well, no, about 10 years went by actually, as I tried my best at juggling my profession with being a mom, a wife, and a nurse. It was hard, and I don’t think I ever quite got it quite right. I felt stretched pretty thin, but really didn’t see any other way. And don’t get me wrong-Nursing is absolutely in my heart. I love helping people, especially in the craziness that is the ED. There’s never a dull moment. You learn something new every single day. It’s organized chaos and it’s some of the best teamwork I’ve ever been a part of- which is awesome. Working together with other people to help save or stabilize another human being is so extremely rewarding. And I worked very hard for the knowledge that’s necessary to do that job well. There’s a lot to it. However, fast forward to today- we now have two beautiful children, and now this art that I’ve discovered a love for allows me to be at home with my kids, which is the most enormous blessing I can think of. When I was working 12 hour shifts in the hospital, I would literally go the entire day without having a single meal with Parker. Now, I homeschool Parker, and I hope to do the same with our youngest Piper in a few years. I absolutely love being here for my kids and having the time together as a family that we have now.

Talia, 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?

I have always loved to make things- since I was a kid. My great-grandmother, “Nana Banana” we called her, taught me how to sew when I was maybe nine or so, and I fell in love with it. I just loved creating something that I thought was beautiful. And sewing is actually still something I love doing today- I love making pajamas for my kids and cute skirts for my daughter. But I guess what I love about it is just the ability to make or create something personal for them, something thoughtful and beautiful, and something that I feel represents them. To put my own taste into it and express myself in just create something- I love that. That is what I feel I am able to do with commissioned seashell art. My clients and I start the process out by talking about their style, sizes, shells, design layout, color scheme, and what kind of space it will be going in. And its really a process of getting to know my clients and then creating something unique and beautiful for them that they’ll be able to admire forever. That’s a really rewarding feeling.

The shell design idea came to life one day that I had an idea to show off all the shells that my son and I picked at the beach. We decided to arrange them on an old mirror frame and completely cover it in our shells. At the time, I had never seen anything like that- I thought I had made it up myself! Haha! Turns out this is actually a thing and quite a few people do it. Who knew! After I finished my first one, my husband and son were very supportive, and amazed, and convinced me to post a picture of it. I did, and before I knew it I was getting offers from people wanting to buy it. Things just progressed from there. I learned what adhesives work best, I experimented a lot, learned a lot more about seashells, art and designing, and running a successful business. I went on to found my business, “Ohana Sea Designs”, where I sell locally here in Winter Garden, Florida, and also sell across the US from my website and also my Etsy shop. I’m very proud to say that I’ve sold to over 30 different states in the US, and I’ve had the pleasure of meeting so many different clients along the way. I have expanded my designs to include some coastal home decor pieces, like seashell picture frames, shell planters, and recently, my shell tiles have been pretty popular. I just had two orders for shell tiles, one was used as decorative tiles, or deco-tiles, creating a feature strip of shell border across her shower area, and the other is using them for their fireplace surround. Clients also really like the shell tiles on a backsplash. The shell tiles just look so amazing when they’re done- I love seeing the before and after pictures.

A part of my craft that I like to mention is about the shells I use- Most all of the shells I use in my designs are picked my family. My husband Dave, and my son, Parker and I all help in picking the shells from the Florida beaches, and then I bring them home, clean them, and leave them out in the sun to dry before I pick the ones I use for my shell designs By doing this, I can assure that I’m not using or buying shells that were sourced unethically. Unfortunately, a lot of shells that you can buy in bulk online or in stores are live-harvested and killed to sell. This craft of mine really stemmed from my love for the ocean, and I strongly believe in protecting what you love. So, I believe that my shells and where they are sourced are a part of what sets me apart from other people in this industry. A small percentage of shells I use I sometimes do have to purchase in certain seasons, but I always assure that they were from a source that I trust.

Also. I am proud to say my shell mirrors are built from the ground up by us, Ohana Sea Designs family. I love knowing that I can stand behind my products knowing how well they were designed and put together throughout the entire process and the quality of materials that we use. The glass mirrors themselves we have custom cut by a local glass and mirror vendor we’ve worked with since the beginning, and we know the consistent awesome quality of their work too, which is great. My husband has become very skilled at building the wood frames for my mirrors. He’s had a passion for woodworking for quite some time, so it really worked out perfectly. He even has our son help him sometimes out in the garage doing the sanding or figuring out the measurements or angles as a part of our homeschooling day. This way, I am able to make custom shell mirrors of any size for my clients who need specific sizes or requests. There’s really nothing we can’t do! I really find my commissioned pieces very rewarding. The process of figuring out and planning the sizes, colors, designs, with my clients is one of my favorite parts of the whole process.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My goal is really to be able to help bring the beauty of the ocean into my clients homes. I grew up living a few blocks from the beach in Satellite Beach, Florida, and growing up we went to the beach all of the time. My parents both loved to surf, and my dad loved to shark fish. I just have the best memories of growing up on and near the beach- it’s just a huge part of me, and still brings me so much peace today- It always will. So, being able to help bring a piece of the oceans beauty and good vibes in my own way to people like me who love the beach is my mission for doing what I do.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Since I was a little girl I always really loved to make things. I love the feeling of putting my all into something and being able to sit back, look at it, and feel the accomplishment in knowing that I created it. So, it’s a very rewarding feeling for me to see my finished pieces after the time, love, and effort that goes into creating them. Also, I absolutely love hearing my clients reaction when they see their finished product for the first time. I love my commissioned pieces that start with an idea or a vision in my clients mind, and then meeting the challenge of recreating that for them, and hopefully, exceeding it.. Ultimately though, the credit is to God, who made the beautiful ocean and the beautiful creatures we have in it- I am just an artisan who found a way to bring that into peoples homes through this art that I love.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ohanaseadesigns.com
• Instagram: @ohanaseadesigns
• Facebook: Ohana Sea Designs
• Other: Etsy: ohanaseadesigns.etsy.com