We were lucky to catch up with Theresa Marsala recently and have shared our conversation below.
Theresa, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?
Theresa, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
My name is Theresa Marsala and I’m an ephemera concierge & vintage modern mixed media collage artist. I work with analog collage artists to personally select paper materials and curate orders tailored to their specific needs/wants, as well as hunt down specific vintage paper items such as books, magazines & photographs for collectors. I also create collages with primarily feminine focal points because I believe representation matters! Only if you can see her can you really feel you can be her.
I’m happy to have been a child of the 80’s growing up in Brooklyn, NY which molds every piece I create as a collage artist. Music, movies, cartoons, comics, books & video games have always kept my mind thinking of ways to generate exciting images.
I moved to NJ in the early 90’s where I met my best friend and now husband Vin, who introduced me to vintage shops, and we have been collecting vintage items over 3 decades now.
During the Covid shutdown I found I could combine my love for paper with my creative instincts by cutting and pasting with collage. I met a wonderfully inspiring artist by the name of Jenny Brown on Instagram who was expressing her desperate need for materials since her local shops were closed and online prices were over inflated. That’s when I offered to sell from my personal collection of books, magazines, postcards, and photos. She was so grateful & supportive that she asked if it was ok to refer my services to other artists in need which I was absolutely on board with. Finally my paper hoarding would come in handy! I created the hashtag #vintagemagmondays on Instagram to help bring the vintage & collage communities together so artists had a way to connect with vintage paper enthusiasts to share the love of ephemera as well as getting the materials they needed. All the while I was experimenting with collage techniques myself as I was inspired by the artists I was helping.
I do not have an online shop like Etsy or EBay. I offer a personal shopper experience for all my clients. I have developed a simple approach to doing business which is to treat everyone as I would want to be treated. I take the time to inquire about the needs and wants the artist or collector has. I can narrow down specific imagery based on decade specific looks or style, and I can also assist in picking materials to help inspire them during creative blocks.
Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.wildercollage.com/artist-directory/tre-marsala
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vintrevintage/
Image Credits
Theresa Marsala