Makers: Amy Komar Original Art

As a maker myself, I appreciate other makers and want to celebrate them and what they do. Every so often, I will post about a maker I admire. A few simple interview questions to get to know them better and images of their work will make up this Maker column. I know you will love them just as much as I do.

It is thanks to beauty of social media that I even know about Amy Komar. She resides 3000 miles away however, since the first Instagram image (wish I could remember what it was!), I was hooked. Her pieces are based in nature, might include a little rust – love it! – and they are packaged in handmade sewn bags with beautiful labels. Holding a piece by Amy is like holding a bit of the past or capturing a bit of the wild frontier.

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Who are you and what do you do?

I’m Amy Komar – a Texas transplant making her home in Alaska, a collector of rusty bits and natural objects, a big time dreamer, new thought enthusiast, and a serious giggler. I’m also the one woman show behind Amy Komar Original Art, where I strive to make affordable original art for your favorite spaces.

How did you get here?

After I graduated with a Studio Art degree in 2001 from The University of Texas at Austin, I took a few years to get lost in the woods, sew some oats, take odd jobs and travel. Eventually I hit a crossroads and decided it might be fun to be a bit more conventional and try my hand at an 8 to 5 lifestyle. I cozied up with a corporate gig where I learned lots of beneficial skills about business, sales, and myself. I was months away from my 30th birthday when a white-hot arrow of truth pierced my heart and I knew I could not ignore the persistent nudge I’d felt for years to answer my calling to be an artist and entrepreneur. Three months shy of my 30th birthday, I said goodbye to my corporate job and took the leap. It was hands down the best thing I could have ever done for my heart, my art, and myself.

Tell us about your day.

Every day is different which is one of the things I absolutely love about running my own business. Some of my favorite things that I try to build into most days are as follows: waking up without an alarm, spending a bit of time in nature, taking breaks to pal around with my husband Matt, cooking a meal, and doing something creative.

What inspires you? How do you stay inspired?

Moving through the daily rhythms in life provides a steady stream of inspiration. I love seeking out patterns in nature and within the modern world, watching all the subtle ways that light shifts and softens as a day wears on, hearing and connecting with people and their stories, going treasure hunting at garage and estate sales, pondering the mysteries of the universe through meditation and spiritually slanted podcasts, and connecting with beautiful souls across the vast social networks.

I stay inspired by knowing when to walk away, turn off the phone, and unplug the Internet (which can be tough to do some days!). If I can get outside or get a good sweat going, my work and I benefit greatly from the break.

If you weren’t an artist, you would be a _________.

If I weren’t an artist, I would be training to be a medicine woman on some remote mountaintop. No joke! I’ve always been curious and in deep awe of these powerful healers.

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I am so envious of her signature! I had the hardest time sending Amy’s pieces back to her; I felt like I had a place for everything in my home. And while her pieces are amazing, her newest one, a brand new baby daughter, is her finest work yet!

For more Amy, find her here:

Site: amykomar.com
Etsy: artistinthearctic.etsy.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmyKomarArt
Pinterest: pinterest.com/amykomar/
Twitter: @amykomar
Instagram: @amykomar

This is not a sponsored post. I have hand-chosen the makers because I like their work. To keep the style and look of this blog, I did photograph their work myself. The pieces were then returned to their makers.