Name of respondent: Principal Sunflower
Good at handicrafts: rubber stamps
Constellation: Aquarius
Age: 23
Location: Shanghai
Hobby: Japanese photography
1. Briefly introduce yourself
Shanghai office worker born in the 1980s is good at making rubber stamps. In my spare time, I opened my own rubber stamp online store.
2. When did you start doing handwork? Why? Is there any special opportunity?
I started engraving rubber stamps in early 2011. I first heard about rubber stamps from my friends, and then I saw them with my own eyes at a creative fair and fell in love with them.
3. Where does your inspiration come from?
The biggest inspiration is the things around you. For example, when I went to the zoo to see a mythical beast, I carved a photo of myself with the mythical beast into a rubber stamp.
4. What does handcrafting mean to you?
Nowadays, handwork is becoming more and more like a tool for making money for me (although I don’t make much, haha), which is contrary to my original intention of engraving rubber stamps. It’s been a long time since I’ve engraved my own chapter. I hope to give myself a big vacation, have a good rest, and create more original works.
5. Your rubber stamps are so beautiful~ The color combinations are also very fresh and fresh. Let me briefly tell you about their production process (of course, the more detailed the more vivid~). The difficulty is what?
(The color is fresh and fresh because I have always liked Japanese photography before, haha.) The production process has been posted in many places. It is quite simple and straightforward. You can post a tutorial address for everyone to take a look at: https://www .douban.com/note/168200858/
6. Has anyone had a profound influence on you in craftsmanship? who is it? How did it affect you?
The one who had the most profound influence was Naco, a Japanese rubber stamp master. Her works are lovely and vivid, and they are all her original creations. But I like itI like it, every time when I create something original, I am afraid of being influenced by her and bringing her style into my own work. So sometimes there are positive and negative effects.
7. How do you overcome creative bottlenecks?
I often encounter creative blocks. The solution is not to push yourself. If you can't find inspiration for a while, you can turn the various small foods you encounter in life and a photo you see into a rubber stamp.
8. What do your friends say about your handicrafts? Is there anything particularly impressive?
Most of my works are posted on Douban and Lofter, and everyones evaluations are quite high. However, I know that I am still far behind compared to outstanding foreign masters. What impressed me most was that last year, a magazine misappropriated my work and published it. I hope my colleagues in China can pay attention to copyright awareness.
9. What do you think is the biggest gain that handiwork has brought you?
The biggest reward is getting to know many craftsmen, including rubber stamp craftsmen, wool felt craftsmen, and fabric craftsmen. Handicrafts are really small things that can warm peoples hearts.
10. Besides carving seals, do you have any other hobbies?
My favorite thing is Japanese photography. I even go to the suburbs with my camera on my back to take pictures. I used to be obsessed with exchanging postcards, and later I printed films of my photography and exchanged them with everyone. Now I have a big jar of postcards, which gives me a great sense of accomplishment.
11. How far do you hope to go on the road of handicrafts?
Have you ever thought about opening a store (physical or online) to sell your own works? Now I am taking care of my online store in my spare time, but because the customer service, production, and delivery are all done by myself, I always feel a little bit tired. If I have the opportunity, I really hope to open a handmade physical store full-time in the future.
