Luthien Thye, Mixed Media Artist, Book Maker, Jewelry Artist from Altered Alchemy
I have known Luthien Thye for awhile now. It started off with me being a big fan of her work. Being a fan of fantasy and magic myself, I was awed by how she created this world of magical stories and adventures through her work; not forgetting, living vicariously through her active DIY home projects too! In 2014, Luthien gave me the opportunity to include her in one of my previous interviews. Since the pandemic in 2020, the interview topics on The Artsy Craftsy has made a comeback to celebrate the local creatives in Malaysia's arts and crafts community. What a great time to catch up with Luthien for the second time to find out what's new in her world of wonder and if she has any golden nuggets to share as an experienced artist/maker.Thanks for doing this again, Luthien! Describe yourself in a short blurb:
Hi! I’m Luthien and I am a Mixed Media Artist, a Book Maker, Jewelry Artist
and a Traveler of Realms. If I were to describe myself briefly, it would
be “I am no artist, just a dreamer!”
How do you create
balance between your personal life as a mother and as a maker?
I am fortunate because I work from home. I have created a small setup for
myself in an unused space in my condo apartment. I am there when my kids come
home from school, I am there when it’s lunch or dinner time. My kids sometimes
sit beside me when I create and watch me, or they will be creating alongside
me. I also like to create way into the night when everyone is asleep and the
world is quiet. I have never found it difficult to create the balance between
being a mother and a maker. In fact the reason I became an artist is because I
decided to quit my previous job and stay home with my kids. They were the
catalyst of Altered Alchemy.
How did you create
a niche in the products and services that you offer?
I actually did not intend this at all. The art created the niche. I just took
what I personally loved, like found objects, salvaged items … anything old and
peculiar, and incorporated them into my artwork. I believe that if you honestly
believe in what you do, you are passionate, it shows on the things you make.
And you don’t have to necessarily create a niche, the niche finds you. If you
know what I mean!
How did you evolve overtime as a maker?
How did you evolve overtime as a maker?
I think like anything in life, you evolve as you gather more life experiences,
when you do more research and as you grow older as a person. I feel like when I
started this journey, I was ‘sifting’ through a lot of different artforms and a
lot of different things I can use for my artwork. Then slowly I narrowed down
what called to me. And as the journey continues, I continue to seek, and learn
from others before me. I think in the beginning I made things more for
aesthetic reasons. Now, I feel like all of my artwork have a story to tell, and
I hope the layers comes through in their aesthetics.
What are the
challenges that you have faced as a maker and how did you overcome them?
Creative block! Haha! I know each and every one of you artists out there
have definitely gone through this many many times. Creative block is the most
frustrating thing. The scariest thing is when it turns into procrastination and
wasteful idleness. Normally I would put on my favorite movies that I know will
inspire my creative juices to flow, one of them being Lord of the Rings. Or I
would divert my creative energies to a different form of art, like DIY or
interior decorating, just to allow myself to let loose a bit. Like letting your
normal creative muse go on a vacation!
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Creative Advice
in Times of Covid
Coping with the
current climate, what are your tips for makers to stay relevant with their
handmade business?
1. Stay Calm. It IS
difficult, but the worst you can do is overthink. That will not only be
detrimental to your art, it will also affect you as a person.
2. For those who need
to make and sell art to survive, perhaps diversify into doing other things for
the moment.
3. Survival first! You
can be creative in almost anything that you do. Who knows, you may be able to craft yourself a new creative
outlet from this adversity.
4. Finally, remember:
- Adversity is the mother of invention
- This too shall pass
- Adversity is the mother of invention
- This too shall pass
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Q&A with Creatives is an interview topic by The Artsy Craftsy to empower fellow artists, crafters and makers with artful life and business tips and advice.