FEATURING MICHELE

Meet Michele, a talented photographer from VanillaExtinction.



"Absolutely stunning! I feel like I can smell the gardenia"

"a true artist`s eye for beauty"

"Intense and beautiful--you can see the cat 'magic' in those eyes"

Just a few things customers have said about Michele`s work.

Let`s talk to the woman behind the lens.




What motivated you to start your shop?
In 2009 I went through a major depressive episode that lasted for months. I had no trigger for it. It just happened. I kept it to myself until the time when I realized that I needed help and support or I was not going to survive. Anyway, after I began to feel better I bought myself a $100 point and shoot camera and the rest, as they say, is history. I fell head over heels in love with photography! I shared my photos with family and was getting such positive feedback which, in turn, fuelled my passion. My wonderful daughter, Kelly, started to encourage me to start an Etsy shop. I thought she was being foolish and just trying to bolster my well being and self esteem. She took it upon herself to start the wheels of Vanilla Extinction turning by doing all of the basic work of setting up shop and the rest is history.



What is your favourite item in your shop and why?
The items in my shop that mean the most to me are the photos of my dog and cat, India and Mikey. I have received the most amazing feedback from so many people in regards to the feelings some of these photos evoke and that is what, to me, photography is all about.


What inspires your work?
Evoking feelings. To hear someone tell me that they were brought to tears by one of my photos (and that has happened on a few occasions) is truly inspirational.

Why did you join this team?
I want to expand my horizons by working with others and create more than just photo prints. I feel that there is so much talent here on Etsy and that collaborating with other artists is going to be beneficial to me and to my customers.


What do you think is the most important thing needed to form a good collaboration?
Trust. Unfortunately, our society has people that are just waiting for the opportunity to take advantage of someone else's talent and good nature. I want to trust that whomever I may be collaborating with has the same ideals and trust for my art as I have for theirs and the longing to come up with something wonderful together.

What is the most daring thing you`ve ever done?
It depends on what you mean by daring. I have never jumped out of an airplane or swam with sharks but I have been a single mom of three young children.


Do you sell your work on any other sites or venues?
I sell my photography on a few other sites. I have four stores on Zazzle which allows me to use my photography on hundreds of different items. I have recently opened a store on Fine Art America and am in the process of filling it with my photography. And I have my own website as well.

Thanks Michele. I`m in awe of your talent.

What do you think? Tell us in the comments.