Monday, May 17, 2010

Behind the Design - Tider Design

Good morning everyone!  How was your weekend?  We were so busy working on the shop but still managed to have a fabulous weekend and even squeezed in dinner with friends on Saturday. 

This week's Behind the Design features the talented Diane of Tider Design.  I have been coveting her Eames chair necklaces forever! 

Where does your inspiration come from?
I design on a whim, but am generally drawn to bold or iconic shapes - the starfish, for example, a chair or a pair of scissors - things people glance at and immediately recognize, though perhaps they aren't used to seeing them in jewelry form.  I also love natural forms, and am doing a lot of bamboo motifs these days; I like the fact that bamboo has been represented in art for centuries, and can still be beautiful and totally modern in my work today.


Do you have a spot you like to go that helps you feel creative?
Nowhere special, though I have a habit of designing in my head in bed at night - I've definitely had to get out of bed to draw something that I didn't want to forget overnight!



Where do you do most of your work?
It depends on the medium - for enamels and soldered metalwork, I have to be in the studio, but for resins or beads, I like to sit on the living room floor in front of the television.


How did you come up with the name for you business?
I was struggling to come up with a name for quite some time, and eventually just settled on my last name.  It's strange that I didn't choose it from the get-go, after all, it's a unique name, and it really represents who I am.


Your favorite thing to make?
That's a tough one.  I've always enjoyed the transformation of raw materials into a finished product, whatever that might be.  I used to do a lot of darkroom photography, and I could happily develop photos for hours; I also love to bake...there's a moment of magic, seeing a photograph bloom up on a blank page in a tray developer, watching a loaf of bread rise in the oven, solder melting or glass fusing.  It's consistently magical for me.


What is your all time favorite design from past or current collections?
I really don't have a favorite, they're all special to me, and I wear a lot of jewelry.


You couldn't run your business without __________?
So many fantastic suppliers in New York - I'm lucky to live in a place with great resources.

What advice do you wish someone had given you when you first started your business?
Being a successful artist means more than just making things - if you really want to sell, you have to know and work the angles.  That means getting good at the business and marketing pieces (or enlisting someone who is), even if they aren't your forte.  Invest in a great camera - beautiful things can't shine if your photos are poor. 

Coffee or tea?
Neither - I always drink water, even as a little girl.

Favorite magazine/blog/daily read?
I love Design Sponge, though I can never get over how put together other people's homes look in there.  I wish they'd also show the room or closet where they crammed all the junk that they took out of the perfect room.....

If you could follow one person around for a day, who would it be?
Ooh, I should probably choose someone who would be interesting to me professionally or creatively, but I have to say Madonna - I've been fascinated by her since I was a little girl.

Do you have any hobbies or creative outlets other than your work?
My career in public health, so jewelry design is my creative outlet.

If you could travel anywhere in the world, money and time being no object, where would you go and why?
I'm lucky to be marrying a man who loves to travel and we make it a priority to see the world.  I would love to visit Japan and plan to do so some day soon.

If you had to spend a year on a deserted island, what 5 things would you bring with you?
I don't know if they'd count as "things," but I'd take my favorite people - spending a year on an island with them would be much more fun than jewelry tools, tv, or books.

Thank you Diane for participating in this week's Behind the Design.

Photos courtesy of Diane,

Diane can be found at
Etsy shop
Blog

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