Artists ~ Danielle Whitney ~ Providence

Artist’s name: Danielle Whitney
Business name: Shine On
Location: my bedroom
Etsy shop: www.etsy.com/shop/missdwhit


1. Tell us about your work: Simple, fun and honest. Just about every piece of jewelry I make, I would wear. Photography is truly my passion; capturing the just perfect, or not so perfect moment. I don’t really set out to make anything in particular most of the time. I just grab my plastic bins stock full of all sorts of fun things and get to work.

via etsy

2. How did you come to be a professional artist/crafter? It's in my blood. My mother is an insane artist in all aspects (Architecture, Painting, Drawing, Photography, Furniture Design, Interior Decorating. You name it, she can do it AND do it well.) Needless to say, I was raised around her craft and drew direct inspiration from her. I wish I could say I can draw and/or paint more than a stick figure, but sadly, I cannot. I’ve been an artist/crafter most of my life but the Etsy store is fairly new. I wanted to branch out to see if people would actually be interested in what I was making and so far, it’s been a fun ride. I’ve only had a few sales online, however; I’ve had much more success in sales through word of mouth (mostly my own mouth) off of the site.

3. Where do you draw your inspiration? I may see something that I want in a store, but it’s too expensive or I don’t like a certain aspect about it so I will attempt to recreate it myself. I also may be perusing the isles of a craft store and find an awesome piece that needs to be featured somehow in some way, so I’ll take it home with me and go from there.

4. What’s your favorite item to make? This is a tough question to answer. I’d have to say my absolute favorite thing to make would be the rosette headbands. They’re so pretty and dainty, each rosette is truly unique. I actually have a new pattern for headbands and barrettes that I am currently working on, so please check my Etsy store soon for more new items!

via etsy

5. What’s your best seller? I make tons and tons of these cute little glass magnets. I’ll save all sorts of fashion magazines or catalogs and cut out patterns from them to glue them to the back of the glass; they’re so incredibly simple (but time consuming) to make. Each magnet is different and people just eat them up. At my very first craft show I had last year in Cranston, those were the first items to sell out!

via etsy

6. How long have you been in Rhode Island? I moved to RI 10 years ago. At first, I thought I had made a big mistake, however; as soon as I found my niche, I didn’t want to leave.

7. What do you {heart} about Rhode Island? I heart the gorgeous beaches that are only a short drive away. I heart that you can reach each corner of the state within one hour and that everything is so accessible. I heart the tons local restaurants serve up some of the best cuisine I’ve ever tasted. I heart the view of Providence, between the branches of the beautiful magnolia tree, from my front porch.

8. Please include anything else you’d like to add: Keep up the good work, I{heart}Rhody. Thank you for this great opportunity!