Working for a living: Women in the Arts.

Last month, several of my Muses and inspirations kindly agreed to be interviewed. These women have made names for themselves in their chosen field, as well as actually making a career out of their creations.

Please welcome my first interviewee, Kim Sakkara!

1.       What is the name of your business and what do you tell other people you do? (such as author, teacher, designer)

My name is Kim Sakkara and I am an apparel designer. I’m the owner of Sakkara Clothing & Costume, LLC.

 

2.       When did you know it was time to stop treating your art as a hobby and start it as a career?

I’d always considered the idea but wasn’t quite ready to make that leap. I was still in my 20’s and so my main concern was being free to go wherever my creativity took me. I was doing a lot of custom sewing and alterations back then, which I enjoyed. When the economy took that nosedive in 2008, I took a big break and went back to school. Many months later, I woke up one day and really, really missed having that creative outlet. I realized that it was the strongest source of my passion and that I would feel unfilled working for another company.

3.       What are some of the aspects of your job that people don’t see? For example, most people don’t understand how much marketing is done by the authors themselves instead of a publisher, and most audience members don’t see how costumes and props are designed/chosen.

We are part of a very rich and plentiful society that has become accustomed to paying dirt cheap prices for mass produced goods. A lot of people are unaware of the incredible amount of time and labor that goes into creating a single garment for the marketplace, or why Made in the USA goods are more expensive than goods from overseas. They question why that higher cost is on the price tag.

Then there’s the amount of time one spends feeding the social media outlets. But I suppose that is true for all artists and businesses. :)

4.       Who inspired/inspires you on those inevitable rough days?

Sometimes a good album goes a long way. I’ve got my iPod filled with artists like Goldfrapp, Front 242, Massive Attack, Metric, Hossam Ramzy and Natacha Atlas. You know, so I can pretend I live and create in a sexy, futuristic Goth-y belly dance club. :D

5.       Name a few of your current projects. For example, conferences, publicity, design process, what you have for sale.

I’m excited to be working on the next collection, some of which will be available for Spring/Summer 2013, and some of which will be geared for Fall 2013. I’m also looking forward to festival season starting. The Reigning Down on Oregon event in February is the first for 2013. It’s going to be a ton of fun.

Your author proudly wearing her Kim Sakkara custom skirt and gauntlets!

2006 Copyright/velvet skirt & gauntlets: Kim Sakkara.  Photo: Lenny Gotter. Model: Linda

 

Kim Sakkara can be found on Twitter as well as her blog and shop.