imoM Q&A

This week we are very excited to feature our Q&A with the awesome gals of imoM (Susan & Emily). Their work is truly inspirational and we are so proud to have them at the Market.

1). imoM is abbreviation, which stands for “In Memory of Ming.” If you are comfortable, please share with us your inspiration for this name.
Of course, thanks so much for your interest! imoM is a tribute project to our dad, who created all of this art during his lifetime. He battled a recurring brain tumor for several decades, and his motor skills slowly grew worse over the years after each operation. But he still continued to paint and draw. He was so persistent about it he even switched from being right-handed to being left-handed because his right hand became too unstable after the surgeries.

We started imoM a couple years ago because, for most of his life, my dad's artwork sat in the basement of our house where he worked in his studio. But he loved sharing his work. His face would light up whenever other people appreciated or admired his art. For a long time, we talked about transferring his images onto cards and prints, but we never found the time to make it happen. When he passed away in May 2007, our family (mom, brother, sister-in-law, and us two) decided to set our minds to it as a way to remember him and share his pride and joy with other people. And now I guess you could call this a family shop, in our dad's name! He used to joke that he left us a fortune with his artwork, and it's true. We're deeply enriched by the art he left for us and hope that others can be too. 2). What three words would you use to describe your craft?
zen, tranquility, purity

3). Tell us a little bit about MousyBabe, your sister shop in etsy. I love the skull earrings!
This is a budding shop that Emily and I were inspired to start partly because of what we already did with imoM, and also after discovering this fascinating underground crafting scene that exists and seems to keep growing. The whole scene is kind of like a cute middle finger to mass-produced, sweatshop-produced goods. We both came to admire a lot of talented crafters who make jewelry, bags, plushies, artwork, etc. "MousyBabe" started out as our blog name. It's equal parts nerdy and sexy, haha. So we decided to use it as the umbrella name for our humble attempt to make trinkets and start a little fashion line.

4). My favorite design from your etsy shop is A12. Do you have a favorite design?
One that we've been enjoying a lot is B6, which we recently made into 11x14 prints. It's a collage with an orange sun hovering over a city skyline. It makes me think of a sunset behind a cluster of skyscrapers, but quiet and still, without the pollution of car horns and people in a busy city. It gives off a sort of zen-like peace, which was the essence of our dad's persona -- always content and at peace, in spite of all the health misfortunes that had been thrown his way during his life.

5). Where can we find your craft outside the Ballston Arts & Crafts Market?
You can find it online at imom.etsy.com, of course, but we'll also be participating in the Crafty Bastards festival this coming September. The MousyBabe etsy shop is mousybabe.etsy.com.

And check out imoM at the August 8 & September 12 markets!