Meet the Maker: Sarah Young of The Creative Physician

Here's a little mash up of Summer Sharing and Meet the Maker! 

This weeks maker fits right in with the summer theme, bringing the outdoors not only indoors but making it super portable in a unique way. Read on to find out more.

Firstly, two very important questions.

Tea or coffee?

Tea, usually black.  Occasionally with milk.  I think my favourite tea is something called Daydreamer by David’s Tea.  If you like tea and you’ve never been to their website, you should.  Just looking at all the different varieties makes me thirsty.

Biscuit or cake?

Definitely cake.  Chocolate cake with chocolate icing.  Definitely not chocolate ice cream though.

So, tell us a bit about yourself.

I’m Sarah and I currently live in Houston, Texas where I grew up.  My Etsy shop, The Creative Physician, was started last March but got put on hold due to medical school.  After starting medical school last July, some lingering medical problems resurfaced so now I’m taking some time off from school to get healthy again.  In the meantime, I get to enjoy doing lots of crafts and sharing what I create with others through my shop.

...and what about the item that you are sharing with us?

These Tiny Plant with Macrame Hanger Earrings are more than what I would call complicated, but turned out just the way I wanted.  I’ve always had a thing for miniatures, and plan to explore making miniatures into jewellery even more in the future.  I used those tiny terracotta pots you see, filled them with scenery “dirt” (like the kind used in train sets), and put a tiny little artificial plant in there.  While I considered using a real plant, I decided it wasn’t quite as practical, though I’m sure it’s possible too!  I then used macrame techniques on a small scale to create a plant pot hanger, and viola!  I think these earrings would make a perfect gift for a gardener, nature lover, or lover of tiny things like myself.

How long have you been making jewellery and how did you learn

While I’ve general crafts for as long as I remember,  I really only started making jewellery last year for a silent auction I was in charge of at the University of Texas, which benefited Baylor International Paediatric AIDS Initiative.  I taught myself through books and internet tutorials, as well as experimentation (also known as trial and failure).  I’d really like to continue learning new jewellery techniques and explore unusual materials for jewellery, like what I did with these earrings.  I’d also really love to learn how to crochet, but being left-handed makes it difficult to find left-handed instructional videos!

When did you start The Creative Physician and why?

I started The Creative Physician for the same reason I learned how to make jewellery -- to help fundraise for Baylor International Pediatric AIDS Initiative (BIPAI).  After I re-opened my shop this April, I decided to keep it true to its roots, and now donate a minimum of 50% of all profits to BIPAI.  The remaining profit is reinvested in my shop so that I can continue to share the things I love.  I think donating the majority of my profits helps inspire me to create even better pieces.

What inspires and motivates you?

Other than my desire to raise money for BIPAI, I think people in general inspire me.  Maybe that sounds weird, but any time I’m browsing Etsy or Pinterest, I’m always inspired.  Sometimes I see an item and think there’s a way I could make it, but with my own twist.  That’s what I like to share with the world, my very own perspective through jewellery and other crafts.

Any crafting heroes?

Does Martha Stewart count as a crafting hero?  That’s pretty cliche, right?  It’s not so much her as a crafter anymore, as I know she doesn’t come up with a lot of the ideas anymore.  I admire her more for her combination of craftiness and entrepreneurship.  Every time I buy one of her new tools or products, I’m always impressed by the quality and usefulness.  I love how much she pays attention to the details in everything she puts her name on.

Do you have a crafting space?

My home office, which is primarily for studying during medical school doubles as my craft room. Because I haven’t been in school lately, I’ve been able to work on making it a bit more inspiring than it was before. I finally got myself an inspiration wire, which is fun to play with, and a craft table, which I desperately needed. Now I really feel like I have room to work and leave things out sometimes when I’m still working on it. The only disadvantage is that I share my workspace with our two cats, and well, sometimes when I wake up in the morning I’m greeted by disaster.  Most of it is harmless though and overall I enjoy their company while I’m creating things.

So can we join you in your virtual world?

As a child of the digital age, you can contact me a variety of ways over the Internet:

My Etsy Shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheCreativePhysician

My Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/thecreativemd/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheCreative_MD

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/TheCreativePhysician

Polyvore: http://thecreativephysician.polyvore.com/  (I haven’t had too much time to play with this, but if you haven’t tried it before you should.  It’s like Pinterest with magazine collages!)

I’m dying to start a blog, but as of right now it’s totally blank so I’ll hold off on a link to the nothingness.

Finally, some quick fire questions that we are dying to know the answers to.

Favourite colour?

Aqua. Really it started out as turquoise but now it’s really just the lighter shades, like Tiffany blue.

The best season?

Definitely spring. All the color and flowers, and usually here in Texas it isn’t 100 degrees, yet.

Your favourite food?

Birthday cake probably. Not just cake, it has to be about someone’s birthday, especially if it’s my birthday! That came off selfish, but really I just love celebrating birthdays.

The best day of the week?

I’m probably with most people in saying Friday. I love the feeling you get when you finish a long week and have the whole weekend to look forward to.

What is the best word?

I have no idea. According to some website, there are over 1,000,000 English words, so it’s definitely hard to choose.

Favourite place?

If we’re limiting it stateside, I’d have to go with the city of my alma mater, Austin, Texas. If it weren’t for medical school, I probably would have never left. There’s just something about the laidback atmosphere there that I can’t get enough of.

Your biggest achievement? 
Getting into medical school, for sure. Hopefully a few years from now I can come back and say graduating from medical school. That’ll be way more exciting.

Thank you so much Sarah for the insight into your crafty world.

Mrs Crafty B