Achievement 1: Introduction to Erika Voss of Scratched and Burnt Studios

Hello Steemit!

I am redoing my intro post as I now realize I should have posted here.

My name is Erika Voss. I grew up on a farm outside of Buffalo, NY (USA) near the Canadian border where I played soccer from a young age through college at Buffalo State University. After a failed youthful marriage, I transferred and moved to Philadelphia, PA (USA) for a fresh start.

I have recently embarked on a new journey in life, having left my job of over two decades at the age of 41 to become a full-time artist. These last few weeks have been quite the adventure for my fiancée and me. We moved me out of my former residence and I am now living with him. He - @jae5086 - joined this community long ago and thought it would be a great outlet for showing off my art as well as gaining some inspiration from other artists who are already established on the platform.

I plan to get a part time job at a nearby craft store soon to make sure my rent is paid, but otherwise it is all about making art and I couldn't be more excited about building on this long-awaited time in my life! So let's talk about the art I make...

My Art

Pyrography

While I work with a variety of mediums, my focus is on pyrography, which is Greek for writing with fire. This involves a controlled burn, typically on wood, using a small heated pen. Often, I like to add color either by painting with watercolors or using colored pencils. I can further add flare by other means, such as using specialty adhesives and foil shavings or using thicker sealers like epoxy for a different look. You will find I have a thing for dragons...

Crafting

This can come in many forms but one of my better sellers are resin cast koi ponds. Crafting these ponds involves all sorts of items, depending on the theme, being secured with an adhesive within the container, typically a flower pot saucer or small decorative bowl, to create a small faux ecosystem. Epoxy resin is added in multiple layers, with various parts of the fish or other animals painted on the layers to add dimension. I also make coasters and other epoxy resin art, though most of that will have to wait until we build out a small workshop space in the garage.

Painting

I don't often paint in a traditional sense - with paint and a canvas - but occasionally I will break out the easel a paint with watercolors. This is usually when someone commissions a piece.

Others

Sometimes I will make a little jewelry but there is so many people out there that make jewelry, it is hard to make that a viable product to market. I do keep a small inventory, however. In the future, I would like to do some clay sculpting. Back in college, I had studied and enjoyed it. Right now, it is not feasible until we are ready to buy our own property and set up a more robust studio. We're probably a few years away from that but it will be fun documenting the journey here!

Plans

Now that creating art is my business, my fiancée and partner in this venture have many plans for both the short- and long-term future. While I have been a vendor on Etsy for many years, we hope to begin working on a website very soon as well as ramping up a social media presence. That's one of the main reason's I am here and hope to share with you my many creations while also gaining some inspiration and maybe some new techniques from my fellow artists already established here on Steemit!

Another short-term goal is to start a YouTube channel showcasing my creations through time-lapse videos. Already we have a stock pile as @jae5086 has been teaching himself video editing for this purpose. We are just waiting on a website before launching. As we become more acquainted with the Steemit ecosystem, we will no doubt be expanding to some of the other platforms as well.

Crypto

I have little experience with cryptocurrencies, though my fiancée does so I know enough about it despite never having owned any. Ultimately, I leave the investing to @jae5086. We will definitely be joining #club100.

Wrap up

Thanks for taking the time to read through this introduction. If it was an enjoyable diversion from your day, I am happy and would be grateful for any and all comments regarding what you liked or didn't like from my post, as well as suggestions of how to better utilize the platform to create the most entertaining content as possible. If you have any question about me or my art, you can ask those too!

In the meantime, feel free to join me on some of my other social sites for different types of content!