A peek inside the creative life of Shana Astrachan

This week, I'm very proud to be able to post an interview with the lovely and talented Shana Astrachan. Shana and I work a lot of the same craft shows, so I'm not quite sure where we first met. In any case, she is awesome, and here is a peek into her creative life!

First off, a little backstory. Who are you? What do you make?
My name is Shana Astrachan. I live in San Francisco, California. I make jewelry and objects, my designs evolve from my love of metal and experimenting with unexpected materials and unconventional approaches to working with them. I am always up for the challenge of transforming a new material in a unique and beautiful way.

What projects are you in the middle of right now that you should probably be working on instead of doing this?
I am crocheting a big basket from twine, and since I am in the midst of opening a retail space for my jewelry and design objects this isn't what I should be working on, but it is sitting under the coffee table unfinished for now. Plus I just knit my first pair of slippers two weeks ago. I have so much jewelry to make right now, I better get to work!

Where do you primarily create?
My studio and kitchen and living room and bedroom...

Where do you find inspiration?
Everywhere it seems. From other makers, from vintage crafts, from the materials themselves.

Do you have a favorite book/blog/movie/etc you'd like to recommend?
Two favorite books with the same title, 'I Like You' (the 1965 Sandol Stoddard book and the Amy Sedaris 2006 book)

Where can readers see more of your work?
www.shanaastrachan.com
ShanaAstrachan.etsy.com
shanaastrachan.blogspot.com
crafthaus.ning.com/profile/ShanaAstrachan

Thanks for sharing a peek into your creative life with us, Shana!