"a rare thing" :: handmade jewelry, stationery, etc. + cool indie designers from houston (by Rara Avis)

Thursday, November 30, 2006

You see, there was this necklace...

And so began "a rare thing," the jewelry brand produced by Rara Avis. Actually, my Mom gave me the bug (thanks!) and I ran with it. Soon I will have a full-scale PDF catalog with my current pieces, but if you'd like to see a few pictures of some of my other stuff, go to my website and click on "Projects --> Personal. " If the pictures aren't up yet, then give me a while...I'm a one woman team. If you're interested in commissioning a piece for a gift or for yourself, email me at sballow@ararething.com.

Cheers.

Log...frog...smog...Blog?

I'm new to the blog scene, so hopefully, this won't hurt too much...

This blog was created as a place to show off my ideas and wares and to connect my friends & clients to things that I found fresh & interesting. I have a special spot in my heart for all goods handmade (please please please don't ask me about Wally-World...you'll get an earful), and I believe that we should support our local small businesses and craftsmen/women.

In the weeks to come, I hope this site will be somewhere that you turn to find nifty new things, both from indie artisans and designers both local and all over the US. My business is based in Sugar Land, Texas, and many of the things that I post will pertain to Houston area stuff...but don't fear -- those viewing from outside of Houston (or Texas for that matter) will find something to browse through too.

Cheers.

Wednesday, November 1, 2006

Buttons

Thanks for visiting "A Rare Thing"!

This site serves as the portal to the Rara Avis universe as well as our blog dedicated to promoting and supporting Houston based artists and artisans. Click on the links on the left under "About Rara Avis" to learn about the company and our graphic design services. To shop our products, visit the sites listed on the right under "Shop Rara Avis." Read through the posts below for daily spotlights about Houston-area people and businesses.

Houston is the 4th largest city in the US and home to people of many different walks of life. We also have a great pool of local artists, designers, musicians, and other craftspeople who create everything from jewelry to jam. The site is updated on a daily basis (or as close to daily as I can get), so check back often to discover new Houston folks!

If you are an artist or know someone who deserves posting, email me and tell me about them.

Rara Avis is a Graphic Design and Creative Projects company. Self-taught designer and DIY rebel Stevie Ballow established Rara Avis in 2005 with the idea that graphic design should be accessible to not only large companies, but to small ones as well. Today, the company has grown to include both design for personal projects (wedding and event invitations, stationery, holiday cards, etc.) and production of several different handmade product lines -- a jewelry brand called Eutectic and three stationery brands.

At the heart of Rara Avis is a strong sense of community and a DIY spirit. Stevie has always been "crafty" and believes that it is important to foster confidence and independence in young artists and entrepreneurs, schooled or self-taught. The company is dedicated to giving new businesses and individuals the power to control their image and promote themselves on their budget. In line with that mission is this blog, dedicated to showcasing local talent and edited with love by the designer herself.

:: INFORMATION ::
EUTECTIC handcrafted jewelry
"a rare thing" Flickr Page
"a rare thing" MySpace page

:: ORGANIZATIONS ::
WIVLA - Women on Visual and Literary Arts (Houston, TX)

:: FUN STUFF ::
HWSA - Houston Women's Soccer Association

"Are you an artist?"

"Well, technically I'm an engineer, AND I'm from Alabama." That answer usually produces two very different responses: a belly laugh or a stunned silence. I guess it's not what you expect to hear coming from a girl with a mohawk and closet full of 4" high stilettos.

Art and design must be in my blood. I've never taken an art class, but I've been playing with layouts since I was a kid; I can remember helping my mom layout table-top menus for the local BBQ restaurant in the 3rd or 4th grade. I entered newspaper layout competitions in junior high (won an honorable mention, thank you very much) and worked on the Literary Magazine in high school. But I was also good at math and I loved science, so when it came time to decide what I wanted to do when I grew up, I chose engineering instead of journalism (plus, the money was better!).

But I couldn't leave design behind me. I was the ONLY person allowed to "jazz up" the look of my term paper in my Technical Writing class. I took Art History as my elective. During the summer of my sophomore year, I designed point of service signs ("Family Dentistry," "Desi's Little Capitol Restaurant," and the like) and slot signs for local casinos ("$.50 per play...win $500!") for a Baton Rouge, Louisiana sign company. I even did the layouts for the brochures and print collateral for the the Louisiana Tech chapter of Tau Beta Pi, the engineering honor society.

And then I graduated and realized that I really needed a PhD to actually BE a Biomedical Engineer. No more school for me -- four LONG years was enough -- so I did something else. Because I had taken so many math and science classes, I landed a job as a teacher at a small private high school. And in addition to teaching Chemistry, Biology, and Senior English, I reformatted the school's letterhead, progress reports, and report cards, and started a monthly newsletter.

Fast forward two years and I'm here in Houston (I married and engineer, go figure...his company is here). I was hired by Mad Science of Houston as a "Mad Scientist," teaching after-school science classes to elementary-aged kids throughout the Houston area. Not long after being hired (and after the discovery that I could run graphics software), I began designing print ads for the company. Soon I was moved from the field to the office and became the Marketing Manager, producing print ads, flyers, postcards, and other collateral for the company (which I continue to do even thought I don't work directly for them).

So the point of this long rambling tale is this: you really can do anything you set your mind to. I have neither a design nor a business background, but I own my own graphic design company. I think that it's important to do what you love, regardless of if you've been formally trained to do it. Most of my time is spent creating paper brochures and business cards, but sometimes I'm allowed to create the perfect wedding invitation or a piece of art to give to someone. And that makes me happy.

I want to help other people do what they love. I admire people who create things, who put in the hours to run a small business. I started this company to help small business be visible and promote themselves. I started this blog to do the same for Houston-area (and beyond) artists and designers. I hope that one day we will all consider buying handmade or small label goods instead of being mass-market-Mega-Mart zombies. After all, this nation was created by DIYers...they sailed halfway across the globe for a new life. All I had to do was get out a pair of scissors.

Cheers,
Stevie

Photo by Dorothy Lillig