By Julia Oudiz
Online Features Editor
Sophomore Isabelle Schumaker sculpts her views of body image and takes art into her own hands as she sells her body-shaped pins on Etsy.
Schumaker began sculpting in ceramics during her freshman year and has continued the craft through this school year. She has designed a variety of rose-shaped pins and “body pins” to symbolize the acceptance of different body types. She recently created an Etsy page in March called “Hips and Lips” to sell her art.
Photos: Isabelle Schumaker designs different varieties of pins and sells them on Etsy.
“I needed a new way to spend my time with something that I enjoyed doing,” Schumaker said. “I wanted to find something else that was my own thing. I like [sculpting] because it’s an interesting way to spend my time and makes me feel productive but also happy.”
Schumaker makes her pins at her home or in the art room at school, first planning what type of design she wants to create and then using an outline to sculpt the figure out of clay. After painting the sculpture, she adds the pin for the finishing touch. To make five pins, it takes Schumaker up to three hours.
Link: Isabelle Schumaker shows more of her creativity through auditions for various commercials
“I’m always in the mood to draw and paint, but to actually sculpt things and paint them, I have to be in the mindset of wanting to do that,” Schumaker said.
Schumaker’s company name, “Hips and Lips” is derived from two of her favorite pieces, her body pins and a figure of a mouth. In addition, one of her most admired pieces of work is her blue body pin, because it has a similar color scheme to the painting Starry Night.
Link: Several students at Mira Costa use Etsy as a way to sell art and express themselves
“I like the things I make because usually how I was feeling at that moment determines what color or shape they will be in the end,” Schumaker said. “But anything I do is up for interpretation so it’s pretty cool to hear what others think of the things I make.”
Schumaker gets her inspiration from artists on Instagram, such as Tina Yu who is an artist who sells body sculptures on a platform similar to Etsy. Yu motivated her to try something new, such as the body pins, Schumaker said.
“I love looking at something and saying, ‘Oh, I made that,’” Schumaker said. “I think it’s cool because people don’t know who I am on Etsy and I like managing my account and making sure that I actually like the things that are going up.”
Schumaker has not sold any pins through her website, but has given a majority of them to her friends to spread her products around school. She expects the majority of her customers to be people who are looking to buy something unique.
“I personally love [the pins],” friend Devon Lay said. “They’re very unique and have a lot of character, both of which are very similar to Isabelle herself. I think Hips and Lips is a really good way to express her creativity.”
In addition to designing and selling pins, Schumaker plans to sculpt small 3-D cartoon-like animal heads. She will then sell the designs on her Etsy for people to buy and hang on their walls. She also hopes to eventually expand her business by selling to more people and making it more popular.
“I just wanted to start putting myself out there more and I thought it would be cool to have my own [business] that I’ve made and spent my time on,” Schumaker said. “I wasn’t expecting anything out of it.”
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