This month’s featured creator, Serenity Floyd, is a young polymer clay artist whose whimsical creations spark wonder! Her playful designs bring her imaginative world to life with each piece crafted with a gentle touch and meticulous attention to detail.
Serenity Floyd | Polymer Clay Artist
How would you describe your work?
My work is super playful with whimsical touches that bring forth a childlike type of excitement. I see my work as an extension of myself, coming directly from my imagination. It is a place where I can dream up combinations such as a raccoon keychain toting along his favorite item at the time, a worm, while on the greatest adventure of his little life. I find that my work is truly a reflection of wonderment. The medium of polymer clay calls for a gentle touch and great attention to detail which can be difficult to manage.
What influences your art?
Mainly my imagination! I believe that I have always had quite a vivid and wandering imagination which leads me to build these characters in my mind. While they are typically something familiar to the eye, such as a badger, I add playful elements to each character to make it its own – full of vibrancy and quirkiness.
How have you evolved, personally, as an artist?
I have learned so much since first starting out, but my favorite experience is taking the leap to be an artist vendor at pop-up markets and festivals. I have grown from only posting my art online to selling in person and now sharing the stories behind my most favorite thing to dedicate my time to – my small business. The joy and fulfillment I’ve gained from each market experience has been lovely. Seeing how much my art means to others has transformed how I value my work and view my creative abilities. While my artwork is still very much directly related to my life, I now see that my pieces and the story behind them are able to invoke joy and happiness in the lives of those who purchase my art.
How do you carve out time to be creative?
As a full time college student and artist, it can be hard to sit down and create on a regular basis. With my ever-changing schedule, ideas often pop into my head randomly, so I set aside time after classes to create a small vision board and bring those ideas to life. More often than not, this time sparks other ideas within my mind like fireworks going off, and then I am off to creating. It is not so much that I carve out time to be creative, but rather, I meet the opportunity with an open mind and run with it when I find open times within my schedule.
Do you have a favorite story behind one of your pieces and why?
One of my favorite designs is of an original character keychain, Jack, that I sketched one night before falling asleep. I had this little feeling that it would be the design that would lead me to continue pursuing an entire business in polymer clay art. This was the first design that led me to see polymer clay in a new light with new possibilities. I just had so much fun dreaming up the life that Jack would live, activities he would do, friends he would make and so the design came to life.
What are you working on that excites you right now?
Currently, I am working on manufacturing more items for my shop. My dream goal for this year is to manufacture plushie keychains in the design of one of my shop’s best selling original characters. This is a big commitment but definitely the right step in making my shop more accessible and diverse for my audience.
What is one piece of advice you’d like to share with fellow artists?
Make art continually for yourself. It can be extremely easy to get wrapped up in the obligations of sharing your art with others on social media or to sell it, and while those things are amazing and admirable, it can become taxing. To those just beginning their art journey, take time to create for yourself, just for fun and with no restraints.
If you are interested in learning more about this month’s artist, Serenity Floyd, you can find her work online at etsy.com/shop/DearSerenityStudios and follow her on Instagram @dearserenity.studios.
