We had the good fortune of connecting with Zoë Joiner and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Zoë, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
The driving force behind my artwork is my love of the ocean and impulse to share its beauty and curiosities. As soon as we moved to Florida and started going to the beach we were hooked. We still manage to make it to the beach every week, eight month old baby in tow. The ocean provides never-ending inspiration. The excitement of beach-combing is that you never know what you’ll find each day. It’s that discovery, turned artful interpretation that motivates me.
Going from hobby to business was based mainly on the necessity to make space for more art. Once I started making stuff it acquired quickly and, I was putting a fair bit of money into it as a hobby, so the decision to turn it into a business seemed natural. There wasn’t a thought beyond Etsy initially, but then I realized I wanted to get involved and sell my stuff locally, hence the progression to craft markets was another instinctive one. Another, back-burner avenue came by Instagram suggestion based on appreciation for my shelling collage photos: Society6, which prints my images onto household objects like phone cases & pillows, and sends me money. I’ll never take for granted the fact that I’m able to make money from my art. How cool is that! I still get a rush every time I get a commission, or sell a piece of art or jewelry.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
It’s been fun evolving into the local market vendor business. Hopefully everyone understands the importance of shopping small and supporting local as much as possible by now but, it really does make a difference, every single sale. I’ll always be grateful for the market vendors who’ve shared their experiences and guidance with me since there’s a lot to navigate. It is such a joy for me to be able to share the love of the ocean and beach-combing with other like-minded water hippies. After having a baby last November, my market vending hiatus went from elective to prohibited, but I’m staying positive about markets coming back to life. It’s such a honor to be supported making and selling my work in any way, but it’s the most fun getting to connect with people in person.
As far as my work, what makes me the most excited and proud are two of the ways I use shells unlike any other shell artist I’ve seen: my worm-shell letter font for custom names & words, and my use of jingle shells to create beautiful, iridescent ombre effects. Not your typical Home Goods find.

Any great local spots you’d like to shoutout?
Some of our favorite spots are Armature Works and The Hall on Franklin in Tampa, which are two different types of food halls where there’s something for everyone. We also love the pirate water taxi as transportation bar hopping along the downtown Tampa Riverwalk. In St. Pete, our favorite spots besides the beach are breweries: Green Bench, with cuban sandwiches or cortaditos from Bodega, across the street, and Cycle, when we get dinner at Cider Press, an awesome vegan restaurant. Hopefully all these places will make it through the pandemic.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My husband, who watches the baby so I can shell! And who built me my very own Shell Shed. He is seriously so awesome and supportive. Also, my Instagram shelling community, who are always encouraging and helpful, and my market vendor friends who make the not-fun parts fun, or at least relatable.

Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/seaborncreations
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seaborncreations/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seaborncreations
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJcVc1gaunMHjwpOy5If2YA
Other: https://society6.com/seaborncreations

Image Credits
Whitnie Williams Arielle Bader