I am an artist turned designer turned momma and all back
again. I have a MFA in Art and a MLA in Landscape Architecture, and a love for
fashion, eco-friendly materials and processes, and dressing my son in the
coolest clothes I can find or make.
How did you get your start?
As an artist and designer with a love for fashion and
modern design I struggled trying to find unique, modern and affordable clothes
for my son. It seems like clothing choices, especially for boys, are so one
dimensional, cookie cutter. So I wanted to make some cute clever items for him
to wear. I drew on my design sensibility, my past-life as a pattern maker, and
my ridiculously heavy industrial sewing machine to take matters into my own
hands.
Where do you get your inspiration?
My son is my inspiration. From his funny expressions,
love of stuffed animals and pets to his endless spills and stains! I’ve always
been a hat fan, knitting many over the years, so I started a sizable collection
for him - he does look good in a hat as you can see - he is my main Etsy model.
Inspired by a previous experiment with converting an old Chewbacca t-shirt into
a throw pillow, I decided to create something one of a kind for him using a
well-loved t-shirt. It’s a design and process that really stems from my art and
design work. I’m drawn to modern simple designs on one hand, and
kitsch/over-the-top art as well. You can see both influences in my hats.
As my shop is still really new, the highlights have been
getting added to high-quality collections, watching the dashboard numbers grow,
seeing my first mention in a blog like yours!
What challenges do you face selling online?
The biggest challenge is discoverability. With so many
shops on Etsy, it’s hard to rise above, to get noticed and start to get
meaningful traffic.What challenges do you face selling online?
What advice would
you give someone just starting out on Etsy?
Be patient. There are so many other shops - figure out
your position, your brand, and your style and stick with it. Keep at it, take
part in the community, and watch those numbers grow. It’s exciting!
Well that wraps
up another edition of Artist Spotlight. We
try and run this column every Monday and we’re always looking for artists to
spotlight. So if you are interested or
know someone that we’d enjoy reading about please pass on the information.
Thanks for
stopping by,
Until next time…
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