On the Press

A few photos taken while running the printing press...

Around the Studio

We just finished a major studio renovation: new floors, a new entrance door, a new ventilation system, and totally new layout. There is so much more light than there was in the old studio, and it is such a nice space to work in. Here are a few photos of the new space:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Artist FAQs

Every week I receive lots of emails from other artists and business owners asking about inspiration, running a business, daily workload, etc., so today I thought I would share some of those answers here for anyone else who is curious.

This is a selection of my favorite questions I've been asked in the last few months, in no particular order. If you are out there working as an artist or running a business, I hope the answers can be of some help to you! Accompanied by some messy studio photos to set the scene:

 

What inspires you?

I am constantly inspired by stepping out of my studio. It can be easy to get stuck doing the same thing or focusing too much on little details, so I find that the best way to think of new ideas is to step away, whether that means taking a walk for ten minutes or going on a vacation and really stepping away. When I sit back down again, I find that the ideas flow much more easily than before.

Do you ever suffer from creative block? If so, how do you tackle it?

I have to say I don't really believe in creative block. If ideas aren't coming to me, it usually means there is something else that needs to be done first, like shipping orders or focusing on accounting for a few hours. Once I take care of those other projects, it's much easier to focus on making new work. If it's still not happening, I refer to the above advice and step away for a little bit.

What do you know now that you wish you knew when you started your business? Or what advice would you give to an art major?

Take classes in digital art/Photoshop/Illustrator/Web design! In my opinion, it is impossible to be an artist today without knowing those skills, since slef-promotion and having a web presence are so important today. So no matter what kind of art you do, you will need to be able to put together brochures, postcards, websites etc. to sell that work. I've taught myself some of that, but I wish I had learned it more formally while in school!

What is your favorite thing about creating greeting cards?

I love that it is an affordable piece of art work. I've sold big pieces of art before and it's sad to see people really admire what you do but no be able to afford it. I love that people can frame a $5 greeting card and get the same joy from it.

How did your business come about (and when did you start)?
I studied printmaking in college, and also studied block printing while studying abroad in India. After college I worked in a paper store, and began combining printmaking and stationery. I started to sell it at a few art fairs and to friends, and eventually it grew in to a larger business. After about a year of a heavier workload I quit my job to focus on printmaking full time, and it grew exponentially from there.

What has been the hardest single obstacle to your life in design (apart from a shortage of time, which seems to be universal amongst creatives!)?
There hasn't been one single obstacle, but running a business has been all about little obstacles. Suppliers with products out of stock, orders with emergency deadlines, mistakes on the press, packages delayed in the mail. All of these little challenges are incredibly frustrating at the time but help in the long run as you develop strategies to get around them.

How do you stay motivated? What inspires you?
Paying the bills is a big motivator! If I ever don't feel like working, I remember that there are customers waiting for their orders and other administrative things that need to be finished. That is a good motivator to stop procrastinating. It's also easy to stay motivated when you love what you do!

Who do you admire (other artists/designers; other people generally) and what/who are your biggest influences, past or present?
I really admire people who create work and don't get to put their name on it: textile artists, weavers, printmakers, folk artists from around the world. That is the kind of work that inspires me.

Describe your creative space.
I have a studio in my garage with work benches, my printing press, my massive paper cutter, and my desk where I answer emails, sketch new designs and carve linoleum blocks. It is usually in some state of "creative" chaos.

What is the best piece of advice you've ever been given?
Find your niche. Do what you are best at, find your own style and you will stand out. I think what has made me successful is having such a narrow focus.

Are there other artistic projects you like to do around the house or that you'd like to introduce to your existing business?

Before I started my business, I was constantly working on side projects for fun. Now that I spend so much of my time printmaking and running my business, I don't have much energy left for side projects! I try and keep lots of different business projects going though, from new designs to custom work to wedding invitations, so I always have something new and interesting going on.

What sort of pitfalls/challenges have you run into along the way and how did you tackle them?

There are pitfalls and challenges every day! Everything from problems with the press, packages lost in the mail, not being able to get the image right on a certain print, to problems getting the right ink color. Running a business is like tackling a constant stream of challenges, but that is what makes it so satisfying! I think the most important thing is to realize that the challenges are usually small and it's important not to get discouraged since there is always a solution, no matter how difficult it is to find.

What advice would you to give to other women aspiring to start their own business?

Work hard! And choose something you really love, which makes it easy to get through those challenging days. It's just like any other job, you have to put in the time in order to grow. Even if you are feeling stuck, keep showing up, making new products, writing those emails. Eventually hard work pays off! 

Podcast on Wholesale

Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes of a wholesale stationery business? How do you price products? How do you contact stores? What is the NSS? Well today I am talking to Elise Joy on her podcast about just that! You can find the episode here (Episode 005) for lots of business info. It was my first ever guest spot on a podcast and since I spend 90% of my day listening to podcasts, I was very excited. Enjoy!

Around the Studio

Last week I was working on a photo shoot, taking photos of all the new prints and getting them uploaded to launch the new line in the shop. While we were doing that, I took a few behind the scenes photos as well. Photo shoots definitely bring a state of chaos to the studio, but I managed to make it look at least a little bit organized.

 

Stationery Show Sneak Peek

In one week, I'll be setting up my booth (# 1942!) at the National Stationery Show. This last week before the show always feels like finals week: late nights, cramming in as much as possible, and lots of junk food. But now the booth walls are painted, the catalog is at the printer, almost all of the cards are printed, and I just have the final touches to add. I can't wait to unveil the whole new line at the show!

Around the Studio

There are only two months until the National Stationery Show (I'll be in Booth 1942), so I am hard at work carving new designs and thinking up new products that will launch in May. Two weeks ago we drove to Maine for the weekend where I bought a 1966 Challenge paper cutter that I found on Craigslist. It can cut through 500 sheets of paper in a second, and it is so satisfying that I've been using it every chance I get.

I am hard at work on a whole bunch of custom wedding invitations for summer weddings, above is an ink I mixed to match these bridesmaid dresses.

Test printing lots of new carvings with black ink before I choose the colors.

With the number of projects going on right now, I will have a lot more photos to share soon!

Design Wall

It's only February, but I'm already busy working on my new catalog that will be coming out in May. That means lots of new designs, carvings and products are in progress right now. I thought I would share some photos of my design wall, where I've been hanging all my sketches of new designs. I start by sketching out all my ideas (either half-finished or ready to carve) on paper, and then hanging them all up together. Then when I am ready to start carving, I'll head to the wall of designs and choose one to work on. I've been continuously adding and subtracting from the wall, making notes and changing designs, getting them ready to form a full collection.

I've been posting photos of the carvings I've been working on recently on Instagram, you can see all of them right here.

New Studio

I'm finally moved into the new studio! Just a few months ago, this corner of the garage was just a pile of old flowerpots and broken plywood, but with some shelving and a precarious move of the printing press, it's now a fully functioning workspace. I still have a few more things to move in and some organizing to do, but I wanted to share photos now that it is up and running. Take a look!

We rolled the press across the snowy driveway with two plywood boards and a pallet jack, worrying the whole time that it would roll into the ice and slide down the driveway. Luckily, it stayed put on the jack and we got it safely to its new home with no injuries.

I'll be posting more photos once everything is completely set up (there is a trip to IKEA scheduled in the near future), although I'm not promising it will stay clean and organized for long. And, you can see more behind the scenes posts from past studios here.