Yay! I can blogger again!

Blogger was down for me for awhile this morning...which was unfortunate because I'm really excited to post this interview!

Nicole from Lillyella was sweet enough to conduct an interview with me, and just because she's freaking awesome, she's also offering my readers a giveaway (which will be posted tomorrow, so make sure to enter!!!)

Anyhow, here's the interview, she really gave some great, inspirational stuff, which is always a pleasure to read!
(also, here's a link to her Etsy article if you're curious to learn more about her! Also, her blog has lots of great giveaways and fun stuff!)


What advice would you give to artists who are new to Etsy?
Learn to have a tough gut and be prepared to spend a ridiculous amount of time working at it - IF you really want to make a go of it.
Be very patient and don't give up hope if it takes awhile to get started. I believe there are so many factors that affect how a day on Etsy could go - the stock market, the economy, even the weather. I know better now but even I still get upset when I have a bad day of sales and feel like all hope is lost - but then the next day could be my biggest day ever! You just never know.

Is being self-employed through Etsy scary or comfortable?
It's scary - for all the reasons I just mentioned above. It does have its perks - being self employed - but regardless of what your business is - you never know what the next day will bring and you don't have someone else who's responsibility it is to still give you a paycheck. You only have yourself to blame if it doesnt work out, and thats a lot to deal with.

Do you find that it's hard to separate work and home now that you work at home?
No, not really. It's hardest to separate myself from my computer - email and Etsy!
I actually find I work harder now that I am at home than I did at any other job. Maybe because I love what I do or because I am responsible for my own livelihood - whatever it is - I am more motivated to get up in the morning, I waste less time - I even eat less!

What's your favorite colour? Food? Place?
Ok - this one is easy! Color - right now its Yellow
Food - Mexican, with mac and cheese closely following
Place - ok, thats not so easy. Hmm.. how to interpret this one - a city, a country, a spot in my house - well, I'll have to say Australia. I took a research trip there years ago and it was by far the coolest thing I have ever done. I would go back in a heartbeat - even though the plane ride was horrific.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Gosh, I hope doing the same thing - but bigger and better! When we finish the workshop out back, I'm hoping Tyler and I can get into some other areas and open another Etsy shop or two with the hopes that he can also quit his job and we can both do this full time.


Apart from creating things, what do you do?
I still do some design work for a few clients I have had for years and I *usually* enjoy it. I teach dance - Hip hop currently, though tap is my favorite. I do some photography work - weddings for friends and when I'm lucky some work for the Cleveland Indians. For fun - we go rock climbing and shooting and I really love to eat - especially Mexican :) (Aevan - yay for rock climbing! I'm a climber too!)

What are your favourite sites aside from Etsy?
I don't really have any! Is that pathetic?

How would you describe what's in your Etsy shop right now?
Organic, eclectic, pretty, fun!

How long have you been selling on Etsy? Do you sell through any other venues? What has been the most successful for you?
Since the end of March - so about 7 months. I do not currently sell on any other venues but am definitely looking into it. It's not good to have all of your eggs in one basket. I do sell wholesale though, which is cool.

Are you working on anything new right now or is there a craft you would like to learn?
I'm always into something new - lately we've been learning how to throw pottery on a wheel and I spend a lot of time woodworking and using my scroll saw. Tyler is a glass artist so I help him with new ideas in that arena - we're currently working on some really cool fused glass coasters and slumped cutting boards. Hints of future things to come!!!

If you had to do it all over again, would you do anything differently?
I really don't think so - which is good I guess! I'm a planner - so I think way too long and hard before doing anything. But actually - the only thing I may have done was to do it sooner - but I think life plays its course as it is supposed to - so my time was my time. No going back anyways - just look forward!