Interview with Joom

Time for a new interview!

I've got more new stuff for tomorrow, but I've been sitting on this interview for awhile. I featured Joom in my blog a few weeks ago, and she makes gorgeous prints, pillows, bags and baby things. She's also had tons of sales, so it's always great to hear from someone highly successful. Plus, she's been featured in adorn magazine, and on the Rachael Ray show!

1.Which part of your work do you most enjoy? Which part do you find hardest?
The part that really enjoy the most is sketching when I get to be creative. The hardest part is the printing process. You have to be focus and try not to make any mistake.

2.Where do you get your inspiration?
I get my inspiration from the world around me, and am especially interested in nature, music, art, and architecture. The idea of using bird and flower came to me one day while I was sitting in my patio taking care of my garden. A hummingbird came to feed on a fuchsia plant, and I closed my eyes and saw the silhouette of the bird and the flower. That image has been a main part of my designs even since.

3.What is your favorite item that you have purchased on Etsy?
I love my boston terrier mini pillow that I bought from MODESTo. I have a boston terrier, named Seven.

4.If I could sell one item from my shop today, it would be...
It could be anything from my shop. I'll be happy.

5.If I had enough money to pick one item on my wish list from any shop on Etsy to buy, it would be...
I would like to get a Vintage Cherry Bench from sprucehome.

6.What undiscovered artisans would you recommend the world to know?
They are so many artists that I really love thier work. Here is one of my friend, Somneuk Huangtanapa, an artist. : http://www.rama9art.org/artisan/2002/july/mobius/index.html

7.What is the best advice you have ever received?
The best advice that I have received.
Think of yourself shopping on a website and think of all the things you'd wish were in the descriptions and the images, and do that for your shop. Make your shop looks professional. This includes having well products, good descriptions, especially in your profile and shop policies. Maintain a high standard of customer service and respond to inquiries as promptly as possible. What people see on Etsy is all they likely know of you.

8.What advice would you give to artists who are new to Etsy?
I'm still new and learning everyday, but I've gathered a handful of advice I always stick to. Always try to keep the quality of your items good. It's a steep learning curve so there's no need to rush....it takes a bit of time to soak up the Etsy atmosphere and to understand the site functionality. I found it helps to become a buyer first to see how the transaction works from the other side so then you can treat buyers as you'd like to be treated yourself.

9.How do you promote your work?
I have only my personal website : www.joomk.com. I don't really promote myself. I'm very lucky in that other people do it for me and word of mouth is the best recommendation you can have. I am incredibly grateful to the bloggers who have featured my work on their blogs. I've received a lot of attention from other blogs, and my work was featured in a couple of magazines during last holiday season. These publications include : Style at home, Canada and Adorn magazine.

10.Apart from creating things, what do you do?
In my free time, I enjoy decorating , working on my garden, taking care of Seven, cooking and painting.

11.How long have you been selling on Etsy? Do you sell through any other venues? What has been the most successful for you?
I've been selling on Etsy for about 2 and half years. I have some retail stores who carry my products in the U.S. and outside. The most successful for me was when my mini pillow was picked to feature on The Rachael Ray Show about Etsy last December. That was a big hit for me.

12.What led you to start selling on Etsy?
I'd been trying to get my work out with little success. I discovered Etsy by accident while I was looking for a gift for a friend. I saw some really nice works here and decided to give Etsy a try.

13.How would you describe your shop?
My shop is about all different products that people use in everyday life. I like clean , simple design, full of color and unique shapes and that's what I came up with.

14.What advice would you give to artists who are new to Etsy?
Try to come up with the products that you would like to see on the Market. Also customer service is very important.