Sally: What brought you to Etsy?
Kathryn: A good friend of mine introduced me to Etsy after I spoke to her about my work. I originally started selling on Etsy with my Emerald Lily jewellery collection (www.emeraldlily.etsy.com) and then branched out to other creative endeavours and started working with paper clay. Etsy seemed like the best forum to sell my products as well as become more involved with the creative community. There is a lot of support on Etsy and many friendly and interesting people.
Sally: Who or what inspires your creations?
Kathryn: One of the great things about being creative is that the more your create, the more inspiration you see around you. It seems to open up your eyes so that you actually take notice of the things around you and discuss ideas with other creatives. I think that the internet is a great way to also find inspiration, particularly when you are starting out learning a craft. There are so many resources on the web to help develop your crafts.
Sally: What time of day do you work best and why?
Kathryn: I work full-time as a graphic designer and try and fit in my other craft projects around that! I probably work best on my crafts around mid morning (if it's the weekend) but this isn't usually what happens! I usually have to squeeze in time at night and also try and promote online during this time. It can be quite tricky to balance time promoting and time creating.
Sally: Who do you market to? Who do you see buying your work?
Kathryn: Since starting my shop and opening it early this year, I probably market mostly to other Etsy twitterers and also try and get involved in the Etsy forums. I hope to develop my Facebook fan page more and create a blog, but it all takes time. I think it's important not to spread yourself too thinly across too many areas otherwise you don't get time to promote well on any of them. I find Twitter has been a great way promote my new shop and meet other like-minded people. I would hope that my POP People appeal to almost everyone. As my shop develops, I hope to create at least one doll that someone can relate to. Each doll has its own unique story, stereotypical as it may be! But I think that introducing some frivolity and humour into what I sell is part of its appeal both to me and to others. I think that because I truly enjoy making my product and get a kick out of their quirkiness, I figure others do too. I get quite attached to each of my doll characters and almost don't want to part with them!
Sally: What item do you like to work on the most and why?
Kathryn: Each doll has its own appeal. When I create each one, I sometimes have an idea of how I want it to turn out. But sometimes, the doll doesn't take on its true personality until I finish painting it and sit it in front of me, stare into its eyes and wait for a story to be revealed about its life and personality. It can be quite sporadic and unplanned, which is so much more fun than planning out everything from the beginning.
Sally: What are your 3 favorite books?
Kathryn: This changes! But probably my three favourite 'books/series' would be 'Aphrodite' by Isabel Allende (so beautifully descriptive), the Harry Potter series (particularly 'The Goblet of Fire') and any Roald Dahl books (his collection of short stories are gripping).
Sally: What is something that you don’t do well that you’d like to do better?
Kathryn: I have a short attention span! I can tend to have so many things I like or want to do that I get easily distracted and move from one idea/project to the next. I will start one thing then see something else I want to try and move onto that quickly. This most applicable when I look at all the different creative things out there and think 'Gee, I think I'd like to try my hand at that too!' This seems to apply to most of the endeavours I do!
Sally: If you could interview your main influence who would it be and what would you ask?
Kathryn: Probably my main influence stems from my childhood love of puppets and claymation during the Jim Henson 'Muppet Show' era and Aardman's 'Morph' character. I loved these as a child and still enjoy watching how animation has progressed over time. Some of the best work over recent times have been Australian animator Adam Elliot's work. I think, if I had a chance to interview any of these influencers, I would ask how they kept themselves motivated when creative ideas sometimes wane. I think at the beginning when you first come up with ideas, your enthusiasm drives you quite far. But after a while, it can be disheartening when sales may not be as good as you hoped for or interest in your product plateaus. It can be hard to keep focused.
Sally: What do you listen to while you work? While you don’t work?
Kathryn: When I work, it depends on my mood as to whether I have silence or the radio/tv on in the background with the hustle and bustle of others around. When I am working on my clay dolls, I find it a really soothing way to unwind from my day job and can often enjoy talking and listening to people while I work away.
Sally: Do you have any deals or promos to share?
Kathryn: Soon! I will be offering deals and promos as my shop matures a little (I just opened it a week ago). I would like to develop my Facebook and Twitter fanbase and offer special deals and promos to those followers and supporters of my work.
Twitter: http://twitter.com/poppeopleKathryn: A good friend of mine introduced me to Etsy after I spoke to her about my work. I originally started selling on Etsy with my Emerald Lily jewellery collection (www.emeraldlily.etsy.com) and then branched out to other creative endeavours and started working with paper clay. Etsy seemed like the best forum to sell my products as well as become more involved with the creative community. There is a lot of support on Etsy and many friendly and interesting people.
Sally: Who or what inspires your creations?
Kathryn: One of the great things about being creative is that the more your create, the more inspiration you see around you. It seems to open up your eyes so that you actually take notice of the things around you and discuss ideas with other creatives. I think that the internet is a great way to also find inspiration, particularly when you are starting out learning a craft. There are so many resources on the web to help develop your crafts.
Sally: What time of day do you work best and why?
Kathryn: I work full-time as a graphic designer and try and fit in my other craft projects around that! I probably work best on my crafts around mid morning (if it's the weekend) but this isn't usually what happens! I usually have to squeeze in time at night and also try and promote online during this time. It can be quite tricky to balance time promoting and time creating.
Sally: Who do you market to? Who do you see buying your work?
Kathryn: Since starting my shop and opening it early this year, I probably market mostly to other Etsy twitterers and also try and get involved in the Etsy forums. I hope to develop my Facebook fan page more and create a blog, but it all takes time. I think it's important not to spread yourself too thinly across too many areas otherwise you don't get time to promote well on any of them. I find Twitter has been a great way promote my new shop and meet other like-minded people. I would hope that my POP People appeal to almost everyone. As my shop develops, I hope to create at least one doll that someone can relate to. Each doll has its own unique story, stereotypical as it may be! But I think that introducing some frivolity and humour into what I sell is part of its appeal both to me and to others. I think that because I truly enjoy making my product and get a kick out of their quirkiness, I figure others do too. I get quite attached to each of my doll characters and almost don't want to part with them!
Sally: What item do you like to work on the most and why?
Kathryn: Each doll has its own appeal. When I create each one, I sometimes have an idea of how I want it to turn out. But sometimes, the doll doesn't take on its true personality until I finish painting it and sit it in front of me, stare into its eyes and wait for a story to be revealed about its life and personality. It can be quite sporadic and unplanned, which is so much more fun than planning out everything from the beginning.
Sally: What are your 3 favorite books?
Kathryn: This changes! But probably my three favourite 'books/series' would be 'Aphrodite' by Isabel Allende (so beautifully descriptive), the Harry Potter series (particularly 'The Goblet of Fire') and any Roald Dahl books (his collection of short stories are gripping).
Sally: What is something that you don’t do well that you’d like to do better?
Kathryn: I have a short attention span! I can tend to have so many things I like or want to do that I get easily distracted and move from one idea/project to the next. I will start one thing then see something else I want to try and move onto that quickly. This most applicable when I look at all the different creative things out there and think 'Gee, I think I'd like to try my hand at that too!' This seems to apply to most of the endeavours I do!
Sally: If you could interview your main influence who would it be and what would you ask?
Kathryn: Probably my main influence stems from my childhood love of puppets and claymation during the Jim Henson 'Muppet Show' era and Aardman's 'Morph' character. I loved these as a child and still enjoy watching how animation has progressed over time. Some of the best work over recent times have been Australian animator Adam Elliot's work. I think, if I had a chance to interview any of these influencers, I would ask how they kept themselves motivated when creative ideas sometimes wane. I think at the beginning when you first come up with ideas, your enthusiasm drives you quite far. But after a while, it can be disheartening when sales may not be as good as you hoped for or interest in your product plateaus. It can be hard to keep focused.
Sally: What do you listen to while you work? While you don’t work?
Kathryn: When I work, it depends on my mood as to whether I have silence or the radio/tv on in the background with the hustle and bustle of others around. When I am working on my clay dolls, I find it a really soothing way to unwind from my day job and can often enjoy talking and listening to people while I work away.
Sally: Do you have any deals or promos to share?
Kathryn: Soon! I will be offering deals and promos as my shop matures a little (I just opened it a week ago). I would like to develop my Facebook and Twitter fanbase and offer special deals and promos to those followers and supporters of my work.
Facebook: http://bit.ly/5O7iHa
Kathyrn, Thank you so much for taking the time to be interviewed. I can't wait to see what other people you come up with. I see myself as more of the introvert. I love that gal! Good luck!
Readers, I'm quite confident that you can find a POP people that you connect with. I'd love to hear who you are, post a comment with a link!
A wonderful artist with a wonderful sense of humor. I can see a whole collection of this little figures standing on my shelf for sure :)
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