There's a New Shop in the Works

This has been on my mind for quite some time—the thought of opening a second shop. I've probably mentioned this before, but as my shop grows my Etsy fees keep piling up. Since October of last year, I've been paying at least $20/month but lately it's closer to $30-40/month. In the past, I've paid as much as $65 during a busy month, which I think is totally outrageous for how small of an operation my shop is. I love the Etsy community and all the exposure it's brought me, but the fees are killing me and sucking up so much of what I make. Aside from being a freelance graphic designer, my shop is currently my only other source of income so I really depend on it doing well.

(And that's probably the most money talk you'll ever hear come out of me.)

I've been dabbling with the idea of having a Big Cartel shop for a very long time. I've had a free account for about 5 years and just upgraded to a paid account earlier this year. I love everything about their platform and their monthly fee is affordable. Their lowest paid plan which is $9.99/month sounds a lot better than what I'm paying Etsy right now. The only major downside is that I get significantly less traffic going to it than with Etsy, which means I have to do significantly more marketing work to get it out there.

About 5 years ago, there was a moment in time when I considered changing my major from graphic design to illustration. I ended up deciding on sticking to graphic design because I had already invested so much time and so many units to it. Going through graphic design really opened my eyes to the world of branding, which has helped me a lot since being out on my own. But since graduation, I been having this itch to pursue illustration again. I've always loved stories and storytelling. When I was younger, I went through a poetry phase that later grew into an interest in creative writing. And what I love about illustration is it's a way of telling stories visually. I keep tons of notebooks & sketchbooks (hell, I even make my own!) and I have so many stories down on paper that I want to turn into real things; either as illustrations or zines.

I've also been feeling burnt out from Quiet Tiger. Because as much as the products do reflect my personality, to some extent they're also dictated by what customers expect from the shop and what's selling. Essentially, I started feeling like I'm just "the witty button girl". But don't get me wrong, I'm extremely grateful that a lot of people really love them. I just want to try something new and do more exploration & experimentation, which is why the new shop I'm working on is focused on personal work. For the new shop, I'm simply just going to make work that reflect me and how I'm feeling. A lot of it will be original drawings, prints, and eventually zines.

I'm currently working on new work for the new shop and hope to have new items up next week, so keep checking back. And of course, you can also follow me on Twitter to hear about when new items are added. In the meantime, some of the new mini pouches and cards are up in the shop.

You can find the new shop here.
From now until September 1st October 1st, you can get 15% off all orders with code: HELLONEWSHOP

The Final Days of Knits

Last month, I announced that I will be discontinuing knitwear from my shop. I've been considering this for quite sometime and decided that 2013 was going to be the year. It was a very hard decision to make since it's what I opened my shop with in 2006. I still love to knit, but knitting as a business made me really hate it. And I don't want to hate it. Over the years, it has become a real problem of limited space because I have to keep a lot of yarn stocked that I don't really have the room for. I don't have the luxury of having a separate studio space yet, so during the busy season (winter) I usually end up with half of my yarn stash in my car. And in all honesty, I hardly sell any knits through my Etsy shop throughout the year but at shows (like Renegade Craft and Unique LA) I sell out of almost everything. What I was getting out of it was not equaling the amount of time I was putting into it. Whenever I have to spend long hours on production, I keep thinking about how I would rather be doing something else. I will still make stuff for friends by request, but at this time I'm not sure if I'll try to pursue it again in the future.

For years, I've been wanting to make more year-round products but wasn't really sure what I wanted to make. With the recent success of the "Real Jobs" button series, I got the confidence boost I needed to pursue paper goods and other products that combine my graphic design background with my love for making things. 2013 is going to be an exciting and scary year for the shop as I take it in a new direction and dive head first into the unknown.

So if there's something you've had your eye on for a while, head over to the shop. There's a 13% Off Sale going on til tomorrow with code: HELLO2013.

Thank you so much to all my friends (old & new) for all the love & support through the years. I couldn't have done it without you!

 

Make Good Art

I've been feeling a little blue lately due to my work and living situation. Then I watched this view of Neil Gaiman (of Sandman fame) giving a commencement speech and I was reminded of a few things I've forgotten over the years.

Neil Gaiman Addresses the University of the Arts Class of 2012 from The University of the Arts (Phl) on Vimeo.

Loosen Up!

It's been a little over two months since I graduated from college and I'm still going through an adjusting period. I feel like I've forgotten how to be expressive so I've decided to take a mental vacation for the next few months to just reflect and breathe. I've been dying to just let myself create/make/dream and just let my mind be free.

I've also been trying to concentrate on putting together a new collection to relaunch my shop and vend at Unique LA and Renegade. It's been two years since I last participated in the Unique LA Holiday Show and I miss it. And there are a few friends who miss seeing me around as well.

Looking Onward

As the clock dwindles down on this semester, I can't help but think of what life will be like after. I'm finding it hard to believe that it's already March. May is fast approaching and I'm not really sure how I'm going to make it through these next couple of months. But I can't wait. Sure I'll be saying bye to summer vacations and hello to work, but I'll be saying goodbye to assigned school projects. I'll finally have the time to work on all the side projects I have saved up because I'll finally be able to leave work at work. That's the one thing I hate about school. As much as I love working hard, I hate the amount of time I spend working on school projects outside of school. And as much as I love my school friends, I'm tired of being around designers all day. Outside of school, most of the people I hang out with are illustrators/artists, bloggers, makers/small business owners, etc. Everyone is different and quirky in their own way. And we just sit (or stand) around talking about food or pop culture or random things.

I was reading The Fox is Black the other day, and Bobby mentioned this quote from How To Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon:

It helps to live around interesting people, and not necessarily people who do what you do. I feel a little incestuous when I hang out with only writers and artists, so I enjoy the many filmmakers, musicians, and tech geeks who live in Austin. Oh, and food. The food should be good. You have to find a place that feeds you – creatively, socially, spiritually, and literally.

Even if you set up a new home, you need to leave it now and then. And at some point, you just need to move on. The good news is that nowadays, a lot of your peers are right where you left them – on the Internet.

I've been ready to move on for a while now and I'm just growing extremely impatient for the coming months. I'm looking forward to returning to a life that doesn't involve sitting at a computer all day.

Getting Ready for a Long Winter

I have been talking about this for sometime now. That this winter will be my final year of producing knitwear. And that decision still stands. I am both relieved and sadden by this decision, but I feel that it is quite necessary. The time and energy I've been putting into it over the years just isn't worth it anymore. I'm tired of having too much yarn and bins full of finished product occupying every single inch of my very tiny room.  So I've started knitting up all my yarn in preparation for UniqueLA. Even if I don't get in, at least everything will already be made and I can just post it all to Etsy.

So what does that mean for the future? As some of you may know, I've been exploring the realm of laser cut jewelry. And although it has been received quite well so far, I don't see it as being a very permanent thing. It just doesn't really feel like me. I feel like this is just what people expect from me based on their perception of me/becausemaybe/whatever. I've been thinking about going back to my roots in writing and curating. Mostly writing about music and pop culture, with a touch of nostalgia. And that would carry over into the curation and sale of vintage items.

I spent a lot of my summer in self-reflection. I looked back at the early years of becausemaybe and even went as far back as the high school years. I thought about what inspires me and what drives me. I reminisced about old hobbies and old interests. I've been searching deep within myself to find what it is I really love. And what really makes me happy. And I don't know the answer to that anymore. I feel like I've strayed very far from where I started and not so much in a good way. I feel like I got distracted somewhere along the way and lost sight of things. 

Several of my friends have asked me this week about my experience interning at American Apparel so far and if I would ever consider working there. I told them, "If they want to pay me to be there, I would have no objection to that." Sometimes I wonder if this economy has made me desperate, because I know deep down inside the real answer to that question is "No." Sure, the environment is laidback and some of the employees are cool to talk to and hang out with. But the actual job itself, isn't really my thing. They don't really have anything to offer me in terms of what I want out of a job. 

So what do I really want to do? I still want to move to Minneapolis and live out there for a few years. Just be away from things for a while. Spend some alone time. Or maybe that's the problem. Maybe I already spend too much alone time. But at this age, everyone's always too busy: trying to startup their career, getting married, having kids, or just plain trying to graduate. Everyone's always too busy for everyone else. Right when you think you've found people you really connect with, it's already time to say goodbye. 

Life always manages to catch you by surprise. But I don't wait around for life anymore. Because every time I've been patient, life served me some disappointment.

Rethinking Relocation

I've been considering for some time now, the possibility of moving to Minneapolis after graduation. I've grown tired of making dream job lists that just scream "Get the hell out of LA!" The fact of the matter is, most of the firms out here just aren't doing the kind of work I want to be doing. And the people who are doing that kind of work...they're kinda like a rare breed of individuals, who run their own studios and run in the same circle of friends as the other individuals who run their own studio. It sometimes feels like it's an exclusive club that everyone wants to be a part of but no new kid knows how to get into. The only logical explanation I can come up with is to move to Minneapolis, work at some of the places (or similar places) I want to work at, then come back and start my own gig. I'll always have a place in my heart for LA (or more accurately, LA county). Sure the cost of living is high, and there have been many things said about it being fake, lacking culture & a sense of history. But that's what I love about it. It doesn't care. It's as individual as the people who occupy it.