Little Flower Designs

Artist: Linda Johnson
Web site: Little Flower Designs
Blog: Little Flower Designs
Location: Abington, PA

What do you create?
Ceramic home accessories with an emphasis on hand carved and etched surface design.

How did you come up with your company name?
When I first started to work in clay I signed all of my pieces with a little flower so, in my mind, my ceramic work was always been little flower designs.

When and why did you decide to start your business?
I officially launched Little Flower Designs in the summer of 2004 after completing an interior design program. I was really into all the different home accessories and knew my focus was more in the details than in designing whole rooms and spaces. I had been working in clay for years but the program put it into a design and business perspective for me. So I got my certificate and filed my business registration the same week.



Where do you get your inspiration for your designs?
I am greatly inspired by nature and fashion. The core of my designs come from nature, being outside and observing, then the colors seem to be inspired by fashion trends. I look at a lot of magazines both for home and fashion, I think I absorb the great color combinations and they make their way into my palette.

Which of the tools you use is your favorite?
I don't really have a favorite, I use so many different tools to make each piece that I really couldn't function without most of them.

What keeps you motivated?
I love to make things so no motivation is needed, when I get in the studio it's hard for me to leave.



How do you get the word out about your work?
Everything from blogs, attending craft shows, and advertising, you really need to do it all.

What is your main goal for the next 6-12 months?
In the next 6 -12 months I hope to continue to grow my business with a focus on my local area. I also have plans to expand my line and do some one of a kind pieces.

What advice would you give to someone starting a creative business?
Love what you're making, and do plenty of research on the business aspects of your field.



What’s the most important thing you’d like people to know/understand about your work?
My work is very process oriented. I hand make each and every piece without the use of molds or a magic wand! All of my vessels are hand thrown, carved and glazed by me. I would like people to see the detail involved and know they are buying something that I poured my heart into. And not poured into a mold!
Who are some of your favorite indie designers/artists?
Gosh, there are so many. I'm loving Amy Rice's paintings and prints, Supayana makes great one of a kind tops, Camilla Engman, Amy Ruppel, Lotta Jansdotter and Diana Fayt, all have great aesthetics' that I find inspiring.

What city, that you’ve never been to, would you like to visit?
I would love to visit Venice, there is something about the water that really appeals to me.

What's your definition of a perfect day?
Waking up to beautiful weather a little on the chilly side, yoga then coffee and a good chat with my husband, a nice walk with the dog, then a productive day in the studio followed by a good meal I don't have to cook and a movie or music out.


Thank you Linda!

Finnbiskit

Artist: Heidi Wiitanen LaBeauWeb site: finnbiskit, Etsy store
Location: Houghton, Michigan

What do you create?
I design seasonal women's clothing collections using hand-dyed sustainable textiles like hemp and hemp blends.

How did you come up with your company name?
finnbiskit is a nickname that was given to me in college. I'm 100% Finnish, but was born in the U.S.



When and why did you decide to start your business?
After discovering dyeing techniques, my dyed fabrics would turn into skirts and bags for myself and my friends. Once I mastered my own techniques I began with a mini-collection featuring hand-dyed skirts and pants. I want to inspire environmental awareness and self-expression with my collections.

Where do you get your inspiration for your projects?
From nature and the environment around me. I've studied color relationships for years and enjoy the juxtaposition of colors. I notice it everywhere. I'm also inspired by Scandinavian interior and furniture design. I like minimalism that makes a statement.

Which of the tools you use is your favorite?
My iron, can you believe it? The secret to good sewing is a good iron.

What keeps you motivated?
I have lovely and supportive friends and mentors that keep me going. Seeing people wearing my finished product also motivates me.



How do you get the word out about your work?
Word-of-mouth, mostly. My friends and family tell anyone who will listen! Plus I hand out postcards, have a myspace page, a website, and an online shop at Etsy.

What is your main goal for the next 6-12 months?
To expand my client base and have fun.

What advice would you give to someone starting a creative business?
Don't be afraid to start your own business. An instructor once told me, "Do what you love and money will follow."

What’s the most important thing you’d like people to know/understand about your work? Currently I design, hand-dye, cut, and sew all of my own work. Each piece is unique. It's "fashion with sisu." A Finnish term, sisu is the magical strength inside of you that emerges when the impossible must be overcome.



Who are some of your favorite indie designers/artists?
Treehouse28, Supayana, and Ryan Dalman. Ryan is a potter and his work is Dr. Suess-like and whimsical. Ritch Branstrom is a sculptor who makes birds, fish, etc. out of tin cans and bottle caps.

What city, that you’ve never been to, would you like to visit?
Actually there are two - Helsinki and London.

What's your definition of a perfect day?
The perfect day is when I finish all things on my list, all things have gone well, and I feel I've accomplished what I've wanted to for the day. Then I take a sauna and come out with my mind clear and I smell the clover.

**Photos taken by Adam Johnson**



Thank you Heidi!




Alicia Bock Photography

Artist: Alicia Bock
Web site: Alicia Bock
Etsy: Alicia Bock
Blog: Bloom, Grow, Love
Location: Mid-Michigan, USA

What do you create?
Fine art photographs and notecards.

When and why did you decide to start your business?
I started selling my photographs in 2004, after a renewed interest in photography after my daughter was born. After taking way too many baby pictures I moved onto other subjects, and haven't stopped since.

Where do you get your inspiration for your projects?
Mostly from my daily life, and my kids. Having small kids is great because it makes you rediscover everything. I work around their schedule and they are always with me, so I photograph the things we find on our adventures, or flowers from our garden.



Which of the tools you use is your favorite?
My vintage cameras that I used in my "viewfinder series" photographs. I love taking these old cameras and using them in a modern way.

What is your favorite part of your creative process?
The anticipation...when I get an idea late at night, but I know I will have to wait until morning to put my plan in motion.

What keeps you motivated?
I have more ideas than time to create. But, I see this as the building phase of my business. Someday, when my kids are both in school I will hopefully have more time to do all the things I am dreaming about.



How do you get the word out about your work?
Mostly through my mailing list and blog. I am just starting to do some paid advertising on some well read blogs, and locally. I also try to upload my photographs regularly to Flickr, and participate in several groups there.

What is your main goal for the next 6-12 months?
I have recently expanded my business to include portrait sessions for children and teens. So, I will be working towards learning new portrait techniques and expanding my portfolio. I also have a few new series of fine art photographs in mind, hopefully, I will get to work on them before the summer is up.



What advice would you give to someone starting a creative business?
I would say go for it! I think this has been the best thing I have ever done. But, you have to be your own biggest fan, and spend just as much time marketing your work as you spend creating it.

What’s the most important thing you’d like people to know/understand about your work?
I am just a girl trying to find the beauty and inspiration in my everyday.



Who are some of your favorite indie designers/artists?
I love so many of the artists on Etsy like Mandy, Michelle Ramin and Louise.

If money, deadlines, scheduling, etc weren’t an obstacle what new project would you like to take on?
I would love to take a year (or 3 or 4) off, and travel with my family photographing everything we saw.

What's your definition of a perfect day?
A day at the beach spent taking pictures of my family, chinese food for dinner, and my kids going to bed early.


Thank you Alicia!

Kirin & Co.

Artist: Lara Cameron
Shop: Kirin and Co.
Web site: Lara Cameron
Location: Melbourne, Australia

What do you create?
At the moment I'm creating a range of hand screen printed textiles. I come up with the designs and colourways and get a professional screenprinter here in Melbourne to do the printing. They're great!

How did you come up with your company name?
Back before I thought much would come of it I randomly named my blog "kirin notebook". Kirin means giraffe in Japanese, and I like giraffes and all things Japanese! When I came to opening my etsy shop I thought it'd be best to keep the name similar to my blog. I called it Kirin & Co because I have a thing for business names with ampersands in them and I thought the Co. part sounded old fashioned and cute :)

When and why did you decide to start your business?
I'm originally a web and graphic designer by trade, and I started off my craft blog as a place to post the random creative stuff I was doing on the side - drawing, gocco printing, jewelery etc. About a year ago I started experimenting with pattern design, and got some really lovely feedback from my readers. I enjoy the mix of creative and technical skills that pattern design requires, so I decided to pursue it. Then, early this year I decided to take the plunge and get some fabric printed. I was so worried that I wouldn't be able to sell it - I had no idea of the demand for such things, but the first small batch sold out overnight and I was so excited. And it just went from there :)



Where do you get your inspiration for your projects?
All sorts of places, but most recently from all the wonderful craft and design blogs, and from wondering around the streets of Melbourne.

Which of the tools you use is your favorite?
I suppose I personally don't use many tools to make my fabric - the screen printers do all the hard work! But I've always been a huge fan of Adobe Illustrator - the software I use to create the patterns. It's perfect for this sort of design work and has heaps of nifty features to discover that make the whole process of step + repeat a lot easier.

What keeps you motivated?
Seeing all the fantastic things that people make with my fabric! That has to be the highlight of the whole process. That I'm making something that other creative people can take further and turn into wonderful things, which they can either enjoy themselves or on sell to other people. It's great!!



How do you get the word out about your work?
Almost completely through my blog, and other people's blogs. Yay for the internet :)

What is your main goal for the next 6-12 months?
Not quite sure at the moment. I'd like to come up with some great new designs, and also print on some new fabrics - something with more texture like linens or hemp, and in some nice colour combinations like white ink on robin's egg blue.

What advice would you give to someone starting a creative business?
Definitely keep a blog, and try to update it often. I've also heard this saying about the key to success in design: "output output output!". Don't get stuck on trying to make the single most fantastic design or artwork, just try lots of different things and put it out there. It's so easy to get stuck, you have to keep the momentum going, and you'll only ever improve on your last piece. Sometimes I feel that you have to get the crap ideas "out" before the good ones come along.



Who are some of your favorite indie designers/artists?
Jen Corace, Ashley G, The Black Apple, Kristen Doran (cheeky beaks), Shannon Lamden (auntie cookie), Heather Moore (skinny la minx), Lisa Congdon, AbbyJane from While She Naps. I'm sure there's people I'm forgetting!

What country would you like to visit some day?
Japan definitely. And I will be soon - in a couple of months. Yay!!

What's your definition of a perfect day?
A sunny day spent walking around my lovely city, being inspired, drinking chai in a cosy cafe somewhere, coming up with some new design/craft ideas :)


Thank you Lara!