These are my favorite photos from my sister's graduation party that we had a few weekends ago. One sister made a fantastic playlist, the other made a stellar piñata cake, and we all helped our parents' get the house ready and decorate. I'm so proud of my sister and can't wait to see what she'll be up to as she goes on to college!
More photos here: Emily's graduation party.
I'm still doing #100DaysofDressSketches
you don't want to sleep but you have to
you get tired of watching movies
you think of all these ideas you can't do because it hurts too much to lift your head
you aren't hungry... but when you are you're too weak to make any food... so then you pretend you aren't hungry
you feel blurry
you can't write
you're clammy all the time
when you finally can lift your head, you work too hard and then have to lay down again
you want to be alone but are sad when no one wants to come over
I've been sick all weekend and am still getting over it. I should be thankful as I haven't been sick in a while, but it still is awful. My sister has been gone all weekend (she still is not home) so I've been by myself and I hate it! Cabin fever x 100,000,000.
So that's all for now. Editing photos from my sister's graduation party that I'll put up on Thursday. And then I'm off to Florida for a little island getaway and my company's annual meeting -- see why I need to get better?!
Hope you are having a great non-sick week!!
Just got an email about a Yes Studio Pop-Up this weekend in the LA area. I'm bummed I won't be on the west coast to check this out! They'll have some handmade goods from a recent trip to Chiapas, Mexico (think unique handbags, chocolate and coffee).
Stop by if you are around and look out for their monthly Pop-Up events this summer!
If you find yourself in Scottsdale, Arizona come escape in this farm filled with hidden gardens, fresh happy chicken eggs, locally grown produce and artisan foods. Explore the farm, find the pizza and sit back and relax in the garden chairs while live music plays nearby. It's only open on Saturday mornings, and I think might be closed for the summer, so check their site (link below) for details before you go.
My sister cleaning our pool in the 'burbs.
I just got back from over a week back at my parent’s house to celebrate my sister’s graduation. I’m still processing the fact that my baby sister is old enough to go off to college and that soon the youngest will be doing the same. The whole family was back in town and my sisters and I got to spend a lot of time together and with my parents and grandparents. My parent’s just redid the floors and got new furniture so I went home to what felt like a new house! Thankfully, it still was the home I remember. Besides a really stressful encounter with my mom’s tupperware drawers, it was an awesome trip.
I’ve been thinking about how to keep up my blog given that my current job is more demanding than my previous one and I’m having a hard time keeping on track with the next collection that I’m working on and making art again. In thinking about what’s most important to me (sharing my life and writing regularly), I’m going to try doing two posts a week. One will be a general update and writing focused on something related to being an artist, creative professional, traveler + designer. Another will be a short photo essay. If I have extra time I’ll post an event recap or a creative crush interview. If this works out then I’ll stick to it! If it doesn’t feel write, I’ll think up something else and share my plan. Thanks for reading!
Ever wonder how to get your local/handmade/unique product into a local store? It can seem really intimidating, but if you have a great product and the store is the right fit than it shouldn’t be too hard. If your product is really over saturated (like jewelry), than it’s a bit harder, but having a clear mission, style and goal will help you stand out. I am not the best at any of these things, so here are some tips even if you are still figuring out those really important factors!
I would never walk into a store I’ve never been to and ask to talk to their buyer. It takes a few visits to get to know the store, the foot traffic, the customers, the types of products the store carries and the types of products on the sale rack. I usually ask the salespeople lots of questions about the store, their style, what they look for, really anything they will tell me that comes out naturally in a conversation. If you are genuinely interested in the store and the products, than it will be really easy and you’ll probably get along with the salespeople. If you don’t or it feels forced, then it’s probably not a good fit and you should move on. If you aren’t local you can use social media to get a sense of the store and its community before you plan a visit.
Once you feel like you’ve spent enough time in the store and you know your product would be a great fit, then you can ask for the buyer or store owner. Hopefully, after talking to the salespeople, you’ll already know what this person’s title is and it will be a natural ask. Like, I just finished these pillow cases and I know you’ve been looking for more unique home accessories, do you think so-and-so would be interested in seeing some samples? The worst thing that will happen is that they will say no. If you think this person might be in the store, then bring your product in the off-chance that she/he can take a look right then and there.
As I mentioned earlier, you have to know what you’re making, who you are and why! And be able to tell a concise story about yourself and your product. I don’t think it’s just about having an elevator pitch, it’s about having a mission. What makes you and your product stand out and why would that store want to represent you by carrying your product? If you are just another designer that could be confused with a bunch of other designers, than a store won’t want to risk taking on your product, even on consignment. It really helps to be local, which is why starting close to home is a good tactic if you have stores that fit your style nearby.
The store loves your product and wants to carry it? Great! Now you have to ask a lot of questions. Just because your dream store wants to carry your product doesn’t mean you should immediately hand over everything you have and tell all your friends. Most small stores will want to start selling a new product on consignment to see how it sells. While many designers will tell you say no to consignment, the truth is it’s hard to get into a new store without doing consignment first, especially if you’ve never sold wholesale (or at all) at other stores. Each store will have its own policies, so ask about all the details, like what’s the split? who pays sales tax? how often do they cut checks? how often should you check in? how long will they hold inventory? who pays for shipping? do they have their own consignment or wholesale form or should you provide one? what is their buying schedule and do you fit into it or not? do they host trunk shows? Figure out the situation for that specific store and set up accordingly. Make sure to keep current records of sales and check-ins.
Congrats! You have your first handmade good in a local boutique! You are now a part of a relationship with the store, buyer and their customers. Share with your network that you are in the store and make sure to support and promote their events. The more exposure the store has, the more exposure you will have. Hopefully, the store will do the same for you and together you’ll help each other find customers and build a business.
I'm home in Arizona for my sister's graduation. While listening to the speech at her ceremony I realized it's been over ten years since I graduated from high school. The theme of the speech was something like 'go out and change the world' (like most graduation speeches). It made me think--how many people actually do? How far do you have to go? And what does that even mean?
No one talks about what actually happens to most people. Most people go out into the world and then come back. And the ones that don't are left in this weird place of creating a new home in a new place, sometimes over and over again. It's just weird to me that every parent seems to want his/her children to go and explore the world, but no one really talks about what happens if they do and then don't know if or when they'll ever go back.
I'm lucky that I have a very supportive family and friends that don't mind that we keep in touch via google hangout and instagram accounts, but it's still hard. It's hard to come back to a small town where everyone is married and most have kids and I get lost in supermarkets because they are so big. It's hard to relate to relatives and neighbors that don't understand what you do or measure you up based on how many degrees you have (especially if you aren't married and don't have kids). It's hard to make art and have a career, to maintain international friendships and try to date in a new city, to become friends with your sister that you now live with and be a sister to the ones across the country.
But I also know staying put or going back to wherever you came from is just as hard, for different reasons, and even some of the same reasons. And it's not really either/or--I've gone back to my parents plenty of times to regroup or reevaluate my life. And I'm sure you have, too.
I guess it's just growing up.
But maybe, instead of giving general change-the-world advice, we could give new graduates slightly more specific advice--like find out what moves you, try out everything until you get lost in it, think about what you do and why do you do it before you say yes to a paycheck. Figure out how to be a good friend, a good sibling, a good daughter/son, and don't forget what that feels like. Practice staying in touch with people you care about. Notice what makes you laugh and don't let yourself wake up another day feeling less than ecstatic. Learn how to be alone. Work at being the best at what makes you most happy, and then, once you get there, look around. You're probably out in the world. Doing what you love. Making it a better place.
