Cathy Nichols Art ... New York, USA

Artist: Cathy Nichols
Business: Cathy Nichols Art
Web sites: www.cathynichols.com and cathynichols.etsy.com
Location: New York, New York

What do you create?
Paintings and prints.

Where and when do you do your creative work?
If you had asked me this question 10 months ago, I would have replied that I paint in my spacious California studio... but now that I have a new baby, my painting quarters and schedule have become a bit more "flexible". I have a little studio in our apartment in Manhattan that I share with my four-month-old. I get to use our room when she's with the babysitter or when papa takes her on his lap to watch soccer. I create whenever I can – even if it's just sketching while the baby is taking a nap or running around Central Park with a camera for reference photos. I use my larger four-hour chunks of time to work on whole paintings.




Do you have another "day job" or did you leave one to pursue your art?
Right now my main job is painting, but I have had many day jobs in the past. I've been a college English teacher, and I still sometimes score GRE essays.

Where and what did you study?
I have a Master's degree in Literature from Colorado State University, but I have been studying art simultaneously since childhood. I studied life drawing for several years at The New York Art Students League and took painting classes at UCLA and OTIS in California.




What inspires you and what motivates you?
The interaction between nature and my memories really inspires me. Sometimes I look at a clump of trees, and it elicits a sense of longing that I really need to capture in paint. And, if I really think about it, it's the desire to preserve emotions – something invisible that always slips away – that motivates my artwork.

When did you start doing this?
I've been selling my artwork now for about seven years. I still remember the night I decided to become An Artist. I was about to fill out the forms for an internship with the LA Unified School District when I looked at the pile of paperwork in disgust and said, "Oh, Lord, I can't do this – I'm going to paint!" I had no idea how I was going to make a living, but I just started painting all the time and wonderful things began to happen.




Do you remember getting into art as a kid?
Oh yes. I am an only child, and drawing was my main form of entertainment. I even paid for part of college by selling these very '80s glittery painted sweatshirts to all of my grandmother's friends. I still have a soft-spot for rhinestones.

When and why did you decide to start your own business?
About a year after I had declared myself "An Artist," I got a great opportunity to join the Ten Women Gallery art co-op in Venice, California. That's when I branched out with my marketing efforts and started selling prints and greeting cards in addition to original works.




How did you choose the name for your business?
Um... as you can see, I wasn't particularly creative in this respect. I just call it Cathy Nichols Art. Any suggestions would be much appreciated. :)

What do you love most about creating your work? I love the process of crystallizing a feeling or memory into a painting. That's very emotionally fulfilling. But creating harmony with color is also wonderful.




What's the most fascinating place you've been?
I have always had a certain fascination for Coney Island, New York. Rides like The Cyclone and The Wonder Wheel are so old that they embody the childhood of a different era. It's amazing to me that you can take a subway from a very modern, hip city and end up in a slice of 1929 set along the beach.

A book you love: I love Stephen Dunn's Collected Poems. In terms of fiction, my all time favorite novel is still Madeline L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time.




What is the most interesting thing about you?
I think I'm very romantic about geography. Sometimes I just fall in love with a place and have to be near it. This has lead to some interesting adventures.

What achievement are you most proud of?
I've done a lot of little paintings that I love, but it's the big picture – this whole happy creative life – that I'm most proud of allowing to bloom.




What advice would you give women starting their own business? Don't give up on your dream -- keep reshaping it and meeting new people that can help you. And talk yourself up! You never know who might be sitting next to you on the plane or in a coffee shop.

What's the biggest challenge you face in your work? With the new baby, my biggest challenge by far is finding the time to actually work! Oh, if only I could be cloned...

What do you love to do in your free time?
Free time. Ahhhh..... sigh. Well, if I had free time, I would be swimming in the ocean and lounging in the dunes out on Fire Island (preferably with a picnic lunch and a bottle of white wine).




What are you working on right now?
I'm working on a series of Spring-colored paintings that incorporate fun-textured paper. I'm feeling very colorful.

What do you hope to achieve next?
I have an art show scheduled in Woodstock next Spring, So I am hoping to do some larger pieces. Lately, I've been thinking about interconnected smaller panels, too, that have a unified narrative.

Skinny LaMinx ... South Africa

Artist: Heather Moore
Business: Skinny laMinx
Web site: www.skinnylaminx.com
Location: Cape Town, South Africa

What do you create?
I make a variety of things, really – from book and magazine illustrations, to silkscreened cushions, purses, tshirts, to stencilled wooden or cut vinyl artworks... Lots of stuff. Most of the things I make tend to include cutting with my NT cutter (Japanese version of Exacto knife). The things I love making most of all right now are one-off handcut decorative magnets cut from magnetic sheeting.

Where and when do you do your creative work?
I have a studio just a short bike ride away from home in the centre of town, which I share with three painters. They are so nice and neat, but my space is a lot messier, with explosions of fabric and shreds of cut paper and vinyl everywhere. It’s great to have somewhere to make a mess – very enabling. I try to get into my studio in the afternoons after finishing work and on weekends.




Do you have another “day job”?
Funnily enough, I took on a day job in order to pursue my love of making things. I had been doing freelance illustration, writing and editing of schoolbooks for about 10 years, getting more and more frustrated with this work. It did teach me a great deal and got me to do a Masters degree on the topic, but it almost drove me mad because crazy deadlines and conflicting market demands meant that most of the books I worked on were pretty uninspiring. That said, I did have a couple of amazing opportunities to illustrate and write some really fantastic books, working with some truly terrific people.

Anyway, in order to give myself the luxury of working on things I want to make without having to consider their economic viability, I took on a part-time job at Strika Entertainment. Now I spend every morning writing scripts for comics that get distributed all over the world. It’s an amazing job with all the variety I need to keep me interested, and I’m very, very lucky that my employers are willing to accommodate my lack of desire to work full-time.



Where and what did you study?
My undergrad degree was in Drama and English, and I went on to do a teaching diploma, but never did any teaching. After working in various areas of schoolbook creation for a number of years, I decided to investigate the subject further by doing a Masters degree at the University of Cape Town. So now I have an MPhil behind me, as well as a valiant but failed attempt to turn educational publishing into something I can participate happily in.

What inspires you and what motivates you?
Well, I have a greatly inspiring friend called Jesse Breytenbach who is even more obsessed with making things than I am. She’s also an illustrator and an incredibly accomplished knitter and crafter, for whom nothing is impossible. She’s also marvellously interested in doing things, not for their commercial potential, but just because she likes them. Jesse and I run a monthly Craft group and also have a stall at a fantastic Saturday market in Woodstock once a month (see her blog at http://jezzeblog.blogspot.com).




My husband, Paul Edmunds, who is an artist, is similarly inspiring, particularly in the way he’s able to go into his studio every day and face that metaphorical blank canvas head on. He makes amazing work that is extremely time-consuming, and his willingness to take on massive projects from start to finish, despite being fully aware of the months and months of repetitive slog is just awesome.

My blog is a real motivator. I started it just to use as an evolving portfolio because I had none of my work on the web, but it soon had me in its grip, as I began to feel the need to feed it with things. It feels like one of those Tamagochi toys, but at least it has a point! I love the kindness, generosity with praise and general friendliness I experience through my blog and through reading others’. Having a market stall and keeping the Etsy shop stocked keeps my output high too.

I also love looking at plants and grasses and light filtering through leaves.



When did you start doing this?
When I did my illustration and writing work from home I tried to make things, but never got really far because I always had to tidy up soon enough to make space for “real” (ie: money-making) work. Getting a studio about 3 years ago was the real moment of lift-off. I started sewing, screenprinting, and making funny things with paint samples that got me onto my first group exhibition – Drawing Room I in 2005.

Since then I’ve been exhibiting my illustration work regularly, as well as making and selling various things in shops, at our market stall and, more recently, in my Etsy shop.





What memories to you have of getting into art as a kid?
I didn’t do art at school, and I was always worst in the craft classes. A favourite memory is of the last day of school one year where I got to unravel the cursed knitted “doll” (voodoo doll?) that I’d been fruitlessly slaving over all year. Unravelling all that boredom was just delicious!

On my own, I used to love making vast 3-D houses that I made up of strips of paper with all the furniture drawn onto them. I would fold these to make up a room, and attach them to other rooms in rambling wonky constructions. I’d really like to make one of these again one day.

When and why did you decide to start your own business?
When I started to put my screenprinted and stitched cushions into shops I needed to design a swingtag for them. I guess that was the start of the business, really. It’s still pretty small, and I like it that way. My horror is that Skinny laMinx will grow too big and become all about supplying and admin and not about making things any more. That’s why selling on Etsy is so brilliant – things have to be handmade, and that is necessarily limiting!



How did you choose the name for your business?
Our little Siamese cat is called Monkey, which often morphs into Minx, and she’s such a skinny little thing that she turns into Skinny laMinxy Longlegs, as she skitters around, making us chuckle.

What do you love most about creating your art?
Working towards illustration exhibitions have been incredibly exciting, and have allowed me to do things that I’ve never done before.

I love trusting myself to make something, and then assessing afterwards how much I like it, rather than trying to be certain that I will like it before I start. I suppose I like the way things change as you go along – the way you need to make new decisions about what you’re doing based on the limitations you encounter along the way.

That said, I’m really hoping that I learn some patience soon. I tend to want to work super maniacally fast (mostly because time’s always limited). I think some projects that are about “process” need to be set…




What's the most fascinating place you've been?
Thailand, no doubt about it. Paul and I went there on holiday in 2005 and still can’t stop talking about our three week holiday. Apart from the beauty and craftsmanship we saw, the contrast between the daily interactions between people here in South Africa (aggressive, angry, explosive) and the calmness even in the busiest traffic that we saw over there was quite, quite extraordinary. I loved it there and can’t wait to return.

A book you love:
I read very greedily and the result is I forget much of what I’ve read, but at the moment I am absolutely awestruck by David Mitchell’s work. I’ve just read Ghostwritten and am amazed by the scope of his imagination. Extraordinary.

I love Geoff Dyer’s writing too – the way many his books are neither novels nor autobiographies is quite marvellous. I’ve also just read Lesley Jackson’s book about Robin and Lucienne Day, which was a wonderful insight into the evolution of those designers.



What's the most interesting thing about you
Well, I’m just a suburban gal who grew up in a State of Emergency in a country run by fascists, with news censorship allowing me to remain blissfully ignorant of the burning townships while I enjoyed my swimming pool and tennis lessons. I suppose that is kind of interesting, although I suspect it falls into the weird/sick category rather.

What achievement are you most proud of?
There’s a series of reading books called the Kagiso Readers that I co-wrote and illustrated about five years ago. They have been translated into all 11 of our country’s official languages, and the series is making a huge difference to young South African readers. When I hear about how kids and teachers are using and loving these books, I feel very, very proud.




What advice would you give women starting their own business?
Gosh, I’ve really bumbled along with this, but one thing really seems to work, and that’s making lists of what you want to do. I’d been saying I wanted an Etsy shop for ages, but just wasn’t getting around to it. It was semi-difficult because of problems with payment and postage associated with selling from South Africa. But when I made a list of everything I needed to think about and do, it really moved me along. So, my advice is: Make A List. I should make another one soon too.




What's the biggest challenge you face in your work?
Time. I wish there were two of me. Also, I can be a bit mean with putting money into things, especially when I’m not sure that it will end up selling. Recently I vaulted over this hurdle by putting a substantial tax rebate into an account to exclusively be used for making things! It’s been hugely liberating to just have this money on tap!

What do you love to do in your free time?
I’ve got a band called the Sunday Family that I’ve been playing with for about six years. It’s gone a bit limp at the moment because one of the members quit, but we’re working at reviving it again. I play the fiddle and our music is quite country-pop in style. Singing in harmony must be one of the nicest possible things in the world – if not the entire known universe.

I also like riding my bicycle with my husband, lying on the sofa with the cats and dripping with righteous sweat in a Bikram Yoga class.




What are you working on right now?
Far too much. I’m really running three careers concurrently, so I’ll summarise for each one separately:

Writing – I’m writing some interesting comics and get to direct my first photo comic this week!

Illustration – I have a regular three illustrations for a monthly magazine called FairLady, and I’m also working with a team of illustrators on doing the 3D title graphics for the annual South African Advertising awards in August. I’m also in the process of making a new screenprint.




Skinny laMinx – I’m desperate to print a new teatowel design, but in the meantime, I’m making more magnets and cushions and purses for my shop. I’m also investigating getting some magnet designs laser cut, and also a tourist-orientated laser cut greeting card too.

What do you hope to achieve next?
Balance in all things and, ideally, a marvellously breezy, devil-may-care approach to any obstacle that is put in my way.

Lynsey Hunter ... UK

Artist: Lynsey Hunter
Business: Lynsey Hunter
Web sites: lynseyhunter.blogspot.com and lynseyhunter.etsy.com
Location: Derbyshire, UK

What do you create?
I create illustrations/artwork & textile designs. My designs use an eclectic mix of printed papers, quirky vintage imagery, old–fashioned fabrics, stitch work and my own style of linear drawing mixed with watercolours and collage.

My work is described as delicate and intricate needing closer inspection to see hidden imagery and raised surfaces. I try to create images that are refreshing, unusual and fun but are also of a high quality and stylish.

Where and when do you do your creative work?
I do my creative work at home whenever I have spare time.




Do you have another "day job"?
I work as a sales assistant at a fashion store, part time.

Where and what did you study?
I have a First Class Honours in Textile Design from Derby University.

What inspires you and what motivates you?
Seeing quirky things in my everyday life. I am mainly influenced by different architectural styles, vintage books, collected memorabilia and the unusual. I like to discover interesting places and objects to draw in an unexpected way.

I begin most of my work by seeing the ordinary and turning it through my drawing into the eccentric or comical.




When did you start doing this?
My illustration style developed in my last year of University, but I have been a creative person all my life. I have always been interested in patterns and colours and fabrics.

Do you remember getting into art as a kid?
Yes, my Mum is a creative person and she would get me and my brother involved in making things when we were young. I started to make my own clothes when I was 13.

When and why did you decide to start your own business?
I decided to go freelance after leaving University, selling my illustration work and textile print designs, until I find a full time job.




How did you choose the name for your business?
I chose lynseyhunter as my etsy business name as it's easy to remember and is the same as my email and website. I tried to think of something more interesting but I am a very fickle person and I couldn't decide!

What do you love most about creating your work?
When the design turns out exactly how I imagined or even better.

What's the most fascinating place you've been?
I recently visited Switzerland, it was beautiful and very calm.

A book you love:
PARIS out of hand (a wayward guide) – Karen Elizabeth Gordon




What is the most interesting thing about you?
I have asked a few people about this question and it seems that my ability to see the extraordinary in everyday, ordinary things and make them magical or comical is my most interesting feature.

What achievement are you most proud of?
Being awarded First Class Honours for my degree.

What advice would you give women starting their own business?
As I am only just starting out myself this is a hard question, but I would advise anyone to not think to much about selling your art when you are creating it. Do what you love and if it sells, then that is a bonus. Otherwise I think you lose the joy of creating.




What's the biggest challenge you face in your work?
Finding the space at home and sometimes the time.

What do you love to do in your free time?
I like to go to the cinema, listen to great music, travel abroad and within the UK. But most of my spare time is used up by my design work.




What are you working on right now?
I'm designing some children's wear fabric repeats.

What do you hope to achieve next?
I would like to do more exhibitions showing my illustration work, and get a full time job in the textile industry.

South Street Designs ... Ohio, USA

Artist: Julie Joliat
Business: South Street Design
Web site: puffluna.etsy.com
Location: Chardon, Ohio

What do you make?
Handmade jewelry.

Where and when do you do your creative work?
I live in an old Victorian house on South Street. I do most of my work in a room upstairs that is currently being renovated. I sit on an antique wooden folding chair and listen to NPR most of the day.

I prefer to do most of my work when my daughter is in school, and from 9pm to midnight.




Do you have another "day job"?
I've been working since I was 14. I worked 15 years at one company and was not thrilled sending my daughter to day care.

I quit in December of 2005 and I've been doing this "full time" since then.

Where and what did you study?
I am self taught with the help of a few books on wiring technique.




What inspires you and what motivates you?
I am inspired by nature... fabric... open spaces... art. When I really think about it, I guess inspiration can come at any moment from practically anything.

My motivation is my daughter Amelia. I am determined to make enough money doing this to pay the huge bills that come along with owning a 130 year old house. I really want to be home with her, so it is a huge motivator.

When did you start doing this?
I started selling locally to friends and family (I think) in June of 2005. I signed up with Etsy in November of 2005, watched, bought a few things and started selling in May of 2006.





Do you remember getting into art as a kid?
My mom and grandmother are both artistic so I guess I was exposed to the arts and crafts world by them. They both made amazing works of stained glass. I remember going to glass stores and seeing walls of colored glass.

I don't really remember being too artistic other than shrinky-dink keychains and noodle necklaces. Although, I used to make hairclips decorated with ribbons (which in fact, my sister and I might try to bring back into fashion someday soon! We loved those!).




When and why did you decide to start your own business?
I never really decided to start a "business"... it just sort of happened. Once I realized there was money to be made and I actually LOVED what I was doing, I just started pushing myself. Over time, I started to have a scheduled work day, lots of supplies and enough sales that it turned into my business. I'm still trying to get a grasp on what it means to run a small business professionally.

The why goes back to my desire to be here, at home, with my daughter. She starts school full time next year. I may just keep doing this and actually try to make it bigger. Who knew!





How did you choose the name for your business?
I wish I would have put more thought into that. Again, who knew!? I live in a century village on the South side of the square on South Street. My user name for Etsy... again, who knew?... was simply my email name – Puff and Luna, my crazy cats. Once you have it in Etsy, you can't change it... so now I'm puffluna!

What do you love most about your work?
I love standing in my work area and deciding what to make next. I feel like the kid in the candy shop. It's exciting and spontaneous and very gratifying once it comes together.





What's the most fascinating place you've been?
In my dreams, Paris. In reality I'd have to say the museums near Cleveland, Ohio. I love and am always fascinated by any museum that I've been to. I could do it everyday. I really enjoy learning and looking so it's my favorite atmosphere to be in.

A book you love:
The Little Prince by Antoine De Saint-Exupery.

This book changed my way of viewing things. It taught me to realize what is truly important. Even if you just read Chapter 1 paragraph 4, you'll see what I mean.






What is the most interesting thing about you?
I became a vegetarian when I was young after making the "meat = cute little piggy" connection. I didn't like the way the factory farming industry abused the animals used for egg and dairy manufacturing, so I became a vegan later on at about 19 or 20 years old. I used to be very involved in animal rights issues prior to becoming a mom. I plan to start that back up as soon as my daughters old enough to join me.

I love old things. We bought an 130 year old house 2 years ago and I love it. It's creaky and full of character. I am pretty normal, not too interesting.

Hmmm, this is making me think that I need to spice things up a bit!

What achievement are you most proud of?
My daughter (of course!). She is an amazing, beautiful, smart human being. She has reminded me of the delicate beauty of nature, the joy of squishing play-doh, the fact that it's actually fun to get water all over the bathroom. It's really an incredible thing having a child. I'm loving every minute of it and I feel so blessed to be home with her right now.





What advice would you give women starting their own business?
Stay motivated and confident. If they are married or involved, they really need to get the support from their spouse. I found that without it, things got pretty hectic around here.

Also, if you can't clean the whole house because you are too busy working, just make sure the kitchen is clean. It's made a big difference for me. I feel a little overwhelmed at times trying to balance everything and I found having an empty sink, for some reason, makes me feel better.

What's the biggest challenge you face in your work?
The lack of hours in the day. The balance is the hardest part.




What do you love to do in your free time?
I love to be outside with my daughter. She helps me to see things that I otherwise wouldn't. She can spot a bumblebee on a flower 25 feet away. Kids are amazing! I also like to go to the museums and parks.

What are you working on right now?
I'm trying to master knotting. I've made a bracelet and a necklace. I have to take the necklace apart though. it's not perfect. It's good practice.





What do you hope to achieve next?
Precious Metal Clay. I want to create some unique pieces that I have designs for stored in my mind. Now if only I could find the time! :) I also want to focus a bit more on earrings. I'm more of a bracelet/necklace girl so the earring production could be better.

Jenn Ski ... Massachusetts, USA

Artist: Jennifer Skoropowski
Business: Jenn Ski
Web site: jennski.com
Location: Somerville, Massachusetts

What do you create?
Currently I'm making wall art – paintings (acrylic and paper on hardboard) and poster prints. Eventually I would like to expand, making pottery, pillows, stationery, and other assorted goodies.

Where and when do you do your creative work?
I work at home, mostly late at night. I do my digital work lying in bed, or sitting in my living room. For my paintings, I have a small room that I use for storage/workspace, but it's a little packed... When I'm working on a piece, I usually end up taking over the dining room and the kitchen, as well.



Do you have another "day job"?
I am/was a graphic designer. After freelancing for a while, I was frustrated by the fact that the kind of design work I enjoyed (the really creative, cutting-edge stuff) is really hard to come by. So in early 2007 I decided to stop freelancing, and began focusing on my art. I am now dedicated full-time to getting Jenn Ski off the ground, and hope to be up and running before the summer.

Where and what did you study?
I got my B.A. in Graphic Design from the University of Massachusetts.

What inspires you and what motivates you?
I'm inspired by mid-20th century and modern design, architecture and art. As for what motivates me, people's positive reactions to my work keep me going.



When did you start doing this?
I began working on my current series of works, which I've called "Pods", in December of 2006.

Do you remember getting into art as a kid?
Absolutely. I've been making art – painting, drawing, sculpting, photographing, collaging, et cetera – ever since I can remember. As I grew up, I started collecting awards, ribbons, and prizes for my art. By the time I graduated high school, it was clear to me that I would be involved in some kind of creative field professionally.




When and why did you decide to start your own business?
After graduating from college and working as a freelance designer for a while, I realized that the corporate design gigs that "pay the rent" for the average graphic designer, could not possibly fulfill my creative needs. So in early 2007, after numerous pep talks from my husband, family and friends, I finally got the courage to quit graphic design and focus on starting a business.




How did you choose the name for your business?
It's my nickname, given to me in high-school by friends who found my full last name, Skoropowski, too hard to pronounce.

What do you love most about creating your work?
The process of taking an abstract idea and making into a tangible object is its own reward. Hanging a finished piece on the wall for the first time gives me a tremendous sense of accomplishment. And, I must admit, I love it when people tell me they like my work!





What's the most fascinating place you've been?
As a child, I loved visiting my grandfather's house. Dziadek lived by himself, and he was a proud pack-rat who collected... well, junk! His house was absolutely packed with stuff: little knickknacks, and jewelry, and dolls, and buttons, and coins, and all sort of other small things. And every time I visited, I could take something home from his "collection". His house told a story, not just about dziadek himself, but about his neighbors, his old relatives, and the towns
they all lived in. Now as an adult, I find the fact that all these people and places and history were linked together in a little old house in Lowell, Massachusetts absolutely fascinating. Just talking about it kind of gives me goosebumps!

A book you love:
The Grid: A Modular System for the Design and Production of Newspapers, Magazines, and Books, by Allen Hurlburt. I know, I'm a dork!




What achievement are you most proud of?
Saying good-bye to graphic design to focus on my art was an incredibly scary step to take, and I'm incredibly proud that I took it. Some (most?) people hate their jobs, but never have the guts to risk financial security in pursuit of a dream, you know?

What advice would you give women starting their own business?
Hmm... Given the fact that I'm just getting started, I could use some of this advice myself! If there's one thing I think is absolutely critical, it's this: Surround yourself with people who believe in you and your business, and avoid wasting time and energy on nay-sayers. Take it from me, a supportive environment can considerably reduce the stress level that comes with a brand-new business venture.




What's the biggest challenge you face in your work?
I'd have to say getting enough exposure.

What do you love to do in your free time?
The usual stuff – spending time with my husband and our two kitties, shopping for unique things for myself and my home... Oh, I'm a total internet junky, too!




What are you working on right now?
I'm currently pricing commercial printers for my digital art. Also, I'm spreading the word about my work to anyone who will listen.

What do you hope to achieve next?
In the short term, finishing my website is my top priority. In the long term, I'm looking forward to coming up with new products.