Katrin Schwulst ... Dresden, Germany

Artist: Katrin Schwulst
Business: seasprayblue
Web sites: seasprayblue.com, seasprayblue.etsy.com, seasprayblue.dawanda.deLocation: Dresden, Germany

What do you create?
I create Illustrations and offer them as prints, cards and compiled into a calendar at the end of the year.

Where and when do you do your creative work?

Whenever I have a new image in mind and have some time, I go to my couch. I turn on the TV and look for some useless TV-shows. This is the best position and the best surrounding for me to concentrate on my drawings.

Do you have another "day job"?
I work in an architectural office and am busy with drawing construction plans and doing calculations all day. It sounds boring but for me, not at all. When I was in school I was addicted to math. Also I’ve always dreamed of designing a tiny house for me and my family some day.

Where and what did you study?
I’m not an architect, although I really would like to be one. I studied civil engineering at the Technical University of Dresden with a focus on environmental planning and sustainable infrastucture. I know it sounds naive, but I always wanted to make the world little nicer and healthier to live in.

Where do you find inspiration?
Most of my inspirations come from listening to music or happen in the very moment when I close my eyes before falling asleep. The most impressive pictures I keep in mind until I wake up. I also find new images while going for a walk or when I’m on the train.


What motivates you?
As an artist I find it very motivating to finish a new illustration and find a great title for it. Receiving positive feedback from others is very motivating too.

When did you start doing this?
I created my first image in august 2007. By September I found myself lying on the couch each evening creating a new illustration.

Do you remember getting into art as a kid?
I remember one picture I made in kindergarten. Each kid had to paint a tree. I drew a birch tree that really caught the eye of my teacher. She was so impressed that two of the branches crossed each other – so she really celebrated it. I didn’t tell her that this only happened because my brush slipped.

When and why did you decide to start your own business?
In summer 2007 I had a lot of time together with my 8-month-old son. So I borrowed some magazines from the local library. I skimmed through the pages and found in one edition of “PAGE” a story about the ‘Seven Web Wonders'. Number three on that list was Etsy. I was so impressed by this platform where everybody can offer his own handmade products. I got so excited and decided that I wanted to be part of this community. In July 2008 I registered to sell on both Etsy and Dawanda (the European version). It’s strange, but after that I never heard or read anything about Etsy or Dawanda in the press again. I guess that is was just a fantastic coincidence.


How did you choose the name for your business?
The name ‘seasprayblue’ was chosen long before I started my art business. In 2000 I had a crush on a boy who was studying in the same class that I was. Part of my strategy of getting to know him was writing him an email. Of course, I needed a very special and well chosen new email address to write him this note. So I rememberd a few words from the song that we had to dance to in our modern dance course. They came from the song “Ode to the Sea” written by Pablo Neruda: ...says yes – in blue – in sea spray – raging... The name stuck with me through the years.

A book you love:
Actually I don’t read that many books. Sometimes it takes ages just to finish one. But I love murder mysteries – especially from the Icelandic author Arnaldur Indridason. Some years ago I read The Catcher in the Rye from Salinger, The Philosophy of Andy Warhol – from A to B and back again from Warhol himself and The Hotel New Hampshire from John Irving and loved them all.

What is the most interesting thing about you?
I speak Swedish.

What achievement are you most proud of?
There isn’t just one thing. I am proud of my University degree, my little son and the fact that I haven’t drawn a lot in the past but am now getting such huge amounts of positive feedback.

What advice would you give women starting their own business?
Everyone has potential to create something special. Before you start find out what it is and then try, try, try! You will get better at it with time. Also, when you’re going through a dry spell, you should look back on your achievements and develop fresh, new ideas.

What's the biggest challenge you face in your work?
Writing messages for my illustrations. I love to make people laugh, smile, dream and think about my images.

What do you love to do in your free time?
I like drawing, meeting good friends for ice cream, listening to music, biking, laughing with my son, watching movies, going out to dance, reading. The last two things I haven’t done for ages.

What are you working on right now?
Another artist interview for Dawanda (I hope that I will finish that one faster). I’m designing my own web site, and fortunately I have a little helper for that. I’m also developing ideas for Christmas illustrations and creating a cover image for the legendary Moleskine books. I collaborate with Modofly who sell these designed Moleskine books on Etsy. I also was asked by an indie band from California if I could design the cover of their next album. I wish that my days were two hours longer than everyone else’s days; that would be great. Could someone please arrange that for me?


What do you hope to achieve next?
I would like to attend a workshop in screen printing and doing something in that field too. And as a mother I think about creating a small zine for kids, which I could offer in several languages.

Shannon Tudyk ... Oregon, USA

Artist: Shannon (Sam) Tudyk
Business: TudykDotCom (or tudyk.com)
Web sites: tudyk.com, tudykdotcom.etsy.com
Location: Portland, Oregon

What do you create?
Big messes – and artwork in between. My work is usually a combination of materials, oftentimes including acrylic, pencil, tea and rice paper, machined top-stitching thread, sand paper – all ending up mounted on wood as a wall hanging in the end.


Where and when do you do your creative work?
In my one-bedroom apartment, I've taken over the living room and dining nook. The big chair recently got pushed into the tiny kitchen to make more room. I also use a friend's garage for wood cutting and framing up work. When? The creative idea work happens all of the time. I could have an idea for a project in the middle of a conversation about top soil. And the actual doing happens sometimes at night when I get home, every once and a while right when I wake up before I trek to my day job, but mostly on the weekends, when I have a long stretches of time to work fresh and undisturbed. I can easily work for 15 hours straight, three days in a row when given the chance.


Do you have another "day job"?
I haven't yet left the steady paycheck life; I get too stressed out not knowing when and where the money to pay the bills is coming from. I worked part-time at a letterpress greeting card studio (Egg Press) for the past three and a half years, doing an assortment of jobs – the most interesting being web project manager and product photographer. However, this month I will be leaving that job and moving to my next chapter in life, as a full time studio artist at a hugely respected advertising agency (Wieden + Kennedy). Very exciting!


Where and what did you study?
I had two majors at Savannah College of Art and Design – Illustration and Graphic Design.

Where do you find inspiration?
Everywhere! Magazines, books, the internet, found objects, patterns in a building's shadow... I think I have been loving art for so long, my brain sees everything as inspiration now. I also have a love for paper and a healthy addiction to office supplies, especially vintage. Old accounting ledgers, receipts, labels... I've been working to translate those inspirations into my artwork for the past few years. I am also currently obsessed with the golden ratio and fibonachi series, Egyptian art, sigils and symbols, and typography.


What motivates you?
Deadlines! I must have deadlines. And reminders of deadlines. Seeing another artist's exhibition can motivate me too. Or having an inspiring dream or vision.

When did you start doing this?
I think I have always been interested in making art; it continuously grew as I grew. I remember having good ideas before having good execution back in middle school. My brain has always been ahead of my hands with art. As far as creating art for people to view in a public space, I have been doing that since 2002.


Do you remember getting into art as a kid?
I do remember getting into trouble over art in kindergarten on a field day (art outdoors!) ...there were long rolls of paper stretched out on the sidewalk for the whole class to all draw on. I was punished for painting on myself rather than the paper. Silly teachers.

When and why did you decide to start your own business?
I guess I don't consider it a business really. I do feel responsible for getting artwork made for people and shipping it safely to them... but that's more just the finishing result of a passion that I do for myself. Although it does feel like a business when it's time to do taxes...


How did you choose the name for your business?
I think I put more thought into naming my teapot, Tiwi, than naming my shop tudykdotcom. I was anxious to get to posting and see what it looked like and really only had in mind the desire for people to link back to my main website, tudyk.com... And tudyk.com came about with the hope of memory for my name. We all want to be remembered, don't we?


What do you love most about creating your work?
Feeling an idea "click." Sometimes it bings – that's really great. I love coming up with an idea that I feel no one has had or no one has done quite the same. And I love hearing the different responses from viewers; it feels very powerful to create a sensation in another person through something that came from inside of me.


What's the most fascinating place you've been?
I have been to a lot of amazing places... A Masai tribal village in Africa; inside an Orthodox Church in Serbia; an archery bar in Spain! (Yes, alcohol was served and bows were handed out!) ...I hope to keep collecting more.

A book you love:
The Power of Limits: Proportional Harmonies in Nature, Art & Architecture by Gyorgy Doczi


What is the most interesting thing about you?
Maybe that I changed my name (unofficially). For the past seven or so years I have gone by the name Sam rather than my given name, Shannon. It seemed to be a stronger name and more memorable. Introducing myself as Shannon (which I do in some circles) feels awkward now. It's fun to confuse people too. I respond to both, but I only like to say the name "Sam."

What achievement are you most proud of?
In 2004, five pieces of my artwork were published in Communication Arts Illustration Annual. It was a very exciting month for me.


What advice would you give women starting their own business?
I don't know that I'm qualified to give advice on that... but I believe that if you work hard enough at what you love, something good will come out of it. You have to be willing to make sacrifices for it. Positive thinking goes a long way too.


What's the biggest challenge you face in your work?
How can I obtain an 8' x 13' piece of artwork when they don't sell appropriate sheet sizes...? and how will I transport it? Also, what to do with the ideas that seem to only be fit for installations? (I guess have an installation is the answer, but how does one get into the installation business?) Mostly, the biggest challenge I face is gaining financial security to push everything else aside to make it happen 100 percent.


What do you love to do in your free time?
Free time... hmm... that sounds familiar... I like to go and see art out in the world, follow art and design links online, take hot baths, and eat cookies. And travel as often as possible.

What are you working on right now?
A 6' x 3' commission piece, a show deadline, and three other small commission pieces. And very soon I'll be working on finding a balance between a new full time creative job and my own artwork.


What do you hope to achieve next?
I've always wanted to fall into some sweet deal with Chronicle Books and become a household name. I would love for my passion for making things to work into a consistently paying, dependable job somehow.

Betsy Walton ... Oregon, USA

Artist: Betsy Walton
Business: Gridplane, Inc
Web sites: morningcraft.com, betsywalton.etsy.com, flickr.com/betsywalton
Location: Portland, Oregon, USA

What do you create?
Paintings, drawings and illustrations.


Where and when do you do your creative work?
I work in my home studio. I work at different times depending on my schedule, but I try to get some drawing or painting in every day when possible.


Do you have another "day job"?
Not right now. I left my last job to work on my art and illustration business full time.

Where and what did you study?
I studied printmaking at Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design. Graduated in 2000 with a BFA.


Where do you find inspiration?
I had a teacher once who said that inspiration comes from work. I really try to develop my inspirational momentum by working as often as I can, even when I feel totally flat. If things aren’t flowing, I usually try to get a change of scenery. A walk outside or through Powells books here in Portland usually snaps me out of it.

I’ve been doing my own sort of religious/cultural/philosophical studies course by cobbling together books, podcasts and conversations with friends. I think this has really informed my work over the last several months also.

Nature is always amazing to me. Traveling to a new place is also great for inspiration. I also look to aesthetic traditions in different cultures and lots of art for inspiration. I like to keep my eye on design too. I love to look at other artists work also, both old and new. Ultimately though, I get most inspired by the chase – trying to find that new image and story that can show me something I wouldn’t see otherwise.


What motivates you?
A combination of curiosity, fear and joy.

When did you start doing this?
I started to focus solely on my art and illustration business in 2006, but I have been making art since I was a little kid.


Do you remember getting into art as a kid?
Yep. Seems like I was always taking some type of class, and I did lots of coloring and drawing at home and at friends' houses. I went to ceramics class and made weird little sculptures. I was into carving soap for a while.


When and why did you decide to start your own business?
I made the leap to art-making full time in 2006. I really love the freedom of being self-employed. It's full of surprises.

How did you choose the name for your business?
I use my own name mostly, since name recognition is so important in this field. Technically, though, my business is part of Gridplane Inc, which I co-own with my husband. He has been using that name for several years.


What do you love most about creating your work?
I love that it is engaging on lots of levels. It can be so much fun and so challenging, often at the same time. I like to get immersed and lost in the process. I like that I can work on my own terms, and I can do lots of different types of things.

What's the most fascinating place you've been?
The ocean.


A book you love:
There are lots. At the moment, I’m getting reacquainted with a book I got in college called Theories and Documents of Contemporary Art. It’s a collection of artists' writings about their work, and it’s really great for getting a sense of perspective.

What is the most interesting thing about you?
Hmm, I have a freckle in my right eye.


What achievement are you most proud of?
I’m just thrilled to be at this point in my career, I get paid to draw and paint and make stuff!

What advice would you give women starting their own business?
Give yourself the benefit of the doubt.


What's the biggest challenge you face in your work?
Decisions, decisions. Both on the creative side and the business side.

What do you love to do in your free time?
Catch up with friends. Wander through junk shops and bookstores, maybe get a coffee and take a walk in the forest. The best is to get a beach house or a cabin or a campsite and get out of town for a couple days.


What are you working on right now?
I’m working on my May show at Rare Device San Francisco. I also just started a new project called Today's Painting Progress. My goal is to document my work at the end of each painting session and post it on my Flickr page.


What do you hope to achieve next?
I have some ideas for little 3-D versions of my characters that I want to explore. And I want to grow some vegetables.

Michele Maule ... Michigan, USA

Artist: Michele Maule
Business: Michele Maule
Web sites: michelemaule.com, how2drawacupofcoffee.blogspot.com, michelemaule.etsy.com
Location: Pontiac, Michigan

What do you create?
Paintings, original prints, giclee prints, ACEOs.


Where and when do you do your creative work?
I work from my apartment. I am a morning person so I typically work in the morning and throughout the day.

Do you have another "day job"?
This is it! This is my job and I couldn't be happier. I moved to Pontiac this last summer. My boyfriend was accepted into grad school at Cranbrook Academy of Art and I decided to go with him. I looked for a job for two months. I turned in over 30 resumes and 20 applications. Nothing. I did get interviewed twice for a similar position that I had in Portland, and I didn't get it... that was the final straw. I don't remember ever feeling so down about myself. I decided that while I was looking for a job I would make some small art and try to sell it on Etsy... and that's how I got started!


Where and what did you study?
I studied fine art with an emphasis in printmaking at Portland State University in Portland, Oregon.

Where do you find inspiration?
This is a good question for me. When I lived in Portland I seemed to find inspiration everywhere. A rainy spring day walking down 23rd with my iPod could fill me up for days... but Pontiac, Michigan... not so much. I have been relying a lot on my feelings of missing home as well as all the uncertainty that comes along with Michael, my fiance, being done with grad school. There are so many unanswered questions, and there is so much waiting for the next step. Those have been recurring themes in my work lately.


What motivates you?
Well, bills! Really, I have always had this little rumble inside telling me to do something. If there is one thing that I can never be accused of is being lazy. I always have to be doing something, and I just don't feel right when I haven't gotten anything accomplished. It's not something I can really put my finger on. My fiance likes to call it crazy.


When did you start doing this?
Like I mentioned before, I started my little business this last summer. I have been on Etsy since March of last year, but it wasn't until about October that I started to take it seriously. I posted a couple of small paintings and a print, and they sold! So I just kept it up.


Do you remember getting into art as a kid?
I loved art as a kid! I remember my first art class in the first grade. We made little clay bears and the teacher fired them for us. It was so fun. She also gave me my first art career advice. She said, "Don't expect to make any money as an artist unless you're dead." Ha! I still remember that. I have always loved making things and have been interested in art as far back as I can remember. I remember thinking when I was really young that I either wanted to be an artist, or Wonder Woman.


When and why did you decide to start your own business?
Well, I have always wanted to make art for a living. Well, since I was in my junior year of college. The last few years I had been working for a small locally owned grocery store in Portland. I loved the people I worked with, but it wasn't something that I could see myself doing as a career. I would often dream about being able to quit my job and just make art full time. It's so hard for me to believe sometimes that it actually came true... and I have to stop and just take it in once in awhile... I mean how often is it that people get to do what they are really passionate about?


What do you love most about creating your work?
What don't I like? It's fun. It can be frustrating at times. When things aren't turning out like you'd like them to. But for the most part, I just love painting. It gives me a certain amount of confidence, and I really enjoy what I paint. I use a lot of collage in my work, and the tearing and gluing of paper is really cathartic for me. I tend to get lost in my thoughts.


What's the most fascinating place you've been?
Italy! My boyfriend and I went to Rome, Florence, and Venice a few years ago. It doesn't get more interesting than a different culture, food, and language. Not to mention the art and the museums. It was amazing.

A book you love:
The Time Travelers Wife, and always The Little Prince.


What is the most interesting thing about you?
My dad was in the Navy so I moved a lot growing up. I think I have lived in eight different states. I also moved out of my home when I was 16 and I have been taking care of myself ever since. With the help of my grandmother, and student loans, I was able to finish college. My mother and I didn't have the best relationship, and I decided to leave. Over the last few years we have definitely opened our communication and things between us are much better.

I can also touch my tongue to my nose and after a couple of beers I magically start speaking French fluently.


What achievement are you most proud of?
If you had told me a year ago that I would be making art for a living today I wouldn't have believed you or anyone! It's not every day that people get to wake up and go to a job that they love. I am so lucky. I also think that it's quite an accomplishment that I went to college to study art, and I am still making art today. I think one out of ten fine art graduates continue to make art after school. I am still here painting and creating and I think that says a lot.


What advice would you give women starting their own business?
Go for it! If you can manage it financially I say do it. Even if you aren't making as much money as you would at your day job, just being able to do what you really love to do is worth it.

What's the biggest challenge you face in your work?
Keeping up! It's hard for me to keep more than 15 items in my shop. Also, working from home can have it's moments. I am a neat freak, but when I am working I make a huge mess. Everywhere. Before moving to Michigan I had a studio and I could make a mess and just leave it, but I can't really do that here. So trying to adjust to having a studio at home as been a challenge.


What do you love to do in your free time?
I love to shop! I also really just like going out for coffee with my fiance and doing the NY Times crossword puzzle.

What are you working on right now?
I am currently working on a show that I have in Portland in April. It's at a little coffee place called The Fresh Pot. I am also painting some little painting for my Etsy shop. I am also working on a second degree in graphic design.


What do you hope to achieve next?
Well, I am hoping that I can get gallery representation in the future, and that I can continue to make art. I'd love to go into graphic design and work for a small company again. Either way, I know I would be just as happy.