Still Room Studio ... Florida, USA

Artist: Jen Renninger
Business: Still Room Studio
Web sites: pleasebestill.com, pleasebestill.etsy.com, jenrenninger365.blogspot.com, pleasebestill.blogspot.com
Location: Tampa, Florida, USA

What do you create?
Mixed media illustration and artwork.


Where and when do you do your creative work?
Oh, that is such a good question! I try to keep regular working hours. I get up when my husband does (he's a teacher so he's up at 5:30am) and I'm usually working by 6:30am. I try to stop working by about 3:30, when Bill gets home from work. Now, that doesn't always happen! There are plenty of nights when I'm in the studio after Bill's fallen asleep... The studio is actually the second bedroom in our place. It's a good size and I have my desk right next to the window where I can look out at the goings on. Since I do about half my work on the computer I often sit on outside on the front patio and work there. Wifi is nice isn't it!



Do you have another "day job"?
Nope. I left Graduate School to pursue illustration nearly a decade ago, and I've been lucky enough to have been doing it all along!

Where and what did you study?
I studied photography at RIT in Rochester NY (Rochester Institute of Technology) and then fine art photo at University of Miami for Grad School. I left before finishing though... to start working.


Where do you find inspiration?
I spend a lot of time at the bookstore, looking at magazines and books. The internet, of course. But being outside is really good for getting the creative flow going too. Nature is good for the soul!

What motivates you?
That feeling that appears when I've made something and it feels complete. Oh, my dog Barley. I have to get things done so he can go out for a walk. He's a loud motivator!


When did you start doing this?
As a career, about 10 years ago. In reality I've been working and thinking the same way since I was a kid. I have some cards I made for my Grandmother when I was six. In many ways they are similar to the sort of things I do now.

Do you remember getting into art as a kid?
I've been a stuff maker for as long as I can remember!


When and why did you decide to start your own business?
I was in grad school and not terribly happy with the program. My undergraduate degree was actually in commercial (advertising) photography and my grad school program was fine art. I'd always loved looking at the images is magazines (and really didn't like the whole gallery scene) so I started spending a lot of time at bookstore magazine racks, thinking I should be sending my images to these people rather than galleries. After a few month of looking, looking, looking... I made a few images, sent them to art directors and was working right away. Oh – I started out with photo illustration (collage) and then over the years moved into painting.


How did you choose the name for your business?
I really liked the saying 'please be still' and wanted to use it for a website. It didn't feel right as my business name though. So the business name is Still Room Studio. I really like how you can play with it (please be still... still room for more... ) and it's connected to a business my husband and I are working on together: Picture Distillery.


What do you love most about creating your work?
The thought that people enjoy it.

What's the most fascinating place you've been?
I'd have to say Alaska.


A book you love: Anything by Judy Budnitz, and most recently (non-fiction) The Omnivores Dilemma. Oh: and Edward O Wilson. Anything he says instills awe. I know... that's more than one. I have serious book problems!


What is the most interesting thing about you?
This is tough. I think I'm pretty average. I asked my husband and (this is going to sound funny but would make sense if you knew me) he said: My sneeze! I know... how can a sneeze be interesting? Well, I'm a fairly quiet, soft spoken person but I have a sneeze that is uncontrollably loud, nearly deafening to anyone with in my immediate area. Seriously, it's deafening. So there you have it: complete normalcy, except for the sneeze.


What achievement are you most proud of?
That I'm able to balance work and being as available to my family as much as I can.

What advice would you give women starting their own business?
Just believe you can do it, with all your heart. Be positive. Smile when you answer the phone.

What's the biggest challenge you face in your work?
Paperwork.


What do you love to do in your free time?
Spend time with my husband and family and friends. Get outside.

What are you working on right now?
I am finishing up a job for Food + Wine magazine today, doing another illustration for my 365 series (updates for February will be on Saturday!). Those two things will fill my day today.


What do you hope to achieve next?
I promised myself that this year is all about the immediate. I'm doing an illustration every day for a year (jenrenninger365.blogspot.com) and I'm forcing myself to play and not think about what comes next for a little while. I'm a pretty notorious over-planner (yep – I heart lists!) so this has been good for me.

Kate Endle Collage ... Washington, USA

Artist: Kate Endle
Business name: Kate Endle Collage, Kate Endle Illustration, Kate Endle Collage Illustration
Web sites: kateendle.com and kateendle.etsy.com
Location: Seattle, Washington

What do you create?
Illustrations and boutique art.


Where and when do you do your creative work?
I work from my home. I work whenever I feel like it. I'm mostly a night owl (no pun intended) but these days it seems like I'm working all hours of the day.

Do you have another "day job"?
Well, the only thing I've ever done "full time" is my art career and it's been an on-and-off kind of full time job – mostly with pay, sometimes no pay. I've always had weird little part time jobs. Right now, I spend about five to eight hours a week selling hard cider and exotic Japanese vegetables at our local farmer's markets. I also work about four to eight hours a week at Anthropologie helping in their visual department installing window displays, etc. Next month I start a worldwide tour with my boyfriend's band selling merchandise. I've made sandwiches, modeled nude, sold art supplies, worked as a decorative painter and muralist. I always have volunteer jobs, too. I love my weird little worky life. I never know what's going to happen from day to day – keeps me on my toes. It also keeps me from holing up in my studio – I have hermit tendencies.


Where and what did you study?
I've been studying art my entire life. My parents got me into art classes when I was very young. I never had that "What am I going to study?" dilemma. I received my BFA in Illustration from The Columbus College of Art and Design, in Columbus, Ohio.

Where do you find inspiration?
Oh, everywhere. For sure, Anthropologie – another good reason to keep the part time job. I try to stay away from blogs, but I can't help it. I can't believe the huge amount of brilliant creativity that is on the planet; it overwhelms me, which is why I try to avoid the internet. I love watching birds and hanging out in nature. Seattle is a truly awesome combo of urban, flora, and fauna. I look at lots of books and listen to music and stare into space. I had an ideal childhood and I draw a lot of inspiration from those times.


What motivates you?
Money and fame and happiness. Money pays my mortgage and fame..... well, how does the song go? "Remember my name. FAME! I wanna live forever. I'm gonna learn how to fly. HIGH!" I don't know why, but I want to be famous. Not like Madonna famous, but like my true loves – Marimekko, Orla Kiely, Lotta, Sukie, School House Rock, Charley Harper, and so on. Those artists have done such lovely work that makes everybody feel good inside.


When did you start doing this?
I started illustrating professionally while I was in college. I developed my painted illustrations a couple years out of school, around 1995. I started collaging in 2001. It took a few years to develop that style. I started selling the originals in 2004. I've been licensing and freelancing in the collage/collage illustration style for a couple of years.

Do you remember getting into art as a kid?
I have very early memories, maybe as a toddler, of drawing on paper bags. My dad used to bring home paper from work, too – I would use the back side of his reports to draw and color with.


When and why did you decide to start your own business?
I started my business in 1995. I took baby steps, which is the great thing about art. You can put in as little or as much time/money as you can. Now a days, with blogs and online stores, it's so easy to get your work out there.

How did you choose the name for your business?
I like my name and I like how it sounds with "collage".


What do you love most about creating your work?
I love so many things about it! I really love the feeling of completion and knowing that everything just jives.

What's the most fascinating place you've been?
One time I walked into a history museum on an island in Greece. I found myself in a gallery that housed hundreds of tiny, terracotta, primitive figurines. I had this massive feeling of chills running from the back of my head and down through my back. Then, I burst into tears. I'm not emotionally unstable, but I really lost it. Once I composed myself I started to read about the work on display. I was looking at sculpture from the Mycenaean period. I went onto read that this was the first time in the history of mankind that artists began signing their name to their work. I started to cry all over again; I'm crying now.


A book you love: Wind Up Bird Chronicle, Haruki Murakami – that's a stunner. Lust for Life, Irving Stone. Poor Van Gogh...

What is the most interesting thing about you?
I have a dark streak – it's not very wide but it runs deep. My mother has always referred to it as my "devil look". It's not evil, mostly mischief.

What achievement are you most proud of?
I'm most proud of what I have achieved with my collage style. That's a good example of me making lemonade out of lemons. That style was developed during a very sad time in my life – both professionally and personally. To see it get out in the world makes me happy.


What advice would you give women starting their own business?
I don't think I have anything that hasn't already been said – do what you love and don't worry about what other people think. Don't be afraid to screw up. Ask a lot of questions. Know all you can know about what you're selling. Down time is just as valuable as up time – maybe even more valuable. That one was a hard one for me to learn.

What's the biggest challenge you face in your work?
PAPERWORK!! I hate paperwork!! Invoicing, putting together quotes, bills, contracts. Ugh.


What do you love to do in your free time?
I love going to see live music, spending time with my fella, hanging out with my friends and family, going to the gym, eating, sleeping, traveling, organizing, cleaning, riding my bike, museums, staring out the window, buying art... stuff like that.


What are you working on right now?
I'm working on a lot of super cool projects right now (when it rains, it pours). My boyfriend is the singer/songwriter for The Presidents of the United States of America. His songwriting is so luscious! We want to put together a CD/picture book for toddlers. His kids’ songs are A-M-A-Z-I-N-G and I've seen him turn tots into crazy dancing maniacs. I'm just finishing up the final touches to note cards for Papyrus – a dream job for me. I'm starting work on a book for Cartwheel/Scholastic called I Can Help the Earth. I have a bunch of art shows I'm preparing for and commissions to complete. All good stuff!

What do you hope to achieve next?
I need to reproduce my images onto fun products. I need to create prints for my Etsy store. I need to move onto the next bigger and better stage of things. Always moving on up...

Lilymoon ... Cyprus

Artist: Stavri
Business: Lilymoon
Web site: lilymoon.etsy.com
Location: Nicosia, Cyprus

What do you create?
I make illustrations mostly based on imaginary stories that I write.


Where and when do you do your creative work?
I work in my studio surrounded by my books and other things that inspire me.

Do you have another "day job"?
I used to be a full time graphic designer but I left that job to pursue illustration.


Where and what did you study?
I studied illustration and graphic design at a local college.

Where do you find inspiration?
I'm inspired by human emotions, by books or strange stories, by my travels and by the little things in life that are overlooked... I like holding an imaginary magnifying glass over them and wonder at their beauty!


What motivates you?
An insatiable hunger to create.

When did you start doing this?
I loved drawing from an early age and always knew it was wanted to do with my life.


Do you remember getting into art as a kid?
Yes – I would draw for hours and make up stories with the characters I drew.

When and why did you decide to start your own business?
I didn't "intend" for it to be a business. I just wanted to share the images and stories with other people. I was very lucky to find Etsy and join a community that embraced my little world.


How did you choose the name for your business?
I just joined two names of things that I love: lilies and the moon. I liked the way that it sounded – it felt right.

What do you love most about creating your work?
Creating alternate worlds where anything is possible.


What's the most fascinating place you've been?
The Alhambra, Spain. I'm still haunted by my visit there, it felt like walking in to a living fairytale!!

A book you love:
One Hundred Years Of Solitude, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.


What is the most interesting thing about you?
That's a difficult question... umm... I can think of odd things about me but I don't know if they are interesting... For example an odd thing about me would be that I always read books in English but I mostly write my stories in Greek – I think in two languages...

What achievement are you most proud of?
Following my own path in life and being true to my self.


What advice would you give women starting their own business?
Do what you love and be certain that it will lead you where you want to be.

What's the biggest challenge you face in your work?
Sticking to one story and finishing it. I usually hop from one story to another...

What do you love to do in your free time?
Take long walks, read books and make up new stories.


What are you working on right now?
At the moment I spend most of my days packaging and going to the post office as it's really been a busy period for my store. I do write down ideas though and have plenty to work on when the holidays are over!

What do you hope to achieve next?
Publish my stories in full one day so they could travel round the world and maybe inspire others to write their own stories...

Amy Leong ... Alberta, Canada

Artist: Amy Leong
Web site: amyleong.etsy.com
Location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

What do you create?
Paintings, photographs, drawings and I also write in my spare time.

Where and when do you do your creative work?
Every chance I get, but there is never enough time in a day. I find myself planning out paintings and other creative concepts every time I lay down at night. Some of my best ideas come to me right before I fall asleep. I am constantly coming up with new project ideas, I just wish I had the time to execute all of them.


Do you have another "day job"?
I am currently in university doing my last year of my after degree. It is tough to juggle both school and art sometimes. The more exposure my art gets, and the more sales I generate, the more difficult it is to abandon art and get into school mode every September. I make a living in the summer by selling my work, but I continue to get numerous commissions throughout the year. It is hard because I do have to turn down many great art-related opportunities during the school year.


Where and what did you study?
I finished my BFA at the University of Alberta in 2006 and am currently in my fourth year of my Education after degree.

Where do you find inspiration?
I would have to say that I find other artists to be my inspiration. Not just a select few, but all artists in one way or another. There are so many talented people in the world. Right now I am experimenting with a wide range of mediums and subject matter. Other artists continually challenge me to push the envelope, to try new things. It is important to never let yourself get too comfortable with what it is that you are doing, then your work loses its spontaneity and a great deal of its intrigue.


What motivates you?
It always helps when other people appreciate what I do. It motivates me to keep trekking along. It's a great feeling to know that so many people have brought a part of me into their homes by hanging my art on their walls.

When did you start doing this?
I have been selling my work for the last seven years in various venues ranging from art galleries to hair salons and I just began selling my work online a little over a month ago.


Do you remember getting into art as a kid?
From my earliest memories I have always loved art. I would sit and draw for hours when I was a kid. I also remember meticulously filling in coloring books with pencil crayon, taking great care not to venture outside the lines. My grandmother's house had a large den with a counter that ran along one entire side of the room. It was always overflowing with my sketches, various craft projects and poems. Art has always been a very important part of my life.


When and why did you decide to start your own business?
I sort of fell into selling my art in a way. In the beginning of course, I wasn't overly business-savvy. I would say it hasn't really become a business until the last two years or so. I am starting to understand more about the complexities of selling. I realize now that it takes far more than just talent to be a successful artist. It is largely about promotion and confidence, and it takes a long time to figure out even basic things like how much to charge for your work. I realized however, that if I was to devote adequate amounts of time to doing art, I had to find a way to make a living at it too. Working a 9-5 office job wouldn't have allowed me to pursue my art career to the extent that I wanted.


What do you love most about creating your work?
I love the experimentation. Working with new materials or new subject matter is always exciting. Sometimes it doesn't turn out at all and I fall flat on my face, but then there are the times when I discover something new and create something that is really successful. That's the best feeling in the world. To look at something and know that your hard work has paid off and that you are growing and improving as an artist. It's that feeling of limitless potential that I love. I am always striving to do something great, and once in a while when I do, it makes it all worthwhile.


What's the most fascinating place you've been?
I travelled to China this spring. The history there is amazing! It was definitely a place where I encountered a sensory overload.

A book you love:
The Time Travellers Wife. I had a lump in my throat for an entire day after I finished it. I haven't met a woman yet who hasn't loved it.


What is the most interesting thing about you?
That is a hard question to answer but I would have to say that one of the unique things about me is my background. My father is Chinese and my mother is Irish, Scottish, Welsh. After immigrating to Canada in the early 1900s my Chinese grandfather opened a store as a practicing herbalist, my grandmother was an accomplished musician. On my mother's side, my grandfather owned one of the first photographic studios in Edmonton. The name was McDermid Studios, and the majority of Edmonton's early history was recorded by photographers in my family. My parents came from two very different places but growing up was a unique experience because of this. My beliefs, values and perceptions come from such a wide range of influences, and I feel fortunate to be a part of two very distinct cultural backgrounds.


What achievement are you most proud of?
I am proud that I have come as far as I have over the last while with respect to selling my work and gaining exposure. Mixing art with the business world is a bit daunting at first, but I think I have begun to find a place for myself amongst all the confusion. I just turned 25 and think I am a lot farther ahead than I was even a year ago.

What advice would you give women starting their own business?
I think confidence is key. When you are first starting out it is all that you have. I really think that if you believe in what you are doing, other people will too.


What's the biggest challenge you face in your work?
The biggest challenge I face in my work is how to balance creativity and business. Sometimes I will paint something that ends up being extremely commercially successful. I know that if I keep producing the same thing that they will likely sell very quickly. After a while though, an artist can become like an assembly line worker. If you stick to the same thing over and over, you lose a passion for what it is you're doing. It is not good for art to become too formulaic. When paintings are predictable, I believe they are no longer successful. I think it is really important to balance business (what the customer wants) and the need to explore and experiment and continually challenge yourself as an artist. It is never easy, but in order to be successful, it is necessary to find that happy medium.


What do you love to do in your free time?
I love shopping in decor stores. It's an addiction! I also really enjoy trying out new restaurants – mostly I go straight to the dessert menu!

What are you working on right now?
I recently tried my hand at illustrations. I became inspired by '50s images of children from old storybooks. I am currently selling these prints online. I am also in a bird phase right now, but my most recent project is a series of collages using blown up old stamps and other vintage ephemera.


What do you hope to achieve next?
I am so overwhelmed with ideas right now that I hope to be able to devote as much time as I can to my art over the next while. My next project in the way of selling my work online will probably be to begin posting some larger works. I sell mostly oil and acrylic paintings in and around the city, but I would really love to reach a larger audience.

My goal is also to be able to combine my two degrees and find a full time position as a high school art teacher. That way I can concentrate a lot more on what I love most. I think it is so important for youth to be able to express themselves creatively. It is a freeing experience and something I hope to share with as many young people as I can.

Tummyache ... Warragul, Australia

Artist: Julie Knoblock
Business: Julie Knoblock / Tummyache
Web sites: julieknoblock.com, tummyache.etsy.com, julieknoblock.blogspot.com
Location: Warragul, Victoria, Australia

What do you create?
Illustration for clients, personal artwork for myself and my shop. I do stray from the path occasionally and create other crafty items, but always return to the humble 2-D format.


Where and when do you do your creative work?
Most of the time I work during the day in my studio which consists of a small room and what is supposed to be a dining room. My computer desk is in the small room, and I do all my painting and drawing in the dining room. I like to be in the middle of the house working and not tucked away into a corner. It's nice to work whilst my partner Jim is watching telly and we are still in ear shot of one another.


Do you have another "day job"?
I kind of have two jobs though the boundaries are quite blurred. I work as an illustrator, but also run my shop tummyache and create my own artwork, plus sell some handmade products including things such as bags and purses. It did take me a while to do art as a full time career. I've had boring and odd jobs in the past; working in a bingo centre and picking mushrooms can both be seen in my resume.

Where and what did you study?
I left school early and did a folio enhancement course which helped me to get into an illustration course where I acquired a diploma in art and illustration.


Where do you find inspiration?
I find inspiration everywhere. The silly things in life can really inspire me. Something someone says, a road sign, a comedian, a song. I could see a texture on a wall, cracked bits of paint on a door frame. Things just stand out sometimes. Menial things. Then of course I am hugely inspired by other artists, and they also inspire me to stay motivated. I see stuff other people are creating and it just drives me to do my own work. It creates an urge.


What motivates you?
Like in the previous question other artists. This can also include musical artists. Just seeing people create something fantastic and thinking about how hard they must have worked makes me want to do the same.

When did you start doing this?
When I was old enough to hold a pencil! I started illustration around the years 1999-2000. I opened my online shop in August 2006.


Do you remember getting into art as a kid?
Oh yeah. Everyone said I'd be an artist when I was young. I remember being in my room for three days (or maybe that's just how I remember it) drawing a tree and every leaf on it meticulously with my 72 Derwents that were my pride and joy. Sometimes I'd get annoyed that people would only see this quality in me. I remember an exercise we did in high school were everyone in the class had to write something nice about you anonymously. I got 28 pieces of paper that said "You are a good drawer." Ho-hum!


When and why did you decide to start your own business?
Even though I love people, I hate serving them. I dislike the work environment and prefer to work on my own. It had always been the plan. Now that I'm getting into my own artwork and shop a lot more I'm moving even further away again from people's orders, which is exciting me.

How did you choose the name for your business?
I work under my own name for illustration, and Tummyache for my shop. My stuff I see as as kind of cute but weird, strange... so I needed a name that was cute, but also a bit "wrong," hence "Tummyache."


What do you love most about creating your work?
I love the feedback I get from people. I love when I do an artwork and I'm happy with how it turns out. I get excited that people like my work. The artists I love I hold in such high regard; so when people write stuff to me and say the same things about me as I would my arty idols, for a moment it puts me in a fantasy that I'm on the same level as them. Until my self-critical nature kicks in again!

What's the most fascinating place you've been?
I went to China last year. I'd have to say that was pretty fascinating. So grungy and complicated. Very inspiring.


A book you love:
I always remember Stones From The River by Ursula Hegi. I'm not a huge book reader (short attention span) but I do love to read non-fictional books about anything from world issues to gardening and art. And magazines.

What is the most interesting thing about you?
I was painfully shy as a kid and teenager. I had a terrible time trying to fit in at high school. I'm not so bad now, though certain people can make me revert to my old ways.


What achievement are you most proud of?
The achievement I am most proud of is finally settling into what I feel is a personal style with my art. I struggled for years and constantly felt unhappy with my work. I've been through many style changes (which my website will probably show – I really need to update it). I am really comfortable with where I am at now, and this allows me to enjoy what I do. For me it's not about how much stuff I sell, or how much money I make, but how content I am.


What advice would you give women starting their own business?
Don't be afraid to ask others that are where you want to be questions that you may have. A friend of mine did come across a nasty artist once when asking for advice, but I think that was the exception. I've asked advice from many people and everyone I've asked has been really friendly and helpful.


What's the biggest challenge you face in your work?
Periods of non-inspiration. These are getting fewer and further between though. Most of the time images or ideas pop into my head during the day or through dreams I have, but I do go through stages where nothing new is coming to me, nothing is exciting me. I find this can usually be remedied by getting out the sketch book and to start doodling. I'm also a lazy person by nature and find it hard to discipline myself. I try very hard not to get sucked in by cheesy daytime television!


What do you love to do in your free time?
I love to see friends and family, to hang out with my partner Jim and my two dogs. Because I work in isolation most of the time I like to just be around people whenever I get the chance. Lately I have got back into playing my guitar again. Sometimes nothing beats sitting in the backyard rugged up in front of a fire with a cup of jasmine tea, my dogs and Jim.


What are you working on right now?
Right now I am working on some illustrations for some women's rights leaflets. Also some educational publishing stuff, and always new artwork that could possibly make it into my shop in the form of art or originals. I always have a huge list of stuff to do.

What do you hope to achieve next?
I am working on veering away from illustration and to continue being my own art director and to just be an "artist" and not an "illustrator." I'd love to do a painting that I'm 100% happy with!