how long did it take? a question from corinne.

Posted on 18. May, 2009 by admin.

Q: how long did it take for you to start to see some success with your ideas/products/creations?? (From Corinne)

A: I love this question so much that I want to make an entire post about it. It’s an interesting thing to reflect on.

I started Princess Lasertron in 2005 and for about two years, it was very very part-time. I think it took me a while to understand…
1. who my customer was
2. where my strengths were as an artist
3. how to brand my products and create publicity and buzz

I always say that my wedding in 2008 was the thing that really brought me the exposure I had been looking for, but I’ve also learned many lessons in the last four years that contributed to my growth. The major ones include..

1. Getting involed in my community. When you’re trying to sell a product, you are no longer an artist but a businessperson as well. There is nothing more valuable in the art and design community than good friends who will have good things to say about you, so it’s important to go out and meet people, attend events and shows, and volunteer in local organizations. Most artists receive opportunities not from cold calls or unsolicited submissions, but because of a recommendation from another artist or expert. That’s how important it is to meet people and make a connection in your community.

And it’s not a constant sales pitch either–ask what others are creating, doing, thinking, dreaming. Offer to donate pieces to charity events or serve on committees.

2. Defining my goals. I have a huge poster in my studio of my goals for 2009. Looking at it every day keeps me focused and which options will help me get there.

3. Taking risks. When I bought my first advertisement, I couldn’t afford it. I had so much anxiety about it–but I made a good choice and my business grew by 800%. Many artists are happy making art only for themselves and their loved ones. Other artists want recognition and to be able to make a living in the creative industries, and the only way to do that is to stick your neck out.

If you are starting out in business, I challenge you to take a risk this week. Call up a leadership figure in your industry and invite him/her out to coffee or lunch. Schedule a call with an artist or admired figure whose career you have always admired from afar. Submit your work to an exhibition. Try using a different medium or color. Call up a local library and offer to present a talk about your work.

One of my favorite quotes is by Soren Kierkegaard: “During the first period of a man’s life the greatest danger is not to take the risk.”

4. Enjoy business as much as art. There are designers who enjoy promoting themselves, making sales, and marketing. And those artists do well in business.

I try to slay the myth of the starving artist and be unapologetic about my desire to make a living out of my passion. I know I’m not just a designer–I’m comfortable in my other (endless) roles as a businesswoman and I thrive on it. Although I advocate a culture of cooperation and community, I also think a competitive spirit is important to find success in any field. The truth is, we are in business for ourselves. If someone doesn’t buy art from you, they will likely buy it from another artist. That other artist is competition. If the competition is enjoying running their business, they are probably more effective and successful.

5. Thank the people who help you. Sometimes this world can be unforgiving, especially in creative industries. I’m trying to get more in the habit of writing thank you notes to everyone I work with, whether it’s an email for something small or a short mailed letter for a valuable recommendation or writeup or for a customer. I know that this habit can make a big difference to other people and requires very little effort on my part.

I have a great stack of branded stationery ready to use for thank you notes. People remember notes and often keep them, and it’s a great way to reconnect with someone who has helped you.

Wherever you sit on the continuum–if you are starting out in business, have no desire to make a business out of your hobby, or are uninvolved in creative industry and just like to read my website because it’s awesome, I hope something in this post will motivate you to amp up your career or take a leap into something new. It might seem impossible to make a living doing what you love, so start small like I did working at it part-time and making as many connections as you can with people who can support your goals. It does NOT happen overnight, but by making careful decisions and taking calculated risks.

xo
meg

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more questions from you

Posted on 16. May, 2009 by admin.

Q: Do you ever get tired of some of the repetitive work of your job? (From Susan)
A: I only ever get a little tired when I’m working on the HUGE orders, where it’s six bouquets and 30 brooches and 30 boutonnieres and corsages and centerpieces and hairpieces and and and…..then all the colors are the same and I get a little weary.

But the truth is, my work is always different. I have so many different kinds of thread and textiles and I can print or paint the fabric or use beads or discover new shapes and play with other materials…it is never the same project twice, not even when it’s for the same customer.

Q: Do you ever find copies of your work? (From Sasha)
A: Getting your swagger jacked is just part of the business, it comes with the territory–especially in the creative fields like music, art, and fashion. I don’t think that artists can go very far in business if they can’t handle copycats maturely. I support creativity, inspiration, but also transparency in art. I think art is meant to be accessible and open, but I don’t think you can gain success unless you are a person of honesty and integrity.

My consumer loyalty–and that’s thanks to all of you guys–shows me that I have the trust of my clients and readers, something that copycats don’t earn. All of this is just part of the risk of the hustle.

Q: My question is.. Have you ever considered making bouquets / flowers from different shapes besides the traditional flower shape? E.g. square “flowers”, or animal shaped designs? (From Joan)
A: I’m experimenting with a few different shapes now. The concentric circles and squares are an obvious choices, and I’ve also done huge peony-looking flowers and some calla lily-looking flowers. I’m creating a .pdf “catalog” of sorts to kind of showcase all of the styles and choices.

Animal shapes though I haven’t thought of….that could be very cute. I have made kitty cat barrettes before, but never as a bouquet.

Q: What is your favorite part of your face? (From Sara)
A: I think I have pretty lips.

Q: What music do you listen to while you work? (From Lauren)
A: You can see my playlists on Last.fm, which is what I listen to when I’m working. I usually listen to German dance music or hip hop. I love bands like Melotron, VNV Nation, Convenant, Mind.In.A.Box, and I love Wu-Tang, Tupac, Lil Kim, and Nas. Or sometimes I listen to more poppy stuff like Lady Gaga, Pet Shop Boys, Madonna, and Britney…I usually just play my recommendations and it’s a mix of all of that.

And yes Amanda, I sing in the car! So does Professor Lasertron. Watch out if you pull up next to us at a stoplight.

Q: How tall are you and professor? (From Erin)
A: I’m 5’0 and he’s 6’6.

Q: How has your business changed your life?? I absolutely love your work and think that you must never have time for yourself! (From Jen)
A: I think I have a little less free time–I go out less with my friends, and my fun time is more scheduled. On the plus side, I have met hundreds of insanely talented artists and made great new friends who I am in awe of. There is always something exciting in my inbox when I wake up every day–a magazine opportunity, a blog writeup, or new inquiries from future clients. I seriously wake up every day and leap out of bed because I can’t wait to see what my day will bring. I have NEVER had a job where I experienced such constant excitement and possibility.

But in some ways, starting my business hasn’t changed my life. Even when I was working other jobs–including secretary, hot air balloon chaser, radio producer, record slinger, baker–I was still thinking about the art all day, I was still rushing home to get back to whatever project I had laying out on the table, I was still staying up until 4 or 5am trying to perfect the craft until what I saw in my mind came out through my hands.

All of my time is time for myself–if I didn’t like what I was doing, I would quit and find something else. I live in a very fun neighborhood full of shops and restaurants in walking distance, and when I need a break I just take a stroll, get some ice cream, peek into a few stores or sit on a bench and watch the moms pushing strollers, schoolchildren walking home, people sipping wine on an outdoor patio. That’s how I relax. But don’t get me wrong—every day is a hustle. I work every day, I answer every e-mail, I send press releases and manage my brand as consistently as possible and it is an 18-hour-per-day job.

Q: What’s your favorite dessert? What’s the worst injury you’ve ever had? (Sorry, I’m a medic, I had to ask!) What’s your favorite thing to drink? (alcoholic/non-alcoholic) If you could go back and re-name yourself, what would you choose? (From Holly)
A: My favorite dessert always changes…I love butterscotch pecan rolls, and I love Meg Duerksen’s cream puff dessert. And it’s VERY easy. The worst injury I ever had was a staple through my hand–I have never been hurt too bad. My favorite non-alcoholic drink is cherry coke, and my favorite boozy drink is Maker’s Mark. And if I could rename myself, I’d pick Alice!

Q: How many flowers have you made since you started your business? (From Robin)
A: My rough guess is about 9000.

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answering your questions

Posted on 15. May, 2009 by admin.

Wow!!! I am so blown away by the response to the Princess Lasertron Felt Flower Kit launch! Thank you so much for your interest, responses, kind words…I’m floored. And remember, you still have until tonight at midnight to enter to win a mini-kit. Five of you will win!

You guys had such good questions! So many of them would take an entire post to answer, but I want to go through some of my favorite short ones.

Q: How long does it usually take you to create a bouquet?
A: Each bouquet takes about 40 hours from start to finish. Managing about sixteen brides per month, most of whom have more than one bouquet or are outfitting their entire bridal party, takes more time than there is in a day…which is where my amazing employee Hollie comes in.

My husband also helps me by cutting out flower shapes, doing random sewing when I am in a pinch, and my mom picks up supplies for me. So they take a lot of time, but I also have a lot of help.

Q: Do you find it difficult to balance all your emails/orders/new project ideas? (from Kelly)
A: YES. I have so many ideas that just haven’t made it out of my head yet because my first responsibility is to fulfill my bridal orders, and the new projects have to come last. Sometimes it is frustrating because I feel like I have to produce produce produce as fast as I can to get my idea out before someone else does. And I admit it–It’s hard to see something really cool and original on Etsy and think, “dang, I was going to do that.”

I’ll share some of the new projects I have coming up though. Website redesign. New storefront. I’ll have the boutonniere and corsage kits of course. And a line of dresses–wait until you see the sketches!

Q: What provided you with the initial inspiration/idea to make felt flower bouquets? (from Lisa)
A: My wedding, I suppose. I started Princess Lasertron in early 2005 when I was in college. In the beginning I made brooches and barrettes out felt and buttons and paper art, but nothing flew off the shelves quite like the button crafts.

In 2007 something happened that changed my life more than I would realize—I asked my boyfriend to marry me. As we began planning our wedding, I explored lots of wonderful flower options but ultimately (and typically) decided to make my bouquet myself. Taking inspiration from the hundreds of felt flower brooches and hairpieces I had sold, I re-engineered the felt flowers to arrange them in a bouquet. I liked the flowers I was making as pins and barrettes and I visualized them clustered together as a bouquet.

Q: Is your bouquet the coolest one you’ve ever made? (from Laura)
A: Ummmm, no way.
Want to see it?
I love it, but my process is very different now and the pieces are much cleaner. Look at those messy stitches…yikes. I wouldn’t sell a piece like that today.

Q: Do you know your blood type? (from Yin)
A: A negative!!

Q: What inspires you? (from everybody)
A: I gather most of my inspiration from fashion. I love Alexander McQueen, Marc Jacobs, Tom Ford. I love me some Betsey. I read the magazines and follow designers. I believe that the bouquets and accessories I create are as much fashion as they are art, and in the future I plan to integrate garments more into the Princess Lasertron brand, focusing on simple foundations and heavy embellishment.

Q: Do you ever have any hand pain from making so many bouquets? If so, how do you cope? (from Mary B)
A: I do have pretty bad hand pain, especially in the fleshy part under my thumb. I can only sew about 8 stems at a time before I need to stop. I do wear Handeze Theraputic Gloves when I work which helps a lot. The tips of my fingers are totally torn up…I don’t like wearing thimbles because I can’t feel through them, so I just cover them with tiny square pieces of bandaids. I’ve given up on having a nice manicure.

Q: Because I have an awesome mom – as I realize you do as well…What do you do to show her how much you appreciate her? (from Sandy)
A: All of my success and happiness is because I have a wonderful mother. I can’t ever show her enough appreciation, but she never asks for any credit. My mother is an extremely creative person who opened me up to dozens of techniques and always encouraged me to try new things with different materials. To show her I appreciate her, I put my dishes in the dishwasher when I go visit.

Q: How do you and Professor Lasertron handle your different sleeping hours and schedules and things?(from Christine)
A: He works from 8-5, and I work from about 2pm to 9am. When he wakes up, we spend a little time together, and when he gets home I am awake. I just sleep while he’s at work and work while he’s asleep.

Q: What was the highlight of your day today? (from Krista)
A: Today I went up the street and got a waffle cone of homemade Heath Bar ice cream and walked down the street peeking into all of the shops. I almost got an impulse haircut. I stopped by the new restaurant my cousins are opening. I absolutely love my neighborhood and it’s just the greatest place to spend an afternoon. That was my break today.

photo by Mightymytty

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