Featured Designers: Expressions by AudreyJeanne

Tell me 5 things everyone should know about you
1 I am a professional artist that has designed thousands of products
for more than 50 manufacturers in the gift, home decor and fabric industries.
It's hard work and the field has changed so much in the past 10 years,
but it's very rewarding as well. It's fun to walk into a Hallmark
store and see your products featured.

2 I paint all of the art used in my products by hand and then work
with photoshop to produce the finished designs. I taught myself photoshop
and it's opened incredible doors of creativity for me. I recommend it
for anyone wanting to grow in their design ability.

3 Zazzle is my "playground." Most of my work is either for my
portfolio or to format portfolio work for finished products such as table ware,
fabris, music boxes, flags, greeting cards etc. So Zazzle lets me
just play. I do designs that I have no idea if they'll sell or people
will be attracted to them. It lets me push the envelope and grow as an artist.

4 I'm a self-taught artist. I read books and then practiced the techniques. I became an artist so that I could be a stay-at-home-mom
with my daughters (now grown).

5 One of the most important things I do in my day, and anyone that
wants to do well with Zazzle needs to do as well, is study the marketplace.
I read tons of magazines, watch commercials for design elements, and
am constantly looking at color and design trends. You have to be
ahead of the curve as the market is changing so rapidly.

How and when did you find zazzle? One of my digital clip art
customers wanted permission to use my art on Zazzle. That use isn't
allowed under the terms of my angel policy, but it brought me to the
site to check things out. She's a pro-seller here and has been very
helpful in my getting started. It's a great community! (she's
Sharonrhea)

Do you have any formal art or computer training? No. My art training was playing on rainy days with my mother's "rainy day box" as an ADHD child. It was the only thing she could figure out to keep me from
swinging on the chandeliers and bouncing on the beds.

If you spilled coffee on your mouse pad and needed to replace it with
a mouse pad NOT from your store, which would you choose and why? I
would find something with an encouraging message and some beautiful art...
or better yet, something with a message such as "Leave the computer
and go hug someone in your family!" It's sooo easy to get lost on the
web, and forget I have a real life, LOL!

What is the best advice you received since starting zazzle? I've
been reading the forums and trying to learn from other people's mistakes --
it's much less painful that way. So many people are willing to help
and share from their success. It's AWESOME. I finished reading "You
Suck at Zazzle.com: The Book" yesterday and signed up for Google analytics
this morning. I didn't even know it existed. We have to educate
ourselves on every front.

If you were watching TV and saw an actor in a sitcom wearing your
shirt/your poster or card was in the set what would you do? The
funny part is that has happened. I had a show pilot producer contact me
about using some of my art work on the wall for their decor. It was pretty cool.

List your shops:
audreyjeanne's Store at Zazzle

Pick three designs to be featured: