HahpiStuff

You name or Shopid *	HahpiStuff
Which PODs do you work with? (in no particular order *	cafepress zazzle greeting card universe mysoti redbubble wordans fine art america
How long have you been working with PODs? *	6-8 years
What is the best thing about working with PODs *
PODs are great because you can create and sell wonderful high quality products without having to keep inventory. This is a big plus, especially for shopkeepers who live in smaller houses or apartments. Unlike your typical freelance jobs, you can create when you have time and can do as little or as much as you want. I haven't been nearly as active on my stores the last few years, but that is about to change. I really miss creating new products and promoting them on various websites. I always get excited (and yes, a bit overwhelmed) when new products are released. The excitement and the sales keep me going :)
How many hours do you spend on your POD(s) - including designing, adding & promoting - on average *	under 5 hours per week
what would you say to another POD artist who is struggling and in need of motivation? *
Don't give up NO MATTER WHAT. Every creative has their moments of doubt. It happens to all of us. Sometimes we compare ourselves to others and feel like we aren't as good therefor we should quit. NEVER feel this way! Every artist/creative has their own spin that they put on things that makes their creations unique (okay, *almost* every artist/creative. That doesn't apply to those who troll other peoples' shops and then copy exactly what they do just to make a sale. We all know they are out there. Don't be like that!) When I am having a down day, I go through my computer files and look at my favorite designs. Or I go to my stores and look at my best sellers to remind myself that there have to be some people out there who enjoy my work or they wouldn't have purchased it. Another biggie is to be yourself, no matter what. I have been told most of my life "If you can stop being so creepy and make more cheerful thi ngs, you might sell more." That might be true, but if I'm not feeling it, I'm not going to do it. Art is about more than just sales. It is an expression of yourself, about what you are feeling at the time, who you are. Don't ever allow yourself to give that up just for a few greenbacks. It isn't worth it.
Do you have any formal training or education in POD related fields? *	No - I am self taught
If I won the super jackpot lottery tomorrow I would... *	Keep working my POD's for fun
My zazzle stores are:	http://www.zazzle.com/hahpistuff http://www.zazzle.com/shazjustice http://www.zazzle.com/ghouliescouts http://www.zazzle.com/gloomanddoom

Flagnation

You name or Shopid *	Flagnation
Which PODs do you work with? (in no particular order *	cafepress zazzle estoremonster printfection spreadshirt skreened redbubble inktastic wordans spoonflower
How long have you been working with PODs? *	6-8 years
What is the best thing about working with PODs *
I once read, "Do what you love and you will never work another day in your life." So, perhaps it is valid to say that I do not work. I simply get paid to do what I love. I also love the ease of which many POD's operate. Some are difficult to navigate and others easy. Of course, I love the easy ones the most. Being able to add a design in a few minutes over a long drawn out process is preferable, especially when you have hundreds or thousands of design to add. Believe it or not, I love blogging, too. It is part of the promotional stuff you must do to let the world know of your designs. But to me, it is fun as well.
How many hours do you spend on your POD(s) - including designing, adding & promoting - on average *	20-30 hours per week
what would you say to another POD artist who is struggling and in need of motivation? *
Start something new. Join a group on Facebook. Join a group blog. Open a shop at another POD. These things will give you insights and ideas. Got artistic block? Try taking an old design and adding some text to it. Make sure it is not copyrighted. Often, using a Bible, Koran or Talmud passage will work just fine. It will jump start your creativity and help you get new ideas. If you are feeling down because your sales are slow, write a blog post about one of your designs, or start a new blog. Know this, though, you are not going to get rich over night. This is very hard work. This is not for the faint of heart or those that can't deal with disappointment well. You have to blog, tweet, use Facebook and any and all social media. And you have to accept that some times, it will be for naught. But when it does work, which is, fortunately, often, you will reap the rewards. Keep in mind that you do not own any POD. And any of them can make a sweeping change to their policies that can wreck havoc with your hard work. Diversify. Add your products to more than one POD. When you are blocked creatively, adding a shop at another POD opens up another revenue stream for designs you already have. You can make it in this business, but it does take hard work. But since i is so much fun, you can hardly call it work.
Do you have any formal training or education in POD related fields? *	No - I am self taught
If I won the super jackpot lottery tomorrow I would... *	Keep working my POD's for fun
My zazzle stores are:	http://www.zazzle.com/flagnation http://www.zazzle.com/thedemocratlady http://www.zazzle.com/maryandjesus http://www.zazzle.com/awardgear http://www.zazzle.com/laughstuff

CW Designs - CritterCreationsbyCW

You name or Shopid *	CW Designs - CritterCreationsbyCW
Which PODs do you work with? (in no particular order *	zazzle greeting card universe inktastic fine art america
How long have you been working with PODs? *	2-3 years
What is the best thing about working with PODs *
The best thing about working with PODs is the ability to work any time you want, earn money from you artwork, I don't have to deal with packaging or shipping, and most of all sharing your designs with the world and having "others" enjoy your artwork enough to buy products for gifts for family, friends or just because! Why is it exciting and why do I keep doing it? I love it, all of it! I love coming up with new designs, I love zazzles "sold your item has been purchased" emails, and I love they add new product lines, even though I never have enough time to add them all LOL!! I wouldn't want to do anything else, it is my calling and I enjoy every bit of it, I only wish I had more hours in the day to do it all.
How many hours do you spend on your POD(s) - including designing, adding & promoting - on average *	30-40 hours per week
what would you say to another POD artist who is struggling and in need of motivation? *
Never give up!! Everything takes time and Rome wasn't built in a day, so believe in yourself and keep on going!! Keep on adding new designs and new products everyday, even if it is only a few! I know that all of us when we first start out are not as good at design etc and we all get better as time goes. The more we do something the better we get at it!! Always set a goal, at least for me it helps to keep me motivated, to try to meet my goal even if I fall short of it. When I first started out I knew nothing of graphic design, ppi, and all that goes along with it and it less than 2 years I have come a long way. My first goal was to replace the money I was making as a polymer clay artist on ebay, I loved my work but the packaging and shipping, paperwork and custom orders took a toll on me to the point I could no longer keep up with the demand and needed something that would not be so physically or time demanding on me, that is when I found Zazzle. It took me a year to finally make the transition and I did meet my goal of replacing my clay sculpture income and have branched out to add other POD sites with my artwork and have not been happier with my decision to do graphic design and POD!! It has changed my life for the better, so don't give up!
Do you have any formal training or education in POD related fields? *	No - I am self taught
If I won the super jackpot lottery tomorrow I would... *	Keep working my POD's for fun
My zazzle stores are:	http://www.zazzle.com/CritterCreationsbyCW http://www.zazzle.com/CCBCDesigns http://www.zazzle.com/CritterCreationsCW http://www.zazzle.com/StylishBusinessCard

Christopher Johnson

You name or Shopid *	Christopher Johnson
Which PODs do you work with? (in no particular order *	zazzle imagekind greeting card universe spreadshirt skreened redbubble inktastic society6 deviartart fine art america other not listed
How long have you been working with PODs? *	4-6 years
What is the best thing about working with PODs *
The best thing is that we don't have to sell directly to the public. Buying an expensive printer and handling shipping and charging would be very time consuming. This is even more important when one already has another part or full time job. Working with PODs is nice in general because you only focus on creating, uploading, describing, and promoting. Yeah, the promoting part isn't much fun, but there is so much competition out there that if we don't promote, it is unlikely that we'll sell anything at all. For me PODs are essential because people in Mexico really don't like to buy artwork or graphic design or if they do they won't want to pay more than the cost of the printing (which would mean that the designer would work for free). When I tried to sell framed prints of my work no one made me an offer higher than printing costs so it was a waste of time. No, I didn't sell at that price. Greeting cards are rarely given here either so that wouldn't be profitable either so I basically sell to strangers in other countries.
How many hours do you spend on your POD(s) - including designing, adding & promoting - on average *	40-50 hours per week
what would you say to another POD artist who is struggling and in need of motivation? *
When I teach I work between 5-15 hours a week. When I don't have classes I work more than 50 hours a week on PODs. I'm not really sure what to say. I really haven't seen much growth in the last couple years. I guess I'm the struggling artist who needs motivation. Right now I'd say. Get a part time job to pay the bills and keep working and promoting your art and design. It should eventually take off. I started selling on Imagekind back in 2007. I had heard of it from an affiliate marketing manager who just started managing that account. I didn't know that PODs existed and back then there weren't very many around. I only recall Imagekind, Cafepress, and Redbubble. I think I opened my account at Zazzle in 2008 but I didn't really use it since at the time there was no Quick Create Template option and making products one by one didn't seem like much fun. Since Cafepress had an extremely limited free option I didn't really use it after trying with a couple images. I got my first Redbubble sale in 2012! I've only had 3-4 sales at Imagekind since I started uploading there. I could use more PODs like Zazzle that actually get sales without knowing the shopper in advance.
Do you have any formal training or education in POD related fields? *	No - I am self taught
If I won the super jackpot lottery tomorrow I would... *	Keep working my POD's for fun
My zazzle stores are:	http://www.zazzle.com/livingnature http://www.zazzle.com/christopherinmexico http://www.zazzle.com/kaleidoscopeart http://www.zazzle.com/antiquedart http://www.zazzle.com/abstractfractalart http://www.zazzle.com/mosaicartwork http://www.zazzle.com/monogramsbychris http://www.zazzle.com/outdoorart http://www.zazzle.com/holidaygreetings http://www.zazzle.com/christiandevotion http://www.zazzle.com/weddingart http://www.zazzle.com/wildanimalart http://www.zazzle.com/sciencefictionart

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