Featured Designers

Friday, April 23, 2010

Strive designs

Tell me 5 things everyone should know about you
1 I LOVE to crate paterns, so I have lots of different images that will be making their way onto my products.
2 Photography is a recent obsession and I intend to add several prints to my store very soon.
3 I am AWFUL at naming products and coming up with design names.
4 My store is named for a James Joyce quote "To strive, to seek, to find and not to yield."
5 My store is brand new and still awaiting its first sale, but I am adding products everyday in anticipation of when some buyers show up.

How and when did you find zazzle? I've known about Zazzle for several years, but initially only knew about the products you could make with licensed characters. I believe I located the site through Google while looking for personalized baby gifts. I have only recently learned of the wonderful opportunities for artists through a photography website I joined.

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? That's a tough one because I use a touchpad on my laptop and don't drink coffee, but after an ehaustive search I would go with this - It caught my eye when I was looking at products I had posted. I like the simplicity of the design and find it quite beautiful. (Also, the primary color being dark might hide some coffee stains?)

Floral design-Wooden BG by gunjan_k30
Make a mouse pad at zazzle.com

Do you have any formal art or computer training? Unfortunately, no. I am quite obsessive when it comes to learning new techniques and graphics programs though and have spent quite a lot of time working on my art.

If you could give every new shopkeeper 1 piece of advice what would you tell them? Frequent the forums. There is lots of great advice on how to set up your shop and to run a successful store.

If you were watching TV and saw an actor in a sitcom wearing your shirt what would you do? Oh my! My eyes would probably bug out of my head and I would freeze. Then, I would probably repeatedly point at the tv and start yelling for everyone in earshot to come see. I'd also frantically grab for the DVR remote to record it!

List your shops:

strivedesigns's Store at Zazzle

Pick three designs to be featured:

1. Modern Bubbles Binder - Beige

Modern Bubbles Binder - Beige by StriveDesigns
Browse more Beige Binders

2. Silver Flame Necktie

Silver Flame Necktie by StriveDesigns
Make your own tie on zazzle.com

3. Fleur de Lis Ruby Business Cards

Fleur de Lis Ruby Business Cards profilecard

Fleur de Lis Ruby Business Cards by StriveDesigns
View more Ruby Business Cards

Artform The Heart

Tell me 5 things everyone should know about you

1 I'm Scottish.

2 I have no formal art training.

3 My background is actually in Scientific research.

4 I recently became a Great Aunt.

5 I regularly put 16+ hours a day into zazzle.

What programs do you use to make your designs? I use photoshop, paint.net and artweaver (of course I have traditional artwork designs in my store also)

How has zazzle changed your life/lifestyle? Zazzle has renewed my passion for art and creativity after a 'dry spell'. I previously sold some of my artwork via eBay and aslo did some commision work for friends and family but sales dried up and as the artwork began to collect in (and overrun) my house I slowed down on creating. Zazzle allows me to use both new and existing designs over and over; and as many of the new ones are digitally created, it's only computer hard-drive space that's being taken up! Zazzle also seems to have taken over my life for now, it's addictive, lol.

What is the best advice you received since starting zazzle? To work hard and be patient. It's not a get-rich quick scheme and unless you understand that right from the start you are likely to become frustrated and give up.

If you could have 1 design on a billboard in Times Square NYC for 1 hour what would it be? I think that it would be one of my art nouveau rose designs, I've loved art nouveau ever since I first saw Charles Rennie MacIntosh's work when I was teenager. The rose designs I have done are pretty and delicate, but not too flowery, and they go well on a wide range of products.

Art Nouveau Roses by ArtformTheHeart
Browse more Style T-Shirts

If you could send any 1 pair of shoes from someone else's zazzle shop to a 3rd world country as a gift which would you choose and why? Now that is a very difficult question because there are so many fantastic designs on zazzle, and to send only one pair of shoes?? Hmm, could I send 100 pairs of the same shoe? However, I think that I'd choose this pair - I'm sure that they'd be thrilled to receive ANY pair of new shoes but this design is bright and cheerful and should bring a smile to most people's faces.