Mindy, from the Zazzle store yesterdaysgirl, was kind enough to sit down and talk with us about her inspirations, and her time at Zazzle. Check out the interview below and don’t forget to check out her store yesterdaysgirl!
Bio: Mindy Sommers is a Vermont-based digital artist and graphic designer who would paint the world purple if she had her way. A full-time artist, designer and custom art tile company owner, her work has appeared in magazines, as book cover art, designer fabric, consumer packaging, in bundled software and other products.
Zazzle: What’s your inspiration for your designs?
Mindy: I have more than one. The first one is a painful cliché, and I dislike saying it, but it’s true: nature. Everybody says that, right? But I love flowers… oh, and dreams. I like to create dreamscapes and floral designs that look like they might have come straight out of a wonderful dream – impossible colors, fantastical sunsets, foliage-that-can-never-happen. You know, the kind of magical dream that you wake up from and try to get back to but just can’t. Another inspiration comes from vintage works, all things old. I find vintage art, ads and ephemera terribly romantic and a joy to create with. Finally, I’m inspired by stained glass. I have a technique for making digital stained glass, and I really enjoy making those pieces.
Zazzle: What has been your favorite design you’ve created, and why?
Mindy: I would have to say “Gaze”, which is one of my older dreamscapes. My clients probably agree, because it’s been my best-selling image for years now. I love it because it’s my favorite colors (blues, greens, purples, what my mother would have called “The Pucci” colors after the sixties Mod designer), and because it’s an impossible, magical place. I like impossible, magical places that have a semi-surreal feel to them. It’s one of the few pieces I never revisit to critique or want to fuss with. That’s a rarity in itself. I am a merciless self-critic.
Zazzle: What is your favorite Zazzle feature? How do you use it?
Mindy: I know you’re asking me about a solid feature like “the uploader” or the “API product developer” or “the fan club”, but my favorite feature on Zazzle is your philosophy, and that philosophy is two sides of a powerful coin. What that means is on one side, Zazzle understands the concept of incentive – that people tend to work harder, and care more, when they have a personal stake in something; when they have an emotional investment, and when there is financial reward for hard work. The Zazzle philosophy of rewarding hard work is my favorite thing about Zazzle, hands down. You guys get it. Artists want to make money. We want to work harder and make more money. We know that if we work hard, create quality products and promote our stores a lot, we’ll succeed. That’s why there is an amazing network of referrals and website portals popping up, because the financial incentive is there and success is anyone’s to grab and own if they are willing to devote the time and caring to do it. That makes everybody a winner, and it’s very smart business. Give people a stake in something–anything–and they will rise to the challenge and blossom. That goes for anything in life, not just Zazzle. When there’s no stake, no need to work at something, limitations on income, little chance to make money and no emotional investment that comes with work, nothing happens–the flower dies. The other side of that same coin is the emotional support Zazzle offers to artists. Frankly, I’ve never seen a company so accessible, so willing to lend a hand to those who need assistance, or give them emotional incentive that validates their work (TBAs, features, etc) like Zazzle does. One simply can’t put a value on that, inspiring artists to be the best they can be, to keep going when they are tired or uninspired or unsure of themselves. The cohesive community you’ve provided is also a big part of that emotional support system, and it’s priceless, truly priceless, for an artist. I am willing to bet Zazzle had a hand in creating lots of artistic careers, giving them the visibility and jumping off point they needed. Two sides of a winning coin: financial and emotional incentive and support. Can’t beat that.
Zazzle: What got you interested in selling your art on Zazzle?
Mindy: My husband and I run an art tile company, Color Bakery. We custom print my art on tile (glass, ceramic, stone) murals, floors, and wide array of tile-oriented gifts and wearables like crystal jewelry, clocks, serving trays, cutting boards, table placemats, etc. We also print the work of other artists as well who want to resell higher end home decor and gift items to their following. But we had a very big hole in our portfolio, and that hole was paper. We couldn’t do paper posters or greeting cards, and we had a lot of customers requesting them – an art company who couldn’t sell posters–not happy about that. Not everyone wanted a glass tile or tile wall mural; some wanted a paper giclee print. So I decided to try Zazzle. It turned out to be the best decision I could have made. “We Love Zazzle” is a phrase you will often hear in our house.
Zazzle: What tips can you give someone who is just starting out on Zazzle?
Mindy: The most important tip I can give someone is to be different. Don’t offer what everyone else is offering. You don’t want to be a carbon copy of hundreds of other stores. Make sure your store looks inviting and well-designed; this will compel people to come in and look around. If you don’t have solid design skills, then ask a friend, or hire a professional designer to do your store – it’s that important. Don’t let the extent of your design contribution be five Zazzle Flash Panels stacked on your page–it’s busy, confusing and disconcerting. Develop a brand for yourself and stick to your brand. Take care of your store header, make sure it’s wonderful. A logo or just a distinctive look is so important. Give your customers tons of products and tons of options. Sit down and think about your pricing tier, you should always have a cheaper, mid-range and high end tier. Finally–a personal word to artists—don’t give up, ever. Nobody is like you, and nobody does what you do. Cream eventually rises to the top, as will you. Just keep at it and be patient. It takes time and hard work to make it. You will succeed; I promise you will, if you work at it and refuse, absolutely refuse, to give up.
Thanks Mindy!
July 8, 2010 at 11:21 am |
What a wonderfully-inspiring interview! I didn’t see a link to your tile store, but will look it up. That is something that I’ve been very interested in for a long time.
July 8, 2010 at 3:41 pm |
Carolyn, this is the URL for Mindy’s Color Bakery site: http://www.colorbakery.com/ and her store here: http://www.zazzle.com/colorbakery
Mindy is right when she advises never to give up; she has hung in there, continuing to perfect her art and come up with new ideas, designs, concepts, etc, and has become a successful professional artist well beyond Zazzle, wonderful as Zazzle is. This is a nice interview with Min and gives just a tiny glimpse of who she is and the beauty of her artwork. I always want at least one of everything she makes, she’s that good. And as gorgeous as her art is, it isn’t the best thing about her; you only get that by getting to know her. :c)
July 9, 2010 at 10:23 pm |
Thanks, Tina. I did find her bakery site and checked it out. I’m going to look further into it because I’ve been trying to find a place to put photos on tiles. I’m not sure this is the same kind of photo-on-tile that I’m thinking about, though. Incredible products in the store, and I was just blown away. Ohhhhhhh, to be so creative!
July 10, 2010 at 12:18 am |
You really are inspiration and could of said better.
July 12, 2010 at 4:11 pm |
Great Designs!