Making It: Think Big

Think BIG
by Sam Hirst
www.inklore.blogspot.com

My little business has been open now for nine months, and almost every week there is something new to learn, something it seems everyone else is already doing or at least knows how to do. I was talking to a friend about feeling like I'm pretending to know what I'm doing when in reality I'm constantly doubting that I know what I'm doing. "Fake it til you make it," she said. Somehow it is that little bit of advice that has prompted me to push my business further than I ever thought I would.


One of the ways I "fake it" is by thinking big about my small business. I love it each season when mid to large size design companies introduce their new lines. Everything is color coordinated, making for fantastic photos and a sense that if you bought several items from the collection, your whole house would flow a little better. I started wondering why smaller companies don't seem to do the same thing. We seem to introduce one item at a time, and while our whole line of items might end up working together because we have a good sense of our brand, sometimes it doesn't.

I've decided to try to create more lines, for holidays and seasons, introducing several items at once that are coordinated, and using those opportunities to take great lifestyle photos of my products. I'll still introduce items one at a time during the in-between periods. I think it's important as a small business to stay visible in that way.


I introduced my first line a couple of months ago. I came up with three new designs, chose two colors to print them in, and put them on several items, including pillows, kitchen linens, and a storage container. I was able to take some great photos, one of which is the photo I use on the homepage of my website, and I got great response from bloggers, including a full feature on sfgirlbybay. Right now I'm reworking those same designs in new colors for Spring/Summer.

Still faking it, on my way to making it....

Visit Sam: www.inkloredesign.com, inklore.bigcartel.com, inklore.etsy.com


Next time on Making It! >>
Advertising and Buying Ad Space by Cassie Gray

Making It: Press Kit

I'm so excited to introduce our second Making It! contributor, one of the sweetest souls I've recently "met" through blogging - Sam of Inklore...


I am a self-taught block print artist who finds inspiration in my backyard, my children's artwork, and the everyday objects we all use. Those inspirations are the foundation for lincouts and stencils which I create in my small studio in Northern California. I print my designs by hand on natural materials, including linen and cotton.

My hope is to create beautiful, practical, and functional items for you, your home, and for little ones.


Creating a Press Kit & Making Contact
by Sam Hirst

One of my goals this year is to start contacting magazine editors to promote my work. A few months ago, this seemed like an unachievable goal, something very far in the distance. But over the past month or two, I've taken the time to put together a line sheet for potential wholesale customers, and have redesigned my website.


Now that those things are finished, it seems like it might actually be easy to put together a press kit. I've decided to make a digital press kit on CD and make a fabric cover for it that represents my work; high tech meets handmade. And just today I got a tip from one of my twitter followers, that pointed me to TheSwitchboards, which is a great online resource for creative women.


After reading about and looking at several example press kits there, I finally took a stab at it and created my own. Now I'm one step closer to finding Inklore in the press!

Visit Sam: www.inkloredesign.com, inklore.bigcartel.com, inklore.etsy.com,