This week I am so excited to introduce Anne Potter and her etsy shop handmadebyannepotter.
Tell
us a little bit about yourself, you know, the boring stuff. Where you
live, married, single, spinster, polygamist, kids, pets, three thumbs,
etc.
My name is Anne Potter, I’m married to a high school physics teacher
and I am a stay-at-home mom to five kids – ages 14,9,7,2,2. (And I DO
have three thumbs – it’s funny you should ask! . . .) I’m originally
from the Chicago area, but now I live in Champaign, IL. I’m
32-years-old.
How long have you been making your craft?
I have a lot of different media that I work in (I knit, crochet, quilt,
bead, sew, paint, needlepoint, etc.) but I have been sewing for as long
as I can remember. I teach myself what I want to learn, so while I have
been doing all of these crafts for a long time, I am more proficient in
some than in others.
What are some of the struggles you face trying to get sales and how have you overcome that or how do you plan to over come it?
I think it is incredibly hard to match up a product with the right
customer. I know that my pieces are right for someone, but a lot has to
happen to get that piece to a customer who will LOVE it. I am often
frustrated by the sales part of building a customer base; like a lot of
artists I know, I am not a salesperson! So I am trying to be fearless
about promoting my pieces even though I face (personal!) rejection. I
plan to make more and more connections because I know that my product
is worth promoting.
What is your favorite part about your business?
I love how free I am to make the piece I dream up. Up until etsy, I
made pieces for me, my kids and for countless gifts to friends and
family. I also took commissions. Now I can make that wonderful obi I
designed even if it doesn’t match a specific friend’s aesthetic. This
is such an exciting concept because my pieces can be more about
expression and less about fulfilling requirements, meeting criteria.
What is the hardest part about your business?
The hardest part about my business is the business. I personally love
the process of designing, planning, constructing and finishing, but I
would love to have underlings that manage Type A systems like Excel
spreadsheets.
What is your greatest weakness/dirtiest pleasures?
Great question! (long list): 44 oz. fountain Diet Cokes from the local
Kwik-E-Mart, frosting from the tub, almost any pizza, travel shows,
Spinal Tap, funny movies, Red Carpet fashion reviews, road trips, and I
try not to read the tabloid covers in the grocery store, but I always
do.
Who are your favorite artists/craft persons/etsy shops?
I love fine artists like Caillebotte and Remington, but my favorite art
comes from cultural artistic traditions - Thai pagodas, the dragons on
Viking ships, Coptic crosses, Mexican Milagros, and German gothic
ironwork.
Etsy artists:
Audzipan
Pavalu
BBrunophotography
theeye
alamo2003
Make sure you check out Anne's shop and say hi! And if you purchase something (how could you not!)Anne donates 50% of all proceeds to missions.
Do you want to be featured in the "in da house" here on Monkeys Always Look? You do? Cool! Email me!
