In April I was approached by Not On The High Street, asking them if I would like to have a shop with them. At first I thought it might be a scam! I had heard of NOTHS, but I'd never thought about applying to them, I never assumed they'd want me! So what a boost. After doing some homework and contacting other illustrators who sell on NOTHS for advice, I took the plunge.
What with work, freelancing, and generally having a life, it's taken an age to get the shop ready and I'm not quite there yet. I took ages getting the product photos taken - as NOTHS are quite strict about the photos you post in your shop. You wouldn't believe what a royal pain it was trying to find somewhere with good light and an inoffensive background, but it's been a really valuable exercise, as I've never put this much effort into my photos on Folksy or Etsy, and now I have a bank of images I'm extremely proud of, and they show my stuff in a much better light. So, hurrah!
I've submitted my shop with bated breath, and they have come back with feedback on how to improve. Mercifully they think the photographs are fine, double hurrah! I've been sitting down of an evening tweaking the descriptions, and creating a new logo on their request. Here it is:
As for my Etsy and Folksy shops - to my shame they have languished of late. I've not kept on top of stock, or visited the forums at all. I'm really sad I've let things slide- but the positive side is the reason has largely been freelance work coming in, which one should never complain about.
My latest zine, Any Old Iron issue 3 will soon be ready- you can see previous editions here. This one is going to be longer and I can't wait to get it printed and distributed.
