Blogs

IndieMade Inspiration with Casey Virata of LuckiiArts

Posted by Cynthia Boris

Casey's work table
Casey Virata is a hardworking, single mom who is happily living her dream of being a working artist. From big, bold prints to intricate word art, there's a sense of whimsy in everything she makes which is not surprising since she says she's inspired by music, nature and laughter. Her store is called Luckii Arts (pronounced Lucky Eye) and is a tribute to both her father and her sister. This week, we asked her to swap out her paintbrushes for a keyboard so she could answer our burning questions about her art and her store.

March-ing to the Beat of Your Own Drummer

Posted by Cynthia Boris

Umbrella Girl
When a customer visits your online store for the first time, sameness will make them feel at home. They intuitively know to click on the store to shop or image for more detail. They know what a bracelet is and they can imagine how it feels if you tell them it’s made of glass. This is a good thing. Right? But imagine if you visited an online store and the pictures were all upside down. Instead of bracelets, they were selling Whoziwazzis in shades of sluberack and ziptoad. Would you run from the madness or stay and click around?

Marketing for Creatives: Getting Started on YouTube

Posted by Cynthia Boris

Filming with an iphone
Speaking at the 2016 Mobile World Congress this week, Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg said, "Most of the content 10 years ago was text, and then photos, and now it’s quickly becoming videos. I just think that we’re going to be in a world a few years from now where the vast majority of the content that people consume online will be video." Video. Does that word scare you? Does the thought of standing in front of the camera hawking your wares make you feel faint? You’re not alone but you’re also missing out on a great opportunity if you click now and close this window.

Social Media Marketing for Creatives: Why I Prefer Twitter Over Facebook

Posted by Cynthia Boris

Indiemade Twitter
In any discussion of social media, Twitter generally comes in a poor second or even third to Facebook. But when you’re talking specifically about social media as a marketing tool, I say Twitter comes out on top in three ways. First, Twitter is fast. The messages are short which makes it incredibly easy to skim. Facebook is overloaded with lengthy posts, ads, a cluttered sidebar, chat boxes and notifications all over the place.

Social Media Marketing for Creatives: Getting Started

Posted by Cynthia Boris

Social Media Tree
Social media can be a marvelous tool for not only keeping in touch with your current customers but for finding new customers as well. I say “can be”, because like all things on the internet it takes time, effort and a bit of luck. So why bother? Because in 2016, every business needs a social media presence. A Facebook page says you’re serious about what you’re doing and that makes customers feel more confident. Sounds silly, doesn’t it? But a recent survey showed that 48% of shoppers check a brand’s social media pages before committing to buy a product.

Planning for Success When You’re Not a Planner

Posted by Cynthia Boris

Sticky Notes in a Pile
I have a confession to make; I’m not much of a planner. I love Plan With Me videos and calendars of all kinds. I love the stickers and pens and I’m completely enamored with the idea of having my future sketched out in neat little boxes. Unfortunately, somewhere between my passion for planning and the actual execution, I get lost. The planners (multiple) that I bought the first week of the new year are empty and abandoned by St. Patrick’s Day. The To Do lists that work so well in April get ignored in May. The supplies I invested in because I was sure that a range of stickers and colored gel pens would keep me on track – they’re in a box in the garage waiting for the passion to return.

Traditional Calendars Cramping Your Style, Try Bullet Journaling with Kara Benz

Posted by Cynthia Boris

Bullet Journal
Traditional planners are excellent for keeping track of appointments, 'to do' lists, work hours and important reminders. But for creatives who are constantly overflowing with thoughts and ideas, calendar-based planning can feel very restrictive. If you need a more expansive way to keep track of your life, try Bullet Journaling.

Achieving Planner Peace with Alexis Giostra

Posted by Cynthia Boris

Alexis Planner
There’s a new trend that combines the visual impact of cute wall calendars with the precision of an executive Day-Timer and it’s simply referred to as “planners”. The word may be simple, but the concept is not and that can lead to rabid planner passion which rarely leads to planner peace. How does one achieve To Do list nirvana? We invited productivity expert Alexis Giostra over to chat about that very thing. Read carefully and heed her advice and soon, you too will become one with your daily schedule.

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