I often get asked why I have multiple venues and shops for my artwork. I'd like to explain the differences between my shops, and the reasoning behind having my artwork and books available from these different places.
I originally began selling my work through Zazzle, a print-on-demand company. This website allows artists to upload their work, and have it for sale on a variety of products. Zazzle takes care of the printing, production, and shipping of the items, and in turn the artists receive royalties. When I was in college this was an easy way for me to begin selling my work, as I did not yet have the expertise to run a website, or the time to put into developing inventory in my apartment.
Later, I started my own website, The Inky Octopus, and added a shopping cart to sell my original work. When I decided to begin self-publishing books, I wanted to have them available on Amazon as well as my own shop. Amazon of course has a powerful search engine and lots of traffic, so this is a great way for new people to discover my books.
In 2012, Matt and I decided to open an Etsy shop. We knew many people enjoy shopping on Etsy, and wanted to offer some of our most popular products there. As many of you know, we also vend at local art fairs. These in-person fairs are a great way for people to see our many items in person.
Here's a little bit more about each venue:
The Inky Octopus Shop - offers my original artwork, prints, cards, books, and shirts. You can also request custom artwork and coloring pages through this shop.
Ink 'n Scents Etsy Shop - offers my books, cards, shirts, as well as Matt's handmade incense blends.
OctopusLove Zazzle Shop - offers my artwork on a variety of items such as cards, tote bags, shirts, stickers, and more. These items can be customized, and this is a great way to add your own text to my cards, as well as order larger quantities than may be available in my shop.
Amazon - find my coloring books and story books on Amazon.
Local Events - we also offer a selection of our items at local midwest art fairs. Find out where we'll be on our event page.
Other Shops - I also have select products available in other shops around the country, such as ShopColumbia in Chicago, Illinois, and Conspire in Greencastle, Indiana.
I originally began selling my work through Zazzle, a print-on-demand company. This website allows artists to upload their work, and have it for sale on a variety of products. Zazzle takes care of the printing, production, and shipping of the items, and in turn the artists receive royalties. When I was in college this was an easy way for me to begin selling my work, as I did not yet have the expertise to run a website, or the time to put into developing inventory in my apartment.
Later, I started my own website, The Inky Octopus, and added a shopping cart to sell my original work. When I decided to begin self-publishing books, I wanted to have them available on Amazon as well as my own shop. Amazon of course has a powerful search engine and lots of traffic, so this is a great way for new people to discover my books.
In 2012, Matt and I decided to open an Etsy shop. We knew many people enjoy shopping on Etsy, and wanted to offer some of our most popular products there. As many of you know, we also vend at local art fairs. These in-person fairs are a great way for people to see our many items in person.
Here's a little bit more about each venue:
The Inky Octopus Shop - offers my original artwork, prints, cards, books, and shirts. You can also request custom artwork and coloring pages through this shop.
Ink 'n Scents Etsy Shop - offers my books, cards, shirts, as well as Matt's handmade incense blends.
OctopusLove Zazzle Shop - offers my artwork on a variety of items such as cards, tote bags, shirts, stickers, and more. These items can be customized, and this is a great way to add your own text to my cards, as well as order larger quantities than may be available in my shop.
Amazon - find my coloring books and story books on Amazon.
Local Events - we also offer a selection of our items at local midwest art fairs. Find out where we'll be on our event page.
Other Shops - I also have select products available in other shops around the country, such as ShopColumbia in Chicago, Illinois, and Conspire in Greencastle, Indiana.
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