Etsy Shop Alert! Interview with an Etsy Seller

an acrylic painting done by Amanda

Being the hermit that I am sometimes in the summer, I have been surfing the net and windowshopping on Etsy. I have found some shops that have matched my interest and was able to land a couple of interviews with two excellent Etsy sellers. One of them is a fabulous 23 year old girl named Amanda Pereira from Toronto, Canada.I decided why not ask her 13 random questions. And luckily, I did. Here is the interview with her.Hope all of you enjoy it. 

1. What got you started on selling on Etsy? 
 Truthfully, I started selling on Etsy because a few friends suggested it. They thought I’d enjoy it, supported my artwork, and encouraged me. It was a good idea. I love Etsy, and I’ve met a lot of great buyers and sellers there. I’ve come across so many shops filled with lovely wonders from amazingly talented people, which in itself is great inspiration.

2. Was there any trouble or questions in the beginning process of selling?

I didn’t have much trouble - Etsy is a lot easier to use than Ebay in my opinion, and [I] think anyone can get the hang of it pretty quickly if they take a quick tour and navigate around the site. It has a Help section on the website where you can email them for support, or live chat with someone. Your items stay listed for months and can be favourited by other users, so it helps get your name and products out there; I prefer it to any other site I’ve listed on thus far.

3.What's your inspiration when you make your bookmarks and art prints?

Amanda Pereira the artist

The smell of burning wood or the feel of grass on bare feet can inspire a painting or an art piece in the same way that a breakup or a death could for me. It’s all in how you perceive it and what it brings out of you; what it makes you feel, think of, remember... that’s the good thing about inspiration, there is an abundance of it, even if we have to wait for it to become obvious sometimes.

4.What do you do when you get "art blocked"?
It's not so much what I do, but what I don’t do - I don’t force it.  I wait until it hits me again, and then go from there, where ever it takes me. Sometimes it takes an hour, sometimes a day, sometimes three months. Art for me is fueled by strong emotion, and sometimes you’re not ready to bring it forward. It has to come naturally, though, because I can't create anything without putting part of myself in it, and that is something that can't be fabricated. Art has to be genuine. [And] I think it shows when someone has created for the sake of having a finished product, rather than creating because they ‘need’ to. 

5.When you are not drawing or selling on Etsy, what are you doing?

Reading books, reading the newspaper, reading emails; journaling, writing letters, writing poems, writing nonsense; bugging my boyfriend and spacing out to his beautiful music, hanging out with my momma, hanging out with my cats, hanging out with myself; making soap, making lists, making a mess; tending to my garden, brainstorming ideas for things I want to make, healing, thinking way too much... and Sims? Don’t even get me started. I’m a geek, basically.

6.Talking about books, what are your favorite books?
Oh, man... I‘m such a book nerd. I hold so many close to my heart, but my all-time favourite book[s] have always been Prozac Nation by Elizabeth Wurtzel, followed closely by the Crank series [or absolutely anything, really!] by Ellen Hopkins. The level of admiration I have for what she is able to do with words is endless, and she is by far my favourite author; the one who inspired me to keep writing when I thought I lost that, years ago.

7. Favorite horror movie?

another wonderful creation by Amanda

I love horror movies, so that’s hard to answer. I’ve always been partial to Stigmata, though. I fucking love that movie, to put it not so elegantly.

8. Any tattoos?
 I currently have 13 tattoos:  I have a painting I’d completed for my soulmate tattooed on my arm, a flat-line turned heart monitor with the number of my hospital room which I stayed in after an intense situation, 6 inkblot butterflies and three ink splats, ‘live through this’, and ‘doll parts’ – 11 of them were done by myself... but lucky for me in the future, my brother is going to be a tattoo artist! ;D

9. Most embarrassing moment?
Oh jeeze, that’s a loaded question! I’m one of the clumsiest, most awkwardly anxious people you’d ever meet, and that alone leaves me with an abundance of horribly embarrassing moments. I walk into walls and trip over my own feet on a daily basis, when I’m not scrambling my words or speaking before thinking in general. It’s hard to say... I embarrass myself quite frequently.


10.Vampire or Werewolf?
Vampire, always! I kind of have a soft spot for them; not just on my neck, [or] in the general vicinity of my jugular, either. I watched ‘Interview with the Vampire’ when I was six years old, and instantly fell in love with the essence that is the romanticised powerful immortal, capable of taking or giving eternal life.


11. Edward Scissorhands or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory?
Edward! Two words – the hair. Enough said.

one of Amanda's prints

12. What fabric print could best define your personality?
My personality can be somewhat erratic at times... part of me says animal print but that’s too generic. Part of me says kittens wearing stilettos, fag deep in cupcakes... but that’s a bit manic. Part of me says raw silk with ribbon accents, but that’s slightly tame. I’m going to go with a solid colour yeti-esque furry fabric, for no other reason than I can contently say that feels more ‘me’. A bit loud [and] kind of curious...

13. And last but not least: what advice can you give to people who want to sell on Etsy but are being skeptical on their decision?

Do it – because the worst that can happen is... well, quite literally, nothing. If you don’t attempt to get your name out there and sell on Etsy, you can’t say, ‘At least I tried!’ Give it a go; chances are many people will come across your shop who will absolutely love what you have to offer. If nothing else, it allows you the freedom to offer your talents and passion to a wider audience from the comfort of your bedroom, living room, backyard, etc. It’s kind of awesome in that way.

if you like to see more of Amanda's Etsy shop, February Flowers, you may check it out at http://www.etsy.com/shop/februaryflowers

 or you can check her other websites if you like:

DeviantART:  http://youwillfade.deviantart.com/

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/februaryflowers

Twitter: http://twitter.com/februaryflowers

Formspring: http://www.formspring.me/mandaquin