Can't Wait Til Tuesday Progression

I'm thrilled to announce a new spin on my "Tuesday Progression" series-- VIDEO progressions!! I was far too excited to wait until Tuesday to share it with you though, so here it is! Enjoy!

Just a little giggle...

Artwork by MoKoPo Creations

A Penny For Your Thoughts?

Sneak Peek of Upcoming Series: MoKoPo Letter Art

Just in time for the holiday gift-giving season, I will be releasing colorful, vibrant, graphic letters that can be mixed and matched to create whatever name or phrase you'd like! Perfect for family names, new babies' rooms, and inspirational words! Hooray!


I will announce when all of the letters are complete and ready for purchase in my shop!

!!! Art Show Tomorrow !!!

Hope to see you there!!

My Stormy, Stormy Brain

I have no idea where I would be without my sketchbook. It's filled with all sorts of things-- new artwork ideas, business plans, grocery lists, home decor layouts, and to do lists. I have more than one sketchbook that I use at any given time but the important thing is that the storm is out of my brain and onto paper so I can come back to it later.

Here are a few pages out of one of my sketchbooks:

cover

MoKoPo logo brainstorm

Future business/Dream studio layout

buck and libby doodles

Mind-numbing Inclusion/Exclusion Criteria still in my sketchbook from my old job as a Psychiatric Research Coordinator. I leave it in there to remind me of how much I DON'T regret leaving that job.

A sneak peek at an upcoming project I'm working on. It's gonna be Fuuu-uuuun so stay tuned!

Do you keep a sketchbook? What do you fill it with? Do you have any pictures? Share them in the comments!

Business, Learning, and Links, OH MY!-- A Midwest Craft Caucus Recap

This past weekend my friend and creative cohort, Jess of Iris Photography, and I took a road trip from Cincinnati to Columbus to attend the "Midwest Craft Caucus". I had been super excited about it from the moment I registered a couple of months ago, but even with all the anticipation it far exceeded my expectations!

The caucus took place over the course of two days: Saturday from 9:00-4:30 and Sunday from 9:00-2:30. It was comprised of both Q&A expert panel discussions on topics such as Social Media, Being Successful on Etsy, and the Future of Handmade as well as smaller breakout sessions. These breakout sessions were more intimate discussions led by crafty business owners, bloggers, and other experts. Everyone attended the panels while each session period had 3 different options to choose from. The fact that attendees got to choose whichever topics they felt were most applicable to their current business was genius planning, in my opinion. It prevented boredom and kept us engaged, instead of having to sit through a discussion that was far too novice or advanced for us.

 To give you a better idea of the overall event, here is the exact schedule that I chose for myself, a general description of each session, and some tidbits of wisdom I gained from each:

Saturday  

1. Social Media Roundtable:

The effectiveness of various social media platforms including Blogs, Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Pinterest, etc. and how to use these platforms to engage with your customers.

Tidbit: Don't bombard followers with only sales-related information. You will start to look like a spambot. Use the 1:1:1 rule-- for every 1 sale-related post, do 1 personal post, and 1 post that is related to your craft but not about you (post about other shops, interesting articles, etc.) Balance is key!

2. Financial Planning for the Craft Entrepreneur:

Assistant VP of Business Banking at Chase, Aaron Pitcock, told us everything we needed to know to get things organized on the dreaded financial-side of business form how to open a business checking account, tips for keeping things organized, and what business structure is best for our business.

Tidbit: If you are planning to borrow money for your business at some point, don't wait until you need it. The best time to take out a line of credit is when cash flow is good. Think of it more as an insurance line for when cash flow is not so good.

3. Pricing Strategies for Crafters:

Grace Dobush, creator of Cincinnati's Crafty Supermarket and author of Crafty Superstar, discussed different pricing structures, wholesale vs. retail pricing, and the downfalls of under- and over-pricing.

Tidbit: Keep meticulous records of all of your administrative costs (listing fees, shipping costs, merchant fees, domain name, etc.) for a year. Divide this total by 2080 (# of working hours in a year) and be sure to add that to your hourly wage. It's these little things that add up and eat away at your personal hourly wage.



 4. Careers in Craft:

This panel focused on the lifestyles and journeys of successful business owners who were able to transform their hobbies and passions for craft into full-time careers.

Tidbit: Set goals and put them in writing. Re-evaluate these goals frequently to help you stay on track and to hold you accountable.








5. Working with Retailers:

Handmade shop owners Olivera Bratich (Wholly Craft!), Amanda Mauer Taflinger (Homespun: Modern Handmade), and Nicole Wolfersberger (Paper Crane Studio and Gallery), talk about the best strategies for approaching stores, the differences between consignment and wholesale, and the Do's and Don'ts of retail selling.

Tidbit: Research each store thoroughly before approaching them to sell. Check out their website or visit in person if you can to make sure your item is a good fit. Blindly emailing owners without a sense of where your products fit in with their shop is never a good idea.



6. Maintaining a Webstore:

Alison and Nick Nocera of AlisonRose.com offered insight into the world of e-commerce outside of etsy. They discussed the various shopping cart options to add to your personal site, how to remain customer-friendly, and how to direct traffic to your shop.

Tidbit: Keep shopping cart simple, streamlined, and light in order to direct focus to your products and to avoid overwhelming customers.


7. Organizing a Craft Fair:

Successful craft fair planners walked us through the process of planning a craft fair from beginning to end. They gave us tips on finding funding, how to promote your fair successfully, and how to select venues and vendors.

Tidbit: Start with developing your show's identity and go from there. Create a theme, a website, a logo, and branding before promoting to make it easier for potential vendors to decide whether they are a good fit for the show, as well as to make the event more memorable and identifiable for potential attendees.




8. Connecting to Your Community:

Panelists discussed the importance of going beyond dollars and cents to develop relationships with your community as a means to positively affect local cities and towns, as well as to promote the handmade movement.

Tidbit: Most people these days have heard about the economic and environmental importance of "shopping local" but many are still unsure of how to go about doing that. We as artists and crafters help by giving people an outlet to accomplish this.

Sunday

1. The Craft Fair Experience:

Craft fair insiders gave us the scoop on everything from getting the most out of your application process to being a good vendor and neighbor at the show. 

Tidbit: Don't expect the show organizers to do all the leg work. Utilize the promotional materials that each show gives you and promote to your own fan base.

2. Teaching Your Craft:

Emily Westenhouser, teacher of both craft and fine arts, talked to us about her experience in each of these fields, how she got started, the differences between teaching children and adults, and venues where freelance teachers work. 

Tidbit: For those who are newbies at teaching in the arts and crafts realm, start out by volunteering at community centers, shops, and museums that offer classes. Think of your volunteer experience as long-term training for the teaching jobs you would like to pursue down the line.

3. Getting Published:

We got to interact with Grace Dobush once again as she gave us insider tips on how to get started guest writing for popular blogs, getting articles published in magazines, and even writing your own craft books.

Tidbit: When pitching potential articles to magazine editors, don't just offer a topic, offer a new angle on that topic. For example, don't email and say, "I'd love to write an article about crocheting for your Crochet Monthly Magazine". Be more specific such as, "I'd love to write a How-To article about crocheting miniature dog replicas to go in purses so you can get the look of accessory pups without purchasing a real dog. I have sold many of these crochet dogs at shows and online and many people have expressed interest in learning how to crochet them for themselves."

4. Finding Success On Etsy

We attendees were lucky enough to be graced with the presence of Danielle Maveal from Etsy.com as she spoke to us about what it really takes to be a successful Etsy seller. She addressed such topics as accurate tagging, thorough item descriptions, and what to do if you're an Etsy virgin.

Tidbit: When trying to figure out who your target market is or what your ideal customer looks like, just remember that they probably look just like you...but with more money.

5. Working with Street Teams and Collectives

Stephanie Tardy of Handmade Detroit, Abby Langdon of Etsy's Plush Team, and Cinnamon Cooper of the Chicago Craft Mafia offered incredibly insightful words of wisdom about the ins and outs of starting and operating a successful crafty collective. They discussed everything from funding, to team organizational structures and committee responsibilities, to how to gracefully part ways with not-so-great members. 

Tidbit: Set up a group mission statement at the beginning of formation to establish guidelines for team membership and to avoid getting members whose goals do not align with those of the group.

**WOW! WOW! WOW! So much great information!**

The funny part about all of this is that I only attended 1/3 of the possible sessions that were being held at the caucus. If I were able to attend all of the informational sessions I think my brain would have turned into blissfully educated mush. The creative energy in the room was buzzing, and we left feeling inspired, motivated, rejuvenated, and re-focused. The organizers and volunteers did an excellent job of keeping everyone engaged, informed, and fed. I would definitely attend another caucus in the future!

Did you attend the caucus?? What did you think? I would love to hear from you!

New Website: Streamlined and Info-friendly!

I just wanted to pop in to let you all know that I have revamped the MoKoPo Headquarters site! HOORAY! Yes, I know, it seems like I've made it over a thousand times (ok, ok, this is the 4th version) but here's a brief little history of events:

MoKoPo #1 was created via Weebly and it was very simple and boring. It also contained a bunch of my old high school work. Cool.

MoKoPo #2 was launched via Wix. I love the Wix platform but it was more of a portfolio slideshow than anything else and you had to scroll through all of my work to find the one piece you were looking for.

MoKoPo #3 was created more as a headquarters type of site. I wanted categories for my portfolio which was the main focus of this site. However, my "New in the Studio" category quickly became too full and the layout wasn't the best, leaving me little room to add more categories of work.

SO! #4 is officially launched! A few highlights:

• I nixed the slideshow and went with a gallery layout of my work instead. I also streamlined my portfolio so that it included only the signature "MoKoPo" style that I'm promoting right now, and not everything I've ever done. I think I might create a small website to serve as a full portfolio just for myself but that's on the back-burner.
• This one has direct links to my other websites including my blog, facebook page, etsy shop, and new Buck and Libby site. The old website was set up so you would click one "blog" on the front page, which would lead you to another page to click, and then FINALLY get to my blog. Blah! Too many steps!
• An easier to read (and easier to manage) "Upcoming Events" page
• Social Media Buttons including facebook, twitter, and blogger
• And my personal favorite out of everything: The front page is LOADED with information! I love that I can post all of the major news on the very first page to keep my fans and followers updated. 

Will this be my last MoKoPo Website revamp? Probably not. But I'm definitely more satisfied with the current set up.

Check out the new site here: www.MoKoPo.com and let me know what you think!

Spring Giveaway!!

Since it is now officially Spring, (even though the chilly Cincinnati weather suggests otherwise) I decided to celebrate by offering an AWESOME Giveaway from the MoKoPo Shop!!

(for shipping purposes, contest is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada only)

So what am I giving away??

One lucky Grand Prize winner will receive a CUSTOM MoKoPo Creations Mini-Painting! You pick your favorite quote and I will create an ORIGINAL one of a kind 5x5 painting featuring that quote on gallery-wrapped canvas! How fun!!

And, since I really REALLY love Spring, I will also be giving away prizes to a second and third place winner!

2nd: a $15.00 print of their choice from the shop -or- 20% off their next MoKoPo purchase!

3rd: a $10.00 print of their choice from the shop -or- 10% off their next MoKoPo purchase!

Saweeeeet!

Now that you know what you can win (and are obviously super excited about it!) there a TONS of ways to enter:

1. Make sure you are following my blog and leave a comment telling me why you love spring!
2. Make sure you "Like" my Facebook Fan Page and leave a wall posting there about your favorite thing to do in nice weather!
3. Make sure you are following me on Twitter and send me tweet @MoKoPoCreations about where you would go if you could go anywhere for Spring Break
4. Sign up for my Newsletter!
5. Post a link to this giveaway on YOUR blog
6. Post a link to this giveaway on YOUR facebook page
7. Retweet my tweet about this giveaway!

Wow! With so many ways to enter, how can you NOT!? I'm making it super easy because I want you to win some great goodies!

Three IMPORTANT final notes:

1. The more ways you enter, the more chances you get to win! (1 entry per method listed above)
2. Make sure to leave me a comment on my blog or email me (mokopo@gmail.com)telling me EACH way you entered so I know how many entries you get! As much as I'd love to search for them all through the interwebs, this will make it a zillion times easier on me (thanks!) If you are already a follower of my blog or twitter, or a subscriber to my newsletter, etc. be sure to mention that in the comment to me as well.
3. Deadline is April 15th! HURRY!

OKAY! That's it! Go forth and spread the word!!

HAPPY SPRING EVERYONE!

Upcoming Art Show!!

 

What: Newport on the Levee Arts Fest!

When: Saturday April 30th 11:00AM-8:00PM

                    and 

      Sunday May 1st 12:00PM-6:00PM

Where: Newport on the Levee

       Art on the Levee Gallery

Art, Food, Wine, Entertainment!

Mark Your Calendars and Bring Your Friends!

 

My Lucky Day, and YOUR lucky day!

WOOHOOO!!! I was casually surfing the web and decided to mosey over to Etsy to see what was happening, and what do I see? MY PRINT! ON THE FRONT PAGE! I was super duper excited! What a lucky day!

And! As it turns out, it is YOUR lucky day to! Why? Because for TODAY ONLY your entire purchase from my Etsy shop will be 20% OFF! Just enter coupon code LUCKY when prompter during checkout! Happy St. Patty's Day!

New in the Shop: Greeting Cards

5x7 Greeting Cards with Envelopes

Six Different Prints to Choose From

Now available in my Etsy shop!

www.mokopo.etsy.com

 

Websites I Love

It's unbelievable how much I have learned about being a business owner just by browsing blogs, keeping my eyes peeled (that saying gives me the creeps by the way), and googling like a crazy person. So, in order to pay it forward, I thought I would share the websites I have found, use, and LOVE.

1. MailChimp

This is an easy-to-use site for creating mailing lists and email campaigns. My super fun monthly newsletters are created through this site. You can sign up for them over there on the right ----->

or by clicking here: (Newsletter! WooHoo!)

2. Outright

If bookkeeping intimidates you, this will be your best friend. It's super easy to keep track of your finances, you can link up your bank account, and it's FREE. Sa-weeeet!

3. Art Biz Blog

This blog is stuffed full of awesome tips and articles about owning and running a successful art business. It offers insight on everything from inspiring creativity and pricing your work, to becoming a licensed artist and navigating the twitter world. If you're an artist, you should check it out!

4. Elance

I just recently discovered this website and it's great as both a business owner and an artist. On one hand, I can work as a freelancer, finding jobs that have been posted like website design and illustration. On the other hand, I can find people to hire to do those things that I don't know how to do that can help my business (more intricate website building, bookkeeping, etc.) One-stop shop!

5.  Wix

This is the platform that I used to design and build both of my websites (www.MoKoPo.com and www.MeganPetersLMT.com). It is free to build sites and it's SUPER user-friendly. There are tons of templates to make your own, or you can start from scratch. Love. Love. Love.

6. Vistaprint

This is the website that I order all of my promotional items from. I've gotten everything from business cards to magnets to an art show banner. They always have crazy good deals going on and many times you can get free items as well.

7. Clearbags

Okay, so they don't have a very creative name, but you know exactly what you're getting! I order all of my clear plastic sleeves for my fine art prints from this company. They have a ZILLION sizing options, fast shipping, and good customer service.

8. Uline

This is the company that I order my shipping supplies from.  They have everything you can think of for shipping/packing purposes at great bulk prices. But be warned, when you order in bulk, you get GIANT packages that take over your living room (haha)

New in the studio

Prints will be coming soon!

MoKoPo/Zazzle Collabo!

My MoKoPo gift shop is NOW OPEN on zazzle.com!

Do you like MoKoPo Creations but wish some of the artwork were more functional? Now you can get my artwork on a t-shirt, mug, greeting card and more!

I recommend getting the Mr. and Mrs. Fancy Giraffes on his and hers cooking aprons as a cute wedding present!! Happy shopping! And be sure to keep checking back for more artwork options!

OMG! QUICK!

You have until MIDNIGHT tonight to get your MoKoPo Print orders in to take advantage of the 
BUY ONE, GET ONE 50% OFF 
deal! Contact me with the prints you would like and I'll set up a CUSTOM order with the discounted price, just for you. 
Spread the word!

A Critter Christmas Treasury!

I am honored to be a part of such a cute and furry treasury :) Check out my Peacock painting as well as other talented artists' "Critter" Creations at http://www.etsy.com/treasury/

Tuesday Progression

Please excuse the the huge jump to the final product...I was "in the zone" and totally forgot to take pics of the final steps :)