Today’s Indie Artist Fixx interview is with Ashely Alexander of i’m smitten. Most of you are probably already familiar with Ashley’s iconic illustration Antler Girl and are taken with her work as much as I am, but hopefully this will be a way you can learn more about Ashley. Looking to add a little bit of magic to our days, Ashley creates cards, prints, bags, t-shirts and more with her whimsical and enchanting illustrations. I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next! 😉
Here’s Ashley in her own words.
1. What’s the name of your business and what do create and sell?
My business is called i’m smitten and I sell stationery, prints, t-shirts, cards, buttons, tote bags…um I think thats it 🙂
2. When did you get started with your business and why did you decide to open your own indie biz?
I started about five years ago. I just started making my little drawings into cards and t-shirts and buttons, because I liked the idea of these creepy little sweet images being out in public walking around or traveling around through the mail.
3. What’s the creative process like for you?
I think of a subject or topic I want to convey, or a particular animal I want to draw and do sketches in my journal. Actually, the most successful images have been accidents. Antler girl was just me goofing around in my journal—she was unplanned and she has become my logo.
4. What’s been your biggest accomplishment so far?
Well, I just finished illustrating a book for Chronicle Books, which technically is the biggest accomplishment career wise, but actually, I recently forced myself to walk into some stores and ask to speak with the buyer, showed them my stuff and they placed some orders. I know it doesn’t sound like much, but I was so scared and it was really encouraging that I was able to do that.
5. Tell us one funny/goofy/silly thing about yourself.
I think I sometimes get so excited about something that I don’t think it through before I act on it. When I lived in Budapest I decided I loved the idea of being an expatriate Jazz singer in a foreign country, so I placed these ads in the local paper (which took a fair amount of effort, just to do that) and called for musicians who would be interested in playing with a young, female American jazz singer. I got calls and set up interviews and then realized that I don’t have the slightest idea how to be a jazz singer, that I don’t know how to sing, have no training, and wouldn’t have any clue when to “come in” when they started playing and worst of all, was terrified of singing in front of anyone else. It never occurred to me until right then! So I had to call everyone back and cancel! I try to think things through a bit better now.
6. What’s the best thing about what you do? And the worst?
Being able to make my own schedule. Always feeling like there is more I could be doing.
7. What blogs and mags do you read and what shops do you shop at? List as many as you want.
Venus, Bust, Flaundie, Little Paper Planes, Cut and Paste, Buy Olympia, day-lab…
8. Were you an artsy craftsy kid? If so, what kinds of things did you do?
Yeah, I was constantly trying to make things, making little books with stories and illustrations—we still have some of them. Of course, like every girl at that time, I was really into drawing unicorns and Pegasus and horses.
9. If a genie came along and granted you one wish, what would it be?
To know I would be happy and surrounded by good people who I love, for the rest of my life.
10. What does indie mean to you? You can give a literal definition, choose to be a little esoteric or a combination of both. 😉
To me, it means not adhering to mainstream society or culture, doing things on your own terms, which often means not putting monetary gain as the major objective. Trying to make something a little different than the norm, which will hopefully broaden people’s perspectives, make them think a little.
11. What are you reading, watching and listening to?
Reading a bunch of books on fairy tales, a book on octopi by Jacques Cousteau, a business book about book keeping. Watching—well, this weekend it was the football playoffs. Listening—right now in my disk player: Feist, The Royal Tannenbaum’s soundtrack, the Exploding Hearts, a mix from my boyfriend, the new Smashing Pumpkins and the Shins.
12. What are your inspirations?
Mostly animals, nature. Some old stories—I like looking through old fairy tales, particularly foreign ones because they can be so creepy, they give me ideas. Sometimes it will just be something one of my friend’s kids says. I’m inspired by people who have a positive energy and work hard, but know how to enjoy and appreciate life.
13. What’s new for 2008? Any new plans or products that you want to share?
I just released several new prints, three of which will be new cards, and I am working on a tea set- hopefully it will be available by Easter.
