Wednesday Indie Artist Fixx with Rock Scissor Paper

workshop_image1.jpg For today’s Indie Artist Fixx I’m sharing my interview with sisters & co-owners of Rock Scissor Paper, Susie & Heidi Bauer. The Bauer sisters first opened Rock Scissor Paper in 1993 as a small home-based business & have worked to grow it into a worldwide brand carrying over 500 products.  They design, manufacture, package and ship all of Rock Scissor Paper’s products from their Los Angeles area warehouse now instead of their living rooms!
Susie and Heidi are having a one-day workshop next month in LA that will cover the “ins and outs” of the stationery industry. This class is for artists, graphic designers, photographers and crafters interested in exploring opportunities in the stationery world and those who are maybe 2 years into their businesses and are at a point where they need

more information and direction. Students will have an opportunity to get feedback on their product line during a workshop component of the class.

Here is a link to a pdf that outlines what the class is all about, what it will cover and how to sign up.

Learn more about Rock Scissor Paper and Susie & Heidi in  my interview below.

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1. What’s the name of your business and what do create and sell?

Rock Scissor Paper – we create & sell greeting cards, stationery, note books, invitations, thank you cards, holiday cards & gift tags, tote bags, coasters, and pillows all with our original artwork. Also through our esty shop: one-of-a-kind stuffed animals and artwork.

2. Tell us how you got started with your indie business…why cards?

We have always been crafty, making things for ourselves and as gifts. When Susie got married in 1991, we made beautiful handmade invitations using a bookbinding technique. At that point in time, no one really made handmade or even very unique wedding invites. It caused quite a fuss among our friends. The invitations got shown to friends of friends and so on, and soon we had people calling us asking for custom invitations and cards. In 1993 both of our jobs were at a crossroads and we decided that we should go for it and try to make a business out of our card making.

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3. What are your inspirations in your art and in life?

To name just a few: thrifting, vintage printed fabrics, old toys, memories from childhood, California, photography, Charley Harper silkscreens, winged creatures, the wonders of nature, Russel Wright, hidden treasures.

4. What’s the best thing about what you do? And the worst?

Best: we get to work together and design things that we love…that’s the fun.
Worst: That the “Best” part noted above is only 10% of our day.

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5. What blogs and mags do you read and what shops do you shop at?

Blogs: design*sponge, decor8, print & pattern, apartment therapy, wish jar…to name just a few!
Mags: Readymade, Dwell, Food & Wine, Small
Shops: thrifting, etsy

6. Were you an artsy craftsy kids? If so, what kinds of things did you do?

Oh yes we were! We were constantly making things! We are only 2 years apart and have always been close and together developed a very imaginative world that we lived in. Together, we loved to make miniature dollhouses out of shoeboxes, and any scraps of stuff laying around. We crocheted, sewed doll clothes, made cards and artwork. In fact our very first “invitation” creation was an invite our parents commissioned for a Fourth of July party. They asked us to each design something special (we were 7 & 9) and they chose Susie’s design. (Heidi is still upset about this…)

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7. What does  indie mean to you? You can give a literal definition, choose to be a little esoteric or a combination of both. 😉

Self financed, not part of a huge conglomerate. We design very personally…we do what we want to do, and our designs are only based on that and no other outside criteria. We have built a company that allows us to explore any design whim, no matter how silly or unprofitable it may seem.

8. What are you reading, watching and listening to?

Listening to: Foals, Frightened Rabbit, Elbow, Sigur Ros, The Clash, The White Stripes
Reading: Hand Job: A Catalog of Type, This is for You by Rob Ryan, Pops! by Krystina Castella, Heyday by Kurt Anderson
Watching: Ovation TV

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9. What’s one thing you’ve learned as an adult that you wish you knew when you were a kid?

That your “Permanent Record” means absolutely nothing.

10. List three famous or infamous people you’d love to meet?

Tom Waits, David Hockney, Martha Stewart.

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11. What’s new for 2008? Any new plans or products that you want to share?

This year we are introducing for the first time a group of fun colorful, back-to-school designs that we are really excited about. Also, in the last couple of years we’ve started to consult with up and coming design entrepreneurs. Not only has this been very enjoyable for us, but in the process of putting class material together, we’ve gained a great insight into our own business and where we want to go next with it. We really like the process of helping creative individuals navigate the rough waters of turning your craft into a business and want to expand on this in the future. We’re taking our first step toward that goal by teaching a class on the stationery industry in September of this year. This class is part of a series put on by a wonderful organization called the Design Entrepreneurs Network.

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