Buzz is here! “What’s Buzz?” you ask. Well, it’s my new PR company for small indie businesses. I’ve had this in the works for a while and I’m so excited to be finally debuting it for you today!

Calling on my experience in both the indie design world & the non-profit world,  my goal is to promote small  independent businesses by helping them to effectively communicate their business to the world. Services include: business branding; press-kit creation; website content, pitch & news release crafting; as well as PR repping.

I want to do the work that you don’t have the time or knowledge to do—as well as help you learn how to do your own PR work…thereby making myself irrelevant, I know, but earning some good karma.

Prices are ridiculously reasonable and meant to be affordable for indie biznesses. I will also only be taking a small number of clients at a time, so I can make sure to give individual attention to you & your PR needs.

Find out more HERE and/or contact me for more info HERE. You can also sign-up for the newsletter HERE.

And if you decide you need some Buzz,  I am offering 20% off all Buzz services for new customers for the month of March!

Painting in progress

1. Tell us a little about yourself and your work.

My name is Jessica Gonacha Swift (I’m slowly phasing out the Gonacha part of my name,) and I’m an artist in Atlanta, GA. I create a variety of work, including paintings, illustrations, surface pattern designs, and prints of my work. I also make some products using my repeat patterns, like coasters and necklaces, and I sell all of it in my etsy shop and on my website.

Jessica’s studio

2. When did you get your start and what made you decide to take the plunge?

I’ve been an artist my whole life, and I got a BFA in college. When I graduated I literally didn’t make any art for about a year, and one day I started painting again. I was unhappy at my job as a waitress, and I decided I needed more. I had entered a juried art show and been accepted, and I got fed up with my job one day and quit. I basically decided that I’d see how the show went and that I was going to try to make a living as an artist. There was absolutely no plan in place. The show ended up being a big success, which gave me the confidence to keep going, and I haven’t looked back since! All of a sudden it’s just what I was doing. I know that’s not a very clear explanation, but looking back that really is how it happened– I jumped without over-thinking it all, and my path appeared underneath my feet. I just keep walking it now to see where it leads me.

Jump illustration

3. What’s your creative process like?

It really depends on what I’m creating. Usually I have no plan when I start a piece (are you seeing a theme here? I seem to not plan very well…) Basically I just start drawing, painting, doodling on my digital tablet, or whatever strikes my fancy, and eventually an idea will pop into my head, or a shape will look right, and I take it from there. I try to just stay very open to whatever is coming through me, and the piece (be it a painting, an illustration, or a repeat pattern) will tell me what it needs. Does that sound sort-of woo woo? It feels a little woo woo. Honestly, sometimes I look at something I made and think “now where did that come from?” It’s a little crazy!

This is the Moment painting

4. What’s been your favorite piece that you’ve ever created and/or your favorite project you ever worked on?

That’s a hard one! My favorite piece, I think, is called This is the Moment.I’m not sure what it is about it, but I just love it. It’s hanging on our living room wall, and I could never sell it. It was the first piece in a new series of work, and I loved creating it. As for a favorite project, I think I’m going to pick a favorite recent project. I just finished working on a large-scale illustrated map for a client for his 40th wedding anniversary– he was going to surprise his wife with it. They’ve traveled and lived all over the world, and I got to illustrate those places and the special memories he has from their life together. I thought it was the most touching gift, and I had a great time working on it.

5. What three things would you want to be able to have if you were on a deserted island? Beyond the basics of survival.

A pen, a journal, and an iPod, definitely.

6. What other types of crafty stuff to you do?

I don’t do a ton of outside crafting, actually. Most of what I work on is directly related to my business, and I have a hard time doing other things a lot of the time! I always hand-make birthday cards for family members, and I do little sewing or knitting projects here and there, and I always make my own lotions/creams to use on my skin… I’d love to start doing more crafty stuff!!

Winter is Coming illustration

7. What have you recently been reading, watching and listening to?

Reading: A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle and The Magic of Thinking Big by David Schwartz. Both great books!

Watching: Dexter. My husband and I are obsessed!

Listening: I’ve recently become enthralled with Lady Gaga. It was a total shocker to me when I started liking her, but her songs have been in my head for weeks, and I love her more every day!

8. What’s new or in the works?

Well, mostly these days I’m preparing to exhibit at Surtex in NYC in May– this will be my first time exhibiting, and I’m so excited and nervous!! So I’m making tons and tons of repeat patterns these days. Also, I’m going to be working on a kids book with the fabulous Danielle Laporte, and I have a couple of things that are still under wraps. Also, my first ever fabric line is coming out in June, so keep your eyes peeled in your favorite fabric stores!

Camellia garden patterns

You Simply Glow painting

For the garden, I only use seeds from small independent companies who are committed to sustainability. Here’s a good list of seed companies…I’ve ordered seeds from High Mowing Seeds (the company I have used the most), Seeds of Change & Seed Savers. Seeds Savers is a non-profit organization of gardeners dedicated to saving and sharing heirloom seeds, so I’m really excited to be ordering from them for the 1st time this year.

Why is it so important to order from the smaller independent companies? Well, for one they offer organic seeds. They also realize that diversity is important & that agricultural mono-cultures should not be promoted. They also encourage seed saving, when possible, instead of trying to prosecute those who do it. They offer Heirloom varieties, which is awesome, because who wants to eat the same kind of tomato all the time? They also do not genetically modify their seed, so that it can only be grown by being sprayed with a pesticide, that they also just happen to sell. Okay, that’s enough of being up on my soapbox. Just some food for thought for all of you growing plants this year.

Anyway, here’s a list of what I am planning on growing over the spring & summer.

Aren’t they pretty?  Between our CSA farm share and the garden, I’m sure we will have plenty of veggies this year. Don’t you wish you lived closer?

My muddy gardening boots after an afternoon of  working on expanding the garden. Last year was our 1st year of vegetable gardening, it went so well that we decided to double the garden this year. Plus, we will be growing tomatoes & herbs in pots on the deck, so there will be a lot of growing going on! That’s also not to mention the flower beds in the front of the house, which I plan on making a haven for the bees and butterflies.

Seeds planted, check! Now, we wait….

By guest contributor Amy Anderson

This is for those nights when you play dress-up, leave the guys behind, and get some margaritas with your favorite ladies!

1. Dress from Dahl   2. Shoes from Lea’s Vintage   3. Compact from Bluebonnets Etc.   4. Bracelet from Studio Rona   5. Purse from Farrago Bags   6. Ring from The Pebble Collection

About the contributor: Amy Anderson is an Indie Fixx intern and is also a student at Northwestern University. Amy has wanted to be a journalist since she was just 5 years old and she is also into the indie design and crafting scenes as well. In addition to writing the occasional post, she also helps me with a variety of projects.

For those who read Readymade magazine, you may have already seen this, but when I 1st saw the February/March cover I flipped. Featured on the cover was El Cosmico, a concept lodging destination in Marfa, Texas in southwest Texas. El Cosmisco features renovated vintage trailers, reinvented yurt structures called eco shacks, a traditional 22 ft. diameter Sioux teepee & and a number of tent campsites for visitors. It’s designed to be more than a just remote getaway too, with workshops and retreats ranging from sewing to cooking to art classes & writing workshops. Plans are also in the works for a series of art creation spaces as well. Some of the trailers are really stunningly renovated and it’s now officially one of the places Mr. Indie Fixx and I want to visit.  Especially since our friends want us to visit them when they move back to Alamogordo, New Mexico!

Take a look and see if your image of trailers isn’t modified some!

{{{{image from El Cosmico}}}

{{{{image from El Cosmico}}}

{{{{image from Readymade magazine}}}

{{{{image from Readymade magazine}}}

{{{{image from Readymade magazine}}}

If you are an artist interested in participating in the project, email me at jen@indiefixx.com and I’d be happy to take a look at your work.

Asja Boroš - Asja is an artist and an illustrator from Croatia who loves to create colorful, whimsical illustrations and drawings. Color schemes play an important role in her work and she especially enjoy drawing geometric shapes, lines and patterns. She also loves designing cute characters. Originally an animator by profession, in the last couple of years she has been more focused on illustration. See more on her website and on her blog.

Download Asja’s print HERE!

Started in Seattle in 2006 by O’Reilly’s Brady Forrest and Bre Pettis, the goal of Ignite is to help build community connections & help  people  learn about  new stuff & to become inspired. I’m planning on attending another event next month as well….I’m even thinking about presenting. There’s probably an Ignite event going on near you too!

So, I have something to share with you from the other night.  One of the presenters was Kevin Fleming, a local Delaware photographer. He is working on a couple of wildlife books and I thought I’d share some of his photographs here, so you can see how pretty Delaware is. Of course, all of the images are of cute fuzzy woodland creatures.

I will be sharing more about Ignite, including some video of some of the presentations from the other night, so stay tuned.

{{{all images by Kevin Fleming}}}

Here are some suggestions from the Indie Fixx Green Galleria. Makes me wish I had little kids!

1. Earthy Beginnings
2. Green Thread
3. bubble
4. Lillipops Designs
5. Earth Cadets
6. Imaginative Play Toys
7. Playing Grown Up
8. Carmenesque

 The Indie Fixx Galleria is an online showcase of handmade, indie-made & vintage goods. Think of it as an ‘indie mall’ featuring a mix of designers & boutiques to provide a curated shopping experience. Participants do pay a fee to take part, but the Galleria is juried.