Aspiring Artisan: Letterhappy

Tell us a bit about yourself.
hi there! i'm christen strang and i'm the artist behind letterhappy. i'm a 25 year old southern belle born, raised, and currently living in mobile, alabama. and i love all things bright, colorful, fun.. and well, happy.

2012 wall calendar

Apart from creating things, what do you do?
although one day i would love to create happy things full time, i currently hold a part time day job at my former high school. i stand at a copy machine as big as my car for five hours a day and make copies of tests, quizzes, and assignments for the entire school. needless to say, i'm a pretty big deal.

art print

What made you first want to become an artist?
i was actually an education/english major for my first two years of college. if you had asked me what i wanted to be when i grew up, from the ages of 4 to 19, i would have said "a teacher". i was making out my schedule for my junior year, and realized that i didn't have any more spots open for the classes i really enjoyed, like art, photography, design, etc. not only that, but i was actually dreading my student teaching blocks. i had to make a decision, and i had to make it fast. i took quite possibly the biggest leap in my life, and changed majors to art business with a minor in graphic design. art had always been my passion, i just didn't realize until that moment that it would also end up being my career. it was the best decision i ever made.

What advice would you give to artists who are new to Etsy?
don't get discouraged. celebrate every single sale. take amazing pictures. give awesome customer service. be yourself. put your personality into what you do. and above all, LOVE what you do.

do what you love print

How do you promote your work? What do you find to be the most effective?
i have a twitter, {http://twitter.com/christenstrang} a facebook page {http://facebook.com/letterhappy} and a newsletter {http://eepurl.com/dE4dY}. i use all three to keep my customers and friends in the know about new products. besides those, my most effective method of promotion {specific to etsy} has been renewals. don't just let your amazing work sit there and wait for someone to come along and find it. put your goods out there, wave them in people's faces.. you're awesome and you have great stuff, your potential customers just don't know it yet.

flag necklace

I love the variety of items in your shop, where does your inspiration come from?
a lot of my typography work is heavily inspired by song lyrics. i love taking the beautiful things that we hear and turning them into beautiful things that we can see. the same goes for my cards.. mostly words and sweet sentiments, with a little bit of humor thrown in there. i'm well on my way to making letterhappy a full service boutique of sorts.. a little bit of jewelry, a little bit of vintage, and even a few screenprinted shirts make their way into the shop every now and then.

card

In ten years, where would you like to be?

ten years seems like a lifetime away, and i'm not sure i should even speculate! above all, i'd like to still be doing what i love.. and happy.. of course. :)

card