First of I want to express my excitement for this new series of blog posts. I have asked for help from my fellow Etsy entrepreneurs, and boy O`boy did they fallow through! This first indie artist will always be near and dear to my heart maybe because she is the first of many or just because she seems like a really cool cat! So with no further ado….
1. What is your name, where are you from and what do you do?
Hey Hey!
My name is Nikole Kler – I live in a little boonie-ass country town in Michigan that lies somewhere between the big city of Detroit and the BFE world of the back woods.
I sell happy-skin-making handmade vegan soaps, scrubs and lotions on Etsy.com and have lots of fun, silly stuff that will help you get your dirty little children to actually WANT to take a bath.
2. Tell us a little more about yourself?
I have a day job working for another major city here, paying pensions to our retired heroes of the Police and Fire Departments. On top of that I co-own and help out my awesome hubby with his business, doing the books n’ paperwork n’ whatnot, and jealously desiring his freedom of being able to take advantage of self-employment.
Other than all that boring stuff… I already mentioned hubby, who at my ripe ole’ age of 35, I’ve already been with for more than ½ of my life And we live out in the country with our two goofy and lovable dogs – Bela my little princess Pitbull and Otis my big ole’ lolly-gaggy English Mastiff. Don’t get no better n’ this…
Oh wait, it could – I could ditch the day job and just be home full time making my beloved soaps, having a party with my little soapy robot friends and dorky dogs and doing the hubby-work-stuff whenever i get a chance in between. Now THAT would be the life!
3.How did you acquire your craft/art?
Honestly, my mind got bored (ok it HAD been for a while) and I needed a hobby!
I forced myself to find something to do on the side. But since I have quite a problem with believing in myself and thinking that I can actually accomplish anything half way decent – this was a much harder task than I thought.
Thankfully, I was also realizing that I was getting tired of the crappy, skin drying soap I would buy in the stores, or paying ridiculous amounts for the stuff that was actually decent. So after talking to an awesome friend that already knew about soap making, I figured I’d give it a try! I was still apprehensive, but I stuck with it and realized that dang, I actually CAN do something! All up hill from here….right?
4. What inspires you?
Anything and Everything FUN!
Quirky, Obnoxious, Geeky, Bright, Dark, Creepy, Silly & Dorky Things! (i can have fun with lots of stuff)
The possibilities are endless when you have an open mind to all things odd and stop worrying what others won’t like – who cares, make it anyways, if they don’t like it, they won’t buy it – now I know, but hell I had fun making it!
5. What is your creative process?
Just living my day to day life I suppose.
If I actually try to think about what to make – it will never come to me, its like a brain freeze without the Slurpee. But if i’m in my backyard and see a spider struttin’ over a pretty colored rock, I think “Ooo, I’d like to make a soap with a fake spider inside”
Yeah, I obviously really don’t know where it comes from…
6. What do you find to be the secret to your success?
Well let’s pretend that I’ve had lots of success here and I’ll say – Keeping it light (my mind), and having fun – people seem to like fun stuff, go figure. And if your having fun while doing it, it will show and be a draw to others.
Now, that being said… I apparently need to have WAY more fun so I can achieve that successful feeling!
7. Where are you now in your creative business and where will you be in the future?
Right now I’m still just starting off, trying to fit in a profitable hobby with my busy life. I need to set myself up with a schedule that suits all of the hats that I’m wearing and a frickin’ shelf to put them on.
And in the very near future I see myself more than accomplishing that and getting my products out there for all to see and Oooo and Ahhhh over. Or at the very least pass up on a shelf at the corner Co-op Market or craft show and say “hey, those are kinda cute”
8. Any words of wisdom to share with fellow artist/crafters?
I won’t bother with all the usual “hang in there – you can do it” type bla bla stuff, I haven’t been in the game long enough to know what the hell I’m completely doing myself. But I guess I would just have to say the same thing I keep going back to – have fun!!! If you’re really trying to make something of your craft and get it out there for all to love, it can be hard and there will be obstacles and road bumps and all sorts of other sh*t in your way to give you headaches – so relax, keep calm and don’t scream at too many people in the process, or they won’t help you out later when you could really use them.
9. What is your most favorite handmade item you have had to part with?
My soap robots, I love to play with them when I make them. But lucky for me my soapy little friendships are disposable and I can just make another army of them afterwards for my amusement!
Check our Nicole`s shop on etsy!!!
‘vegankittyxoxo’ by margopage
Vegan Sudz Shop – Natural Soaps & Lotions
 Robot Vegan Soap – Choc… $5.00
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 3 Tiki Man Soaps – Vega… $9.00
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 Natural Brown Sugar Soa… $6.00
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 Critter Soap – You Pick… $5.50
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 Skull & Crossbones Soap… $4.50
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 Bath Butter – Body Poli… $6.00
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 Bomb Diggitys – Orange … $10.50
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 Candy Cane Vegan Soap $5.00
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