Etsy Seller Interview with Sage of snakeEYEart

How snakeEYEart got started

Introduce your Etsy shop and tell us your story. How did you begin and decide on what to sell on Etsy, and how do you create your products?

Hi there! My name is Sage, and I am the human behind snakeEYEart. My Etsy shop is snakeEYEart. I am an artist who sells prints, originals, customs, stickers, merch, and more of my artwork. My whole life, I loved to draw, but in my early 20s, I stopped creating. After a few years of creative block, I finally had the physical and emotional space to start again and was reminded of how much I loved art. I began passionately drawing again and started sharing it on social media, something I had never done before. My art is a bit all over the place, as I like to play with various mediums and themes, but ultimately it celebrates the feminine form and nature with a little bit of darkness. At the urge of friends and family, I got some stickers made of my art by a small company and figured out how to open an Etsy shop in December 2019.

It’s been a lot of trial and error as far as deciding what to sell and sourcing merchandise I cannot make myself. I am lucky to have a wide network of friends and family who are creatives in one way or another, so I can reach out and get recommendations for sourcing. I try to support small businesses as much as I can, and I have tried lots of different shops for stickers, prints, stamps, etc. I mostly like to get stickers, shirts, and prints made, but I play around with beanies, keychains, tapestries, and more as well. I have even had rubber stamps of my art made and hand-stamped shirts myself! I think it’s so fun how many options are out there! It takes a while to get to know your ever-changing customer base and what they will want and like. I think it’s always safe to make shirts with your art on them. Everyone loves a shirt.

Favorite items

What are your favorite items? What makes these so special? Why do you think these items might be selling well?

This is hard to answer! I love my Cosmic sticker pack, which comes with two super shiny holographic stickers of two of my favorite pieces of art I’ve done! One was the first sticker I ever got made, and I have sold over 175 of them. I also really love the full-color yoga pose shirts I got made recently.

Getting sales on Etsy

How long did it take for you to earn your first sale and how do you currently attract customers to your Etsy shop?

Stickers were the first sale I ever got, and it happened super fast. I was really shocked and excited! I opened my shop around Christmas time in 2019, so the first few months of 2020 were spent learning how to operate the shop, source prints, and all of that. I got a decent amount of sales, a lot from friends, which was really helpful for my learning process. Then the pandemic hit, and things changed, of course. Companies were closing, and the mail took forever to get supplies and ship stuff out. There were a lot of challenges there, but because I was out of work with my normal job, I was creating like crazy and selling a lot because everyone was at home shopping!

I am now adjusting to life returning to a more "normal" state. I haven’t been able to create as much because I juggle a few other jobs, and people in general are having financial struggles and buying less art. I am currently reworking how to attract customers! I try to do lots of local art shows, and social media (mostly Instagram and TikTok) has been a big help for me, although those algorithms have their challenges as well. Like sourcing, this has been trial and error for me as well, and it definitely ebbs and flows.

Managing snakeEYEart

How do you manage your shop? Are you running solo or do you have any team members? What tools or services do you use to run your shop and how do you handle fulfillment?

I am the only one who manages my shop! I don’t use many apps to help me. I’m kind of old-school, for better or for worse, and still do most of my accounting in a notebook. I use Bazaart to edit photos and add text to listings. I do shipping and fulfillment via Etsy, as they make it easy, and I have all my supplies in my home office. If I get a rush of orders, sometimes I will have a friend help me pack things, but other than that, I’ve always operated on my own.

The future of snakeEYEart

What goals do you have for your shop in the future?

I would like to expand my offerings! As an artist, I have been feeling a shift away from drawing and into other forms of art, so I will likely be trying some new crafts soon. I would love for my shop to grow and make more sales, but I also want to be patient and not rush myself.

Advice for new sellers

What’s your advice for a new seller starting an Etsy shop?

Use clear photos and descriptions! People do not always read everything, so add pertinent details at the beginning or in the photos as well. Be patient; sales come in waves, so don’t get down on yourself if you’re not selling. Have a variety of listings if possible, and use tags to help people see your items. Don’t be afraid to try new things or switch things up if it feels like something isn’t working. Do research and check out other shops you admire. Other than that, do you? Stay true to yourself. It’s easy to get caught up in wanting to make what you think people want, but at the end of the day, your authenticity will shine through by making the things you love, and people will be drawn to that most. It might take time, but your people will find you!