Etsy Seller Interview with Kristin of thePurplePlumStudio

How thePurplePlumStudio 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?

Before I created The Purple Plum Studio (previously named Simply Art by Kristin), I was just out of college, engaged to be married, unemployed, and looking for a job (and a way to pay for my wedding). But most of all, I longed to use my Fine Arts degree in a way that mattered and would touch people’s lives in a special way. One day (after lots of encouragement from friends and family), I opened an Etsy shop and put up some of my old artworks from my college and university days in an attempt to take the first step in getting my work out there.

I explored painting random subjects in watercolor since that is my favorite medium, and I still remember how excited I was when my first original painting of a ballerina sold on Etsy. With the boost of encouragement from that first sale, I started trying different subject matters, painting original pieces, and listing them slowly to build up my shop. One such artwork was a painting of an anonymous couple sharing a kiss on their wedding day. And then it happened... I received my first custom order to create a one-year paper anniversary gift for a client. Because I mainly paint in watercolor and I LOVE portrait art, and the first-anniversary gift on the traditional list is paper, it fits in perfectly with the theme! The customer sent me one of his favorite photos from his wedding day, and I had the immense privilege of turning it into a painting for him!

This custom order spiraled into more and more custom wedding portraits over the years until they became my absolute best seller throughout my entire business. Almost each one of the 2000 sales on my Etsy shop was a sale where I had the honor of painting a couple's most precious memories, and to this day, these custom works are still my favorites to paint!

Favorite items

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

Before I created The Purple Plum Studio (previously named Simply Art by Kristin), I was just out of college, engaged to be married, unemployed, and looking for a job (and a way to pay for my wedding). But most of all, I longed to use my Fine Arts degree in a way that mattered and would touch people’s lives in a special way. One day (after lots of encouragement from friends and family), I opened an Etsy shop and put up some of my old artwork from my college and university days in an attempt to take the first step in getting my work out there.

I explored painting random subjects in watercolor since that is my favorite medium, and I still remember how excited I was when my first original painting of a ballerina was sold on Etsy. With the boost of encouragement from that first sale, I started trying different subject matters, painting original pieces, and listing them slowly to build up my shop. One such artwork was a painting of an anonymous couple sharing a kiss on their wedding day. And then it happened: I received my first custom order to create a one-year paper anniversary gift for a client. Because I mainly paint in watercolor and I LOVE portrait art, and the first-anniversary gift on the traditional list is paper, it fits in perfectly with the theme! The customer sent me one of his favorite photos from his wedding day, and I had the immense privilege of turning it into a painting for him!

This custom order spiraled into more and more custom wedding portraits over the years until they became my absolute best seller throughout my entire business. Almost each one of the 2000 sales on my Etsy shop was a sale where I had the honor of painting a couple's most precious memories, and to this day, these custom works are still my favorites to paint!

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?

I opened my shop at the beginning of April 2012. and my first sale was April 17th of that same month, so about 2 weeks or so? I do my best to attract customers to my business through social media. In the earlier days, I took advantage of Pinterest. For a while, I offered clients a discount on their orders if they pinned three of my listings and sent me proof. This brought many new leads because like-minded customers were finding my Etsy shop through their friends. Now, I mainly post on social media—Instagram and Facebook—to share my processes and help potential clients learn about me as a business owner—both personally and professionally. My Instagram handle is @purpleplumstudio.

Managing thePurplePlumStudio

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?

It’s always just been me. Creating the products, managing a store, providing customer service, and using social media to market them—it is not easy to wear all the hats. I think my business has gone through many ups and downs depending on what season I’m facing. From the very start of my business until now, I have lived in another country, become a wife, and then a mom of two beautiful children. So, depending on the life stages I’ve gone through during these last 11 years, I’ve faced all kinds of seasons in my business. Ones of crazy busy where I just couldn’t keep up with all the orders (at one stage, I was painting 30–40 custom paintings a month!), to seasons where things are slow—which allows more time to create other art besides commissions and work on things that are hard to get to in the busy times.

For shipping, I tell all my customers who order from me or contact me up front that my husband’s job has us currently living overseas at the moment. (I’m from Mississippi but am currently in South Africa.) I didn’t want this to stop me from serving my clients, though, so I searched for several years to find the BEST shipping service to serve my customers. I’ve used both DHL Express and now Freight Innovations, which uses FedEx planes to ship my work, and they have both been great. My orders usually arrive within the span of a week, with tracking and great customer service from these companies in case of any hiccups along the way.

I love packaging my work, too, and putting in freebies and other things as a way to thank my clients for supporting my business. It’s one of my favorite things to add touches of love to each package in hopes that my clients know how special it is for me to serve them.

The future of thePurplePlumStudio

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

I love serving my clients. I love turning their special moments into original watercolor keepsakes. I’d love to continue to grow each year, not just in sales but more so in serving even more people through making beautiful art for their hearts and homes. It’s been such a joy in these last years to see the majority of my business on Etsy come from returning customers. Over the years, I’ve gotten to know such amazing people through Etsy, and it’s been an immense joy and privilege to paint for them. But hopefully, the word will continue to spread.

As far as future plans go, last year I dabbled in local markets and started creating more of my own original art that I would then print on things like pillows and mugs, stationery, and art prints. I’d love to expand and start listing more of these types of things in my shop, and maybe one day I'll get to the point of hiring staff—that would be amazing!

Advice for new sellers

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

Starting a new shop on Etsy (or anywhere, for that matter) is such an exciting thing. It’s the beginning of a wild adventure that can turn into such a beautiful blessing in your life. I know that the beginning can be exciting. That first "cha-ching" on your phone is such an awesome sound.  But the excitement eventually wears off and the hard work settles in. There can be many seasons of discouragement, and I think many people throw in the towel and quit because they maybe didn’t sign up for how hard it can be.

I think what I would say to someone starting out is to try and see your business as not a way to make tons of money or some weird get-rich scheme—that’s only a part of owning a business. Instead, look at it as a way you can serve people in a way no one else can. Each small business has something incredibly unique and special they can offer the world. They can meet needs that big-box stores can’t. They can build relationships with clients that will be a blessing for years to come. If you have a passion for what you do, and a love for the people you do it for (your customers), then you can find a way through any valley, and endure any storm that comes your way…The successes will be amazing, but the valleys won’t make you quit.  If you remember this, as Dr. Seuss said, "Oh the places you’ll go" 😀