In this series, I feature some of my favourite artists and designers. I’ll shine a light on their work, and they’ll tell you a little bit about themselves and their businesses. I hope this will introduce you to some new great artists that you’ll love as much as I do! You can find the previous post in the series here.
Dorkface
This week’s featured artist is Jemma at Dorkface. I’ve followed Jemma for a long time now and I’ve bought quite a few of her prints, and even a custom painting on canvas. I love her work and I’m excited to have her here as part of the Creator Spotlight series!
Time to hand over to Jemma, where she’ll tell you a bit about her creative endeavours…
What do you do, and what is your business all about?
I’m an Illustrator/Artist/Maker! My business is an online shop filled with illustrative products aimed to bring joy, spread good vibes and add a bit of colour. I create original paintings, stationery, Art prints, enamel pins and much more.
Tell us a bit about you, the person behind the business.
I’m Jemma, I’m 31 years old, originally from Liverpool but now living in Plymouth with my fiance, baby boy and our two cats. I have always loved Art, but never knew where to take my passion for many years. I studied Art and Design in College, and then at University; before dropping out. The course I was on weren’t right for me, and uni in general didn’t inspire me. I felt lost for a good few years, but eventually decided to open up a little online shop to sell my work. And the rest is history!
What are your goals for the next year?
Create a wholesale catalogue and apply to big retailers to get my work into shops! I’d also love to start work on my own children’s book, and earn enough to stop worrying about bills – HA!
What other creators are you inspired by?
Katie Abey, Gemma Correll and Emily Coxhead are all huge influences to me!
Share ONE top tip that you’d give to other people who would love to set up their own creative business.
Keep receipts for everything, sort your finances, and start organising your taxes ASAP!
What’s been one highlight in your creative career so far?
Hitting 400 sales since coming back to work after maternity leave, branching out into new exciting products, and having people I REALLY admire become customers!
How do you juggle working on your business and having a baby?
It’s extremely hard! I have to stick to strict to-do lists each day, and manage my time perfectly. I work every single day, day and night, and it takes its toll but its so worth it! I make sure to only take on projects I enjoy, and when I’m away from work, I make sure to enjoy family time.
What does your design process look like? Do you always start with the same thing, or just improvise and see what happens?
Always improvise. I just let creative ideas come to me, and see what happens. It’s hit and miss, but it keeps the joy alive for me! Sometimes I -MAY- try to think ahead, for example; since Christmas is coming I’ve designed Christmas cards. But that doesn’t mean I’d force it. If I didn’t design anything I loved, I’d scrap it and go back to the drawing board.
If you could sell your artwork in any shop or display it in any gallery in the world, which would you pick?
I’ve always REALLY wanted my own line of stationery and products in Paperchase!! It would be a dream come true!
Finally, where can people find you online?
Thanks so much to Jemma for getting involved. Please go and check out her shop! As usual, if you have a creative business and you’d like to be featured in this series, feel free to get in touch!
