Crafting Heroes Interview with Alicia Paulson of Posie gets Cozy: crafter and author!

Woo Hoo! Here is another fabulous Crafting Heroes Interview hot off the press. I am really loving these interviews. Like you, I am finding them so inspiring and full of great advice on how to run my own business. For those of you who don’t yet know, I asked the lovely readers of my other blog to vote for their favourite Crafting Heroes and LOADS of them responded, it was great! There are more wonderful Crafting Heroes interviews in the pipeline and this one is no exception…

This time the I’m interviewing the lovely Alicia Paulson. Lots of you will already be regular visitors of Posie gets Cozy; her truly cosy corner of the blogosphere where you ‘ll find luscious photography, thoughtful and sensitive observations, yummy recipes and hand craft. In our interview Alicia shares with us her experiences of starting up and running her Craft Business.

I hope you enjoy her interview

Here’s Alicia! Alicia lives in Portland Oregon with husband Andy, 2 cats, and a cute woofer called Clover Meadow
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CraftBoom!: How long have you been in craft business?
Alicia: I started Posie in 2000, and have been doing it full-time ever since.

CraftBoom!: Where/how do you sell your items, and do you work from home?
Alicia: I sell my handmade items exclusively through my web shop (rosylittlethings.com). I do sell my crochet patterns wholesale to a few yarn stores in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and Australia, but I’ve never had time to properly market those. And yes, I have a studio in my home and I make everything there.

One of Alica’s crochet patterns; the Snowbunny Hat. Too cute!

CraftBoom!: What made/inspired you to go into craft business, and what were you doing before?
Alicia: Before I started Posie, I went to graduate school in creative writing and was working as a book editor when I was in a serious pedestrian/auto accident and needed several surgeries over many months to repair my foot. I spent most of the next year in bed, recovering from surgery and learning to walk again. Through it all I continued to work part-time as an editor, but my injury left me permanently disabled, and my life had changed dramatically. I knew that I wanted to find work that would accommodate my new reality by giving me, among other things, flexibility, as well as a sense of control again. So Posie was a direct result of my efforts to recover from that terrible time. It was my silver lining, and it still is that. I never forget that.

CraftBoom!: How did you finance the start-up of your business?
Alicia: My husband was changing careers at that time, as well, and I don’t really remember how we did it. That time is kind of a blur. We didn’t think of it as “financing”; I think we just thought we were living, and doing whatever it took to get by until he was out of school, and until I was able to contribute financially to the household. Mostly we just felt we were regaining control of our lives, and doing whatever we had to do to make that happen. That’s always felt more important than the money. The money we’ve sort of . . . slapped together, however we could.

Absolutely darling Country Girl Clothespin Doll making kits.

CraftBoom!: How do you decide what you are going to sell?
Alicia: My products have always evolved out of whatever I am making for myself, whatever I am crazy about at the time. It seems to work in only that way for me — in order to make a thing, I have to love it, and so my work is almost always inspired by something personal. The inspiration behind something is a huge part of that something, for me. Some memory or experience will inspire me and I’ll get an idea of how to manifest that inspiration, and the two — the inspiration and the literal translation of it into craft — sort of push each other forward until the craft takes on its own life. I’m always very excited to see what the “thing” is going to turn out to be. That feeling of not-knowing exactly what it’s going to be motivates me consistently. When someone else likes what I’ve made, I’m always so pleasantly surprised, since I’m almost always just trying to please myself, and translate something personal.

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Alicia’s newest bag; the Tanglewood. Yum yum! A future kit perhaps?

CraftBoom!: When did you realise that your craft business had real potential?
Alicia: Oh goodness. I don’t really think that way. As I said, I started my business entirely because my life demanded it, not because I thought I had a good idea. I have plenty of days where I wish I was getting a real paycheck, believe me, but they are fewer and farther between. For the most part, I am just doing what I love, and hoping for the best. I don’t think I can really do anything else, so I just keep my fingers crossed! When I started Posie, it was just a coincidence that a crafting renaissance was happening concurrent with my own personal changes — I had no idea, for the most part, that there was a new crafty movement taking place out there in the big world. So that was a happy concurrence, and the timing of things has proven to be a great asset. But I would have done it anyway. Making things is part of my genetic make-up. Everyone in my family does this, and has done for as long as I can remember. There was never a time in my family when someone wasn’t selling something mailorder, starting a new side gig, selling homemade cakes, or designing business cards. It’s sort of just what the Leronemos do.

CraftBoom!: What things do you do to market your business?
Alicia: To be honest, the only thing I try to do is do good work, and take good photos, and stay on top of the day to day maintenance of my web sites. I’ve been very lucky to have received some really generous editorial coverage, and when editors call I try, as much as I can, to respond quickly and efficiently. But mostly I just try to be exactly who I am, and do the best work I can, and know that the work is what matters, and if it’s good, the interest will follow. I truly believe that. The work is the most important thing. If you can be confident in what you’re offering, then I think the marketing kind of takes care of itself. I just try to put the best quality work I can do out into the world, and I’m grateful any time anytime pays it some attention. I can’t stand it when things don’t live up to their hype. My goal is to always deliver more than anyone expects.

A lovely embroidered tea cloth like this should make doing the dishes slightly more bearable. Make your own with this fab Dishcloth Tutorial.

CraftBoom!: What things do you know now that you wish you knew from the beginning?
Alicia: Gosh, I don’t even know. Everything is so organic, I can’t separate my not-great self-employment experiences from the lessons they’ve brought into my life, however painful at the time — and some have been really painful! Though I’ve made a thousand mistakes, I can’t see how any of it could’ve happened any other way. I think self-employment is all about learning by doing — to a large extent it’s an exercise in volleying at the net. But at the end of each game, or set, or match you really do feel like you’ve earned your knowledge. If anything, I wish that I had not invested in a brick-and-mortar store. It was never my passion, and it definitely set me back financially in a way that has taken a while to recover from. So I learned that, if you’re going to do it, you have to love it. If you feel like you might not love the day-to-day, prosaic details of whatever it is you think you’re going to try, you probably won’t, and . . . well, I try to see into the future in that way now. One of the benefits of self-employment is getting to have control over these things, the way you might not when you are working for someone else. So what I don’t make financially, I try to make up for in sheer enjoyment. If I’m not enjoying myself, then it’s sort of miserable, and who needs that.

Beautifully embroidered head scarf.

CraftBoom!: What do you love most about running your own craft business, and what do you like least?
Alicia: Well, I love being able to truly turn my ideas for products into a fairly immediate reality. I think that is very cool. Because my business is so small, it is incredibly flexible — I have a capricious nature, so being able to change things up all the time really suits my character. That said, I’m trying to get a bit of a longer life out of the really good ideas — doing finished products, as well as patterns, and kits — something for everyone, all born of the same basic idea, since developing an idea well takes a significant commitment. You want to get some mileage out of it. And if it’s good, it will hold up to the deconstruction, I think.

What I like least is trying to juggle everything myself, all the time. I hate being the only one who knows what’s going on. If I have a problem, or if there is a something stressful or complicated, I really miss being part of a team that can work together to get something solved — or at the very least, offer commiseration! I wind up telling my husband EVERYTHING, and luckily he is a great listener. But generally, he isn’t available until the end of the day, and sometimes I really miss just having someone THERE to talk to, in the moment. Working alone can be lonely sometimes. Generally, being the loner I am, I love it, but some days — agggh. I just have to get out.

Here is Alicia’s up and coming book Stitched in Time (available Nov 08)

CraftBoom!: What advice would you give to newbies who want to start their own craft business?
Alicia: What seem true to me now are really cliches: Follow your heart. Stay true to your own vision. Observe the Golden Rule. Trust your instincts, no matter what “advice” anyone is giving you. Go slow and stay steady. Don’t worry what other people are doing. Do your work with sincerity and passion, and know that the experience of doing it is its own reward. When the money’s not there, make sure you are getting paid in happiness.

CraftBoom!: Are you satisfied with the income that your craft business brings?
Alicia: Well . . . alas . . . some days, it’s all just payment in happiness, baby.

CraftBoom!: What are your plans for future growth?
Alicia: I’d like to do more books and more patterns and kits. I’m always conflicted about taking things to the next level with bigger production, or licensing — I don’t know if that is the right thing for me, but it may be a possibility. When I have time I love to play with fabric designs, so that’s sort of a dream of mine, to do a fabric line. But mostly, in 2008, I want to have a balanced life: good friends, good food, good books, good work, and some extra time for doing nothing much. That’s my idea of success. You need a year like that every once in a while, and 2008 is mine for that, I think. . . .

Aw!! Hello woofer! What gorgeous eyes you have and the crochet ripple blanket is rather nice too.

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Thank you so much for your thoughtful interview Alicia. Keep up the good work with your gorgeous craft, I hope you continue to love what you do, and I hope your upcoming book is a great success and the first of many. Best of luck with everything you do.