Special Edition Designer Interviews Part 1 Glitter Moonshine SVG

We had the honor of interviewing Dani from Glitter Moonshine SVG this week, asking her some of the burning questions our Designer Commuity and Customers have been wanting the answers to for a long time! Let's see what she said in our Special Edition Designer Interview Series Part 1 below....

What have you found particularly difficult on your journey?

The most difficult thing I have found about this journey so far would definitely be getting past my self-criticism and self-doubt. I have a real passion and excitement for designing, but it was hard to see if there is spot in the market for me. I struggled visualizing turning my designing into a full time career. I really had to sit myself down for a pep talk what seemed like 50 times a week like, “Hey, you got this!”. I still do this at times! It took some time and it took some tears, but I am thankful I stayed positive enough (usually!) to believe in my work because I can finally say that I am achieving beyond what I thought I could.

How do you promote/advertise your products?

I only use Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook! Although I do not see much traffic from Instagram and Facebook, I have business accounts primarily to keep my returning customers up to date with new designs. I have never used paid advertising with either site. Pinterest has absolutely been the biggest, best marketing tool I have ever used for acquiring new customers. 99% of my traffic from marketing is directly from Pinterest because people browsing the site are DIY’ers, my target market.

To achieve this, I created an account and not only pin my own designs linking to my stores, but also pin Cutting Machine related things, like tutorials and how-to’s. Little by little, crafters start following me on Pinterest because of those cutting machine related pins. This leads to traffic to my personal design pins!

What fuels your creativity?

I think what fuels my creativity the most is challenging myself. I like to challenge myself to create designs in batches of one theme at a time. I sit down and only work on one single subject or theme and see how many I can do before I run out of ideas. It can definitely be frustrating and sometimes I have to walk away for a few hours to regroup, but it has also produced some of my most successful bundles of designs!

How many hours per week would you say you spend designing?

For me now, this is a full time job and I treat it as a full time job. I wake up in the morning, get a coffee, and start working! When I first started this, I was less structured with the time I put into designing and did not see any traction until I became more consistent. That’s not to say that I do not take time off for myself, but the more personal time you invest in your work, the more success you can expect!

What are the biggest problems you face in your design field?

The biggest problem I face are that some people just don’t “get it” in my real life. While the designer community is absolutely wonderful and supportive, I have experienced a difficult time in the beginning gaining support from some in my personal life who just didn’t understand why I would spend my time trying to build this business. Honestly I get it, selling digital designs is an abstract idea to your average person and doesn’t sound like a real income, but it is still frustrating to hear. Now when someone questions it, I know I atleast have the freedom work at home full time with my toddler by my side, in a house paid for by my business.

If someone wanted to do what you do, how can they start?

If you are thinking about doing this, start now because you can make it happen! Find a design program that works for you and watch YouTube videos to learn the ins and outs of the program. Don’t be afraid to ask other designers questions as most will be absolutely happy to lend a hand! Keep a growing list of ideas that interest you. Think of a designing style you like, then practice practice practice. Don’t be discouraged if it doesn’t look the way you envision it at first, just keep practicing and learning and you will see improvement! Don’t be afraid of trying something new and experiment. Your time is so valuable to growing your business so stay consistent with creating and listing!

Which is your favorite product you have created, and why?

I think my favorite thing I have made may be one of my most simple, but I love the Hello Baby Monthly set because I get to see so many cute pictures of babies wearing it!

What do you think you get right that a lot of other people get wrong?

One thing I feel I get right is branding. I have grown a very organic following of repeat customers, which I believe has a lot to do with my consistent approach to branding my business. To me, your branding is your face and you want people to remember your face! While the designs I create may vary, I create a cohesive and recognizable brand with my listing photos.The listing photos share the same look and color palette with my logo on each. Personally, I have found that this consistency in branding has helped me because when customers see and recognize my listings, they will remember me and I will stay in mind when they are in the market for a certain design they are interested in.

Conversely, what do you know you do wrong, but can’t give up?

I am not on top of my marketing like I should be! I absolutely love the designing process but I really have to drag myself to post them on social media so I try to do batch posts a few times a week instead of every day.

What’s a fact about you that you think would surprise people?

I am totally self-taught, proof that anyone can do this! I have never taken a designing class or course and I had literally no idea what I was doing when I started creating. Prior to this career, I was a Real Estate Assistant who just really loved making flyers for houses on the market! Everything I have learned through this process I have taught myself by watching videos, experimenting with design programs, and practicing. I cannot draw for the life of me so I make most of my graphics from fonts and manipulated shapes. If want to make a flower, I break it down into shapes in my brain and make it from merged, cut out, manipulated shapes.

Where do you think your industry will be in a year? 5 years? 10 years?

I absolutely think this industry is growing by the day. With cutting machines growing in popularity and accessibility, personalization isn’t going out of style anything soon!

What are your favorite tools to use for designing/creating?

My two favorites are Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop! I use both on any average day. Procreate is also wonderful for those who have drawing and lettering skills or if you ever want to make a quick doodle on the iPad.

Which other FB/DB designers inspire you, and why?

I am inspired by so many other designers! I love seeing different designers’ personal styles and their twist on a design. They all motivate me to step up my design game! Aside from that, all the hand-lettering and hand-drawing designers absolutely blow my mind! I am always so awed by how skilled they are and how beautifully they design.

What do you think is most important factor which has made your products popular?

I think it’s truly a formula instead of one factor! The formula that works for me is: 1. Design on subjects that are popular right now, then list consistently. 2. MAKE BUNDLES. Bundles of designs have taken my business from pretty good to paying the bills. They are an awesome value to the average customer and I make money from the volume sold, even if it hurts sometimes to list multiple designs for a lower price. 3. Stay cohesive with my brand. 4. Put designs on social media to create awareness and further increase exposure. 5. Repeat!

Don't forget to follow Glitter MoonShine SVG on Social Media for more inspiration.