Holiday Gift Guide
A gift guild from the talented artists suggested by the Leave Some Character community. You’ll also find my recommendation at the bottom as well as 5 tips for sellers on Instagram.
Pottery
Left: Alana Cuellar - a second generation Venezuelan-American potter in Wisconsin. Right: Ana Cho - a Korean-Canadian potter and a woodworker in Los Angeles.
Photography
Chrissy Shammas - “Over time I realized what a powerful tool it can be for conservation. Through photography, we can better educate people and most importantly, inspire a love for wildlife in others.” - Chrissy
Self Care
Left: Fair Winds Candle - veteran owned and operated. Right: Vellum Street has possibly the best slogan out of everyone - “The Soap You Wish Your Mouth Got Washed Out With”
Artwork
Left: Amelia Kaiser - an artist native to the PNW who shares the joy of nature, adventure, and simple living through her art. She immerses herself in the natural beauty of the outdoors through day hikes and mountaineering and uses her art to share the joy and rejuvenation she finds. Right: Kate Avery - an oil and watercolor painting who has been featured in Cottages and Bungalows Magazine, BenjaminMoore.com, on HGTV and more.
Kathryn Crawford - a mural artist and painter currently based in Asheville, NC.
Kids & Games
Left: Georgetown Catelier - oil painter Right: Laura Bergsma - her pun game is strong!
Food and Drink
Left: Pollen Basket - sweets & treats based in New Jersey. Center: Pilgrim Coffeehouse - a coffee shop in Seattle, WA with an online store. Right: Snake Oil Roasters - sometimes you have to give up one passion (temporarily hopefully) to pursue another passion. One half of this duo sold his two motorcycles to help start their coffee shop in South Haven, MI.
Sports
Most submissions fell into categories where I only selected a few from each. The Gitana Shop was in a league all their own with a product I’ve never even heard of; skate leashes.
Furniture
Left: Kobo Concrete - hand crafted furniture and goods based in Vancouver, BC. Right: Mike Newins - an American designer based in North Carolina who is “heavily influenced by artists of the Light and Space Movement and the Minimalism Movement of the 60's, as well as neo-noir science fiction movies, magical realism novels and his own imaginary worlds.”
Beech Boy Furniture - Gotta appreciate his honesty! “I like making furniture, but not enough to do the whole song and dance with the interior designers and buyers or whoever. I have a day job and do other things I need to eat.”
Left: Carl Weisenbeck - A father/son metal fabrication and woodworking duo based in Sauk Rapids, MN. Right: Jordan Schneier - Proof you don’t always need pocket doors and clawfoot tubs to add character to your home. Seriously, I don’t even smoke and I love this.
Left: Daniel Zenefski - an interior designer, furniture maker… and he built a tiny home because, ya know, no big deal! Right: Valeria Butler - reinventing vintage pieces
For the Tree
Left: Jordan Petersen - Fulltime firefighter/partime woodworker. Right: Sweet Peach Burns - wood burned decor
Fashion
Top Left: From This Rebel Heart - Canadian beadwork. Top Right: Ozma - Jewelry design with reused materials. Bottom: SEEL - Leather goods made in America.
Cutlery
Zac Camacho - A bladesmith specializing in chef knives and cutlery based in Manchester, NH.
Home Decor
Left: MEYOURGE - An Afrofuturism lifestyle brand based in Philadelphia, PA. Right: Way Back West - A home decor brand based in Brooklyn, NY.
Not All Art is on a Canvas
Left: Sam Hart - other works include designs made with a 3D printing pen. Right: Aaron Harel - Art made from upcycled drum shells. Each purchase generates a donation of trees planted around the world to help replenish our forests. 575+ trees planted
Taffy the Grey - (Videos really do his work justice, sadly the video I have isn’t a high enough resolution to upload so a photo will have to do. I highly recommend tapping on the link to his Instagram page to watch the videos!)
5 Tips for Getting Your Brand Noticed on Instagram
1. Make sure your account is set to public. I know this seems like I’m stating the obvious, but there was one submission that mentioned she was having trouble getting her work noticed and her profile was set to private.
2. Presentation can be just as important as the product. Never underestimate good product photography. Make sure it is clear what you want the viewer to see first in the photo. For example, if it is a vase, don’t stick it in the back corner of a room. Make it the focal piece.
3. Dedicate an account to your business. There is nothing wrong with showing some personality, and I actually encourage it, but using your personal account that is full of selfies, what you ate that day, your dog or whatever else isn’t going to grab someone’s attention. Our attention spans are so incredibly short on social media you need to be able to draw someone in within seconds. If your profile isn’t even clear you offer products because they are mixed in with other random photos you’ve just lost potential customers.
4. Make your grid aesthetically pleasing. You probably know what I mean even if you’ve never actually given it thought. Have you ever tapped on someone’s profile and it just looked like all the pictures somehow belonged together? If you want a couple examples check out @sublime_original and @coolnvintage. Sublime Original uses very muted tones and minimalist photography to create a theme. Coolnvintage keeps it cohesive by putting all of the focus on their product.
5. Post consistently and utilize hashtags and geotags. If you haven’t posted in over a year, chances are not many people are going to stumble across your page. Hashtags should be a given, but location can help too. If you only offer local you can get creative and tag your city or even focus on different neighborhoods. If you offer the whole country you could tag the location a customer bough a product in. It could end up appealing to more people based on area. For example, a beach towel might appeal more to someone who actually lives by a beach. So tagging those types of locations may do some good.
My Recommended Account to Check Out
Good Eye Vintage - I actually just came across this account yesterday since they did a sponsored ad and it popped up on my feed. It also happens to be a great example of the tips mentioned above.
