30 Mar Meet the Maker: Part 2, behind the scenes at six0six design
Well Hi there.
Welcome back to Part 2 of my March Meet the Maker posts.
I decided to combine the second half of the challenge into one blog post as the last couple of weeks have been CRAZY with two giant wholesale orders to get made up and out to a tight deadline while keeping up with all the every day orders and everything else that comes with being your own boss!
We left off week 2 with me talking about how I make my pencils. You can check out the last blog post here.
Week 3 started with…
Monday – Day 12: Post and Packaging
I always think that it’s the small details that make the difference. From the hand written with every order to the bakers twine, provenence note telling the new owner what their product is made from, where, when who it is made by. You are buying a handmade item and I make sure that that personalised touch is reflected in each and every order.
Tuesday – Day 13: Work Clothes
Today I posted in my instagram stories showing you all my lovely work clothes. Normally jeans and a cosy scarf. In case you missed it, here are some recent shots of my fabulous work attire!
Wednesday – Day 15: Dreams and Plans
I like to do brain dumps, putting down all the ideas that are in my brain, some will float around for a while, others will make their way into the real world. And some are already in action.
Friday- Day 16: Helper
My little helper. 1 pencils, 2 pencils… She’s not the best counter in the world but she’s great company. And a top stamp licker. Day 16 of #marchmeetthemaker introducing Buttons.
Saturday- Day 17: Customers and Feedback
When you work mainly online getting a thank you from a customer can mean so much. I have some pretty amazing customers and they are the reason I always put those extra special touches into my work and orders. Because I always imagine that I am sending my orders to my best friend and I want her to love them and see how much care I put into her present. So the details matter, the quality matters, the packaging, the hand written note, the washi tape. All these little things make up a bigger customer experience. Because my customers are not just order numbers they are people who’s lives I get to enter for just a moment. And I want that moment to be a good one
Sunday- Day 18: Inspiration
Today I’m talking about where I find my inspiration. Really the question where don’t I. My brain is constantly thinking, dreaming up new ideas and product lines. Every idea goes in a notebook or on my pin board. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and get an idea or I get an email from a customer that inspires an idea.
All of my literary pencil idea come from books I have read. It’s a good job I love to read! Here are some of my current and favourite literary inspirations.
A creative brain never really rests because what we do is so tied into who we are that inspiration is like breathing.
Monday- Day 19: Can’t live without
I can’t live without tea and books. Fact. This is one of my most treasured books. If my house was burning down THIS is what I would run back in to rescue. It is a 1903 copy of Pride and Prejudice that my granddad gave me when I was 15. And every time I open it I remember him. So it is doubly precious
Tuesday- Day 20: Tools and Materials
Pencils and paper are my materials, in more ways than one. A lovely cultural and colourful mix here in the studio today. Irish wisdom pencils as gaeilge, a custom commission with Arabic theme and Shakespeare. My tools are mainly my hands.
Wednesday- Day 21: Stories
A sneak peek of a wholesale order I was working on, lots and lots of Lake Isle of Innisfree pencils
Friday- Day 23: Hands at work
Hands in action. Wrapping up sets of WB Yeats Lake Isle of Innisfree pencils. Got my rhythm on.
You will notice that I missed a few days here, I was too busy working on the pencils in Day 16 and Day 21 and getting them out!
Wednesday- Day 23: Hands at work
Every year I would buy a diary for work and every year I’d get annoyed with it and want to change half way through. And then I found the bullet journal. I dont follow the traditional key I just make my own up as I go along but its the centre of my organisation, keeping me on track. I play around with different types of goal tracking. For April I am going to experiment with tracking my social media. .
I hope you have enjoyed my trip through March Meet the Maker.
To see my previous two blog posts on it follow the links below