Canvas Rebel Interview
You can find the interview online, in it’s original format, here.
We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Josefina H, a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Josefina, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?
Sweetie Knots, LLC., (http://www.sweetieknots.com) was born out of a free-floating idea, following the pandemic. I had graduated in 2020 after a decade of college education and, for the first time since childhood, I was very free to just go do whatever. The problem with that though, was that I didn’t know WHAT I wanted to do. Which, I feel is a very natural thing for some learners following intense educational programs.
With the world on lockdown for a year, I began exploring some of the things I knew I was good at. Writing was a big one. I attended a summer-long workshop and really tried to explore that in a way that could bring in an income. And while that was fulfilling to a certain extent, I didn’t just want to *wake up and write*, in a every-day-feed-my-soul kind of way.
As I was sitting in one of the final weeks of zoom intensives, I randomly picked up a crochet hook and some yarn and mindless started a blanket. Something, I had occasionally done in school lectures, to keep my hands busy so my mind could focus on the information. And as the meeting concluded for the day, I realized how much progress I had made on that blanket and how *EASY* it had been for me. Suddenly, the idea struck, why not just crochet?
So I began to look into that, to see what I could do within that realm of artwork. As I deep dove, I realized how many people, adults and children alike, were seeking out familiar comforts to have, cherish, and decorate their space with. It got me thinking. As much as I did have a good childhood from birth to about the age of 6-7, I lost the rest of it very quickly due to my mother getting sick and ultimately passing away, when I was 9. A very large life change. Six additional years of childhood evaporated into thin air, as I became an adult or “old soul”. I stopped playing largely with toys, I stopped pretending, I lost interest in things that had previously grabbed my attention, and worse yet, I stopped being able to relate to other children my own age.
I know, and studies have shown, that kids, especially. in my generation (millennials), are not alone in this. Many of us feel that we had to adapt our childhoods to fit in with world events. I’m on the younger end of that age bracket and was barely 11 when 9/11 happened and the tonality of childhood changed for many, many, people. In today’s studies the people who buy the most toys, the most colorful creations, furniture and paint for their houses, are the adults. (https://time.com/6234061/toys-for-adults-popularity/) Gone is the era of “beige mom” home esthetics, and other “boring” things. And with the world seemingly more on fire than ever, people are turning to things that bring them both comfort and joy.
And in a way, that’s where I, and a lot of other artists come in.
My Fibre Arts business (http://www.sweetieknots.com) is an ode to my childhood, a place to play with color, make really cool creations that have their little personalities, but also allow for customization and the freedom of expression. I collected stuffed animals (stuffies), my whole life, not realizing at the time, the connection that kept to my childhood, and what comfort it really brought me throughout the years. Nowadays, regardless if it’s a simply plushie for play, or a collectable treasure, my goal is to help people find and embrace their inner child and the joy that we all very much need. Whether it’s commissions, markets, website drops of things that I personally like, I hope that the art – all of which is adoptable – will find the right home and make people smile.
Art comes in many forms, but the biggest thread that runs through it all is, freedom of creativity. That is what makes every artist unique.
I crochet plushies, baby loveys, interactive toys, keychains, customizable teddy bears, and unique lookalike dolls, in addition to large collectable pieces that can take up to two weeks to put together. On the side, I like to cross-stitch for my own relaxation. And this year plan on designing some patterns of my own.
Prior to this, I was a photographer & retoucher – under the name of Josefina Photography (www.josefinaphoto.com) for 16 years. That career is not over, but it is on the back-burner for awhile, while I care-give for my elderly father.
Every aspect of art that I do has provided me with unique freedoms and wonderful opportunities to connect with humans all over the world. This project, or this chapter, I’m sure, will be no different. However my art lands, I know there are people who will smile because of it.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Hi, my name is Josefina but I frequently go by Red. You’ll see both names across my social media, depending on which platform you find me on. I’d consider myself a Grandmaster Craftswoman of sorts, because I really do a little bit of everything. However, my biggest focuses have been photography/retouching and fibre arts.
Initially, I started my artistic endeavors as a kid. I had a huge fascination with cameras and used to run around with little Kodak point-and-shoots and take photos, endlessly. When I was 12, I got to learn about darkroom photography, an interest that carried through high school. I used photography as a means to ‘reclaim my voice’ following a MeToo incident, and since have built a giant portfolio that help women stand in their power, feel beautiful and feel seen. That content has ranged from simple portraits to big fashion shoots and many more. It’s also given me the honor and privilege to photograph some famous faces. Across 16 years of time, I have traveled to 38/50 states taking photos, of some kind, in nearly all of them. I have been published nationally and internationally and have really enjoyed connecting with many unique, kind, and storytelling souls.
Congruently, I have also enjoyed textile arts. I learned how to cross-stitch and embroider when I was around 5-6, and did both well through my first middle school (which was a boarding school). There, I learned to crochet through a local yarn shop that I’d go to on weekends. At that point, I was only crocheting hats, scarves, and baby blankets. As they were quick, easy, and something to do keep my hands busy. My life was very different in high school, and while there were some textile crafts there, I didn’t partake in many. It wasn’t until midway through college, while on summer break, did I remember that I could do textile arts, as it had been on the back-burner for a bit. While sitting on my bed, watching Grey’s Anatomy all the way through, I worked on a cross-stitch baby blanket all summer long, that I would later give to someone I worked with on a maternity shoot.
From then, on and off throughout the rest of my college days, I’d sometimes take projects to school with me, and sit in the back of a classroom – where I’d be less of distractions – and work on a blanket while listening to a lecture. There will be people out there who disagree with this learning method, saying people shouldn’t multi-task and you don’t learn that way. I, very strongly, disagree. I’m neurospicy and for me, keeping my hands busy, allowed me to absorb more information from the lecture and I was not nearly as bouncy or daydreaming distracted, as I otherwise would’ve been. I started to see a grade trend too. The lecture classes I crocheted in, I was getting higher grades and better outcomes for that semester. So I continued doing it.
Fast forward to 2023, my father was diagnosed with dementia. I had been caregiving for him, myself for the past 5 years, but this was a new level of unexpected and life had to change, to accommodate. I really leaned into the things that brought me joy as a child, and thought that for me, the best way to still be an artist, was to switch gears a little bit. Photography – at least in terms of intensive travel – got put on the back burner for a bit, and I turned my attention to Fiber Arts, launching my official LLC in August 2023. While I mainly focus on plushies and other toys, I also make keychains, customizable toys – where you get to the pick the colors, and looks – lookalike toys, and occasionally, wearable items.
This year, I plan on expanding a little more with more immersion in local markets, working on designing some of my own patterns, and building up more of a social media presence. Eventually, I’d like to have my own online course teaching people to both crochet and cross-stitch. Handcrafted art isn’t just a unique choice, there is science behind the relaxation benefits and the happiness you get from completing a project yourself. And in a world that is very focused on technology, I think it is good to step back and do something that can help ground you.
It might be semi-shocking to hear an artist say “let me teach you how to do my craft,” but the reality is, as much as I make toys or any form of wearable art, I will never be able to make one for every single person, especially if I am lucky to build up a big following. There will always be someone who wants something done, so they don’t have to do it, and I’m more than happy to make a creation come to life. But I also don’t mind sharing the space for people who want to learn. I think it’s a great craft to do and I think it’s a good skill to have. Especially if there was ever an apocalyptic event…just kidding…kinda.
I think the thing I’m most proud of, is the person I’ve become, because of art. It’s been very healing and very therapeutic in a lot of ways throughout my life; and it’s also opened doors to meet and learn from people I never would have met otherwise. In terms of creations, any photo piece that’s been published outside of my own portfolio has made me very proud, and if I succeeded in making someone smile with a custom gift or a photo, I’d consider it a good day.
Truthfully, I do things that make me happy – and while to some that may be “delulu” thinking – I’ve made it happen for the past 16 years and I don’t foresee giving it up now. I was meant to be an artist, in whatever form that it takes on, and it’s where I’m the happiest.
Do you sell on your site, or do you use a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc?
I have chosen to sell my art on my website, or through Ko-Fi ( https://ko-fi.com/sweetieknots). (the artist’s version of Patreon).
I am REALLY going to ruffle some feathers with this answer, so just…be prepared.
When I was looking at all the Ecommerce websites and platforms to use and or focus on, I learned very quickly how Etsy would not be the place for me. Now, before I go forward, let me be clear, Etsy DOES have it’s uses, and for some artists, it fits JUST FINE. One of the things they really push is repeat sales. So if there is something you can repeatedly sell – ie. patterns, whether crochet or really any kind of instructional PDF – then Etsy is 100% for you and go you!
But! Etsy, while it does do advertising FOR you to a degree, has a lot of hidden fees. Some of them are more wildly known, like the cut they take from each sale. But there is a listing fee. There’s a selling fee. And for some smaller shops, there are, or at least was in the past, shipping fees., This means a good 35%+ of your sale goes to Etsy. Not you.
AGAIN, for some people, this is a total non-issue.
There has also been a theft issue across platforms, but mainly on Etsy, as well, with people stealing other small artist’s designs and trying to upload and sell them as their own. Or worse, hide it in a bundle of PDFs trying to make it harder to track.
This is something that I’ve seen talked about across Instagram and YouTube and has really effected the small artist community. It has also caused one of my own friends to quit selling her patterns altogether, because people wouldn’t stop stealing her work. There needs to be a better defense system for this. Especially with the rise of AI. It’s very concerning. So, for me, to do what I can to protect my work, now and anything I may release in the future, certain platforms just didn’t fit the bill.
As anything related to Fiber Arts right now is my FULL TIME job, and what I’d hope to be a FULL TIME income, in the future, I’m not at the point where someone else can take fees out of my prices. Handmade art is expensive. No matter how you look at it.
I’m gonna ruffle feathers here again but – fast fashion – has destroyed people’s sense of things are actually worth. While KNITTING is something that can, to an extent, be “machine made” – largely small artists HAVE TO STILL hand-crank or spin that “machine” to make the project they’re working on. Does it speed up the process? Yes. Does it take away from being entirely handmade? No. Why? Because to finish any project, even on a machine, you have to take it off, close it up, or stitch it up/add to it by hand. And it’s still significant time out of an artists’ day.
With crochet, you can’t even do that. Crochet stitching is NOT something that can be replicated by machine! It is an entirely different style of stitching and to get anywhere with it, in toys, in garments, in blankets, in lace, whatever you are crocheting, you have. to. do. it. BY HAND. That takes time. In my opinion, everything crocheted should be calculated by hours spent + at bare minimum 2x the material cost.
Is that a feasible way to look at it for everyone? No. There are plenty of people across all kinds of Facebook Groups who insist they won’t pay more than $30 for something handmade. And those people, can live their lives, but they’re not my people.
That also may not be “fair pricing” for those just starting out who aren’t “that fast yet”. And for those people I would say still charge, bare minimum 4x the material cost – that includes stuffing weight if used. Because if you are selling it for something as a side-hustle or something to make income, there should be a profit. Even if it’s slim.
But artists, across the board, have a hard time charging their actual worth. They feel pressure to lower their prices to accommodate an audience. I’ve been guilty of this in the past. So I’m not reprimanding anyone. However, as I’ve spent the past 16 years self-marketing, selling myself to clients, and making connections with other artists, it’s become very clear to me that for many people, it’s very hard to see why certain things are priced the way they are.
Some things, particularly handmade, are just going to be out of budget for some people.
However, with modern technologies there are workarounds for this. One of these is AfterPay, something that’s been added to a numerous amount of Ecommerce sites. Another would be actually building a relationship with the artist and the client and creating a personal payment plan of split payments between the two. If someone really wants something bad enough, they’ll figure out a way to accommodate that artists’ pricing.
As an artist who wants to spread smiles I have a mix of price points. Some of which are lower – like keychains – and some of them are much higher – collectables. This reflects time spent on the item but also allows me to be somewhat accessible for people who may just want something small. However, in doing that, I’m aware that at this time, fees of any kind, simply do not fit this particular small biz model. So I chose to host my own website/my own web-store, and I take commissions, in addition to working on inventory for web drops and markets. To some people, this could be considered more work, but for me it’s something I’ve always done, so for me, this wasn’t really much different.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
This is something I’m still learning AND that is ever evolving. Once upon a time, it was simple-ish. There was MySpace. You got to decorate your profile, upload whatever music fit your vibe, write what you wanted, and “friend request” people who shared your vibe or aesthetic. Even with the first of Facebook, in the beginning, it was about connections you knew, people that you met.
But as social media changed and grew and became a marketing tool, it has seen the rise and fall of many ways to connect with an audience. “Trends” has often been a big way to find other people, particularly with the rise of fast video content. But at the same time, YouTube is still the giant that it is because people have more time to be more human and educate more people.
With my photography work I was able to connect with photographers and models alike, and would network with them, work of referrals, or tag retouching tool brands that I used. “Cross-Pollination” as my friend and biz brand coach Diana Davis would say ( https://www.dianadaviscreative.com/). I was also going to in-person networking events and at the time “I follow you – you follow me” kind of worked. And in some communities the Follow-for-Follow method can still work. But, nowadays it doesn’t work nearly as much as it used to.
With crochet, this build up has been slower. In part, due to my own posting ability, but also because making someone something, is *Personal*. People DO want to get to know the artist and, at the very least, the vibe that they put off, before making contact about a sale. I feel this is the same across the board to other people who run more personal small businesses. I think we are, in some forms, starved for human connection, and are a little over “the overglamorized” posts. It’s also not realistic to only post the super happy-bubbly-good things only kind of content. I’m not saying you should entirely break the mould and be a negative Nancy now into next century, but I think it is okay to let people know you’ve had a rough week, that maybe something did get held up or held back. I think now, people are looking for more transparency. What that looks like to you, is going to be different for everyone, especially for artists.
I think it’s important to show up, but not to overwhelm yourself. To not put such high expectations on numbers, and to communicate with anyone who interacts with your work. And to take breaks when you need to. Mental health is important – and if social media ruins that from time to time – it is okay to step away. I don’t have a one-size-fits-all-answer, and I don’t have THE answer either. I’m just someone who has been apart of social media for the past 16 years and have seen the changes as I continued to self-market.
I don’t think I’m ever going to “fit the mould”. I have been an outlier in many things, my whole life. However, I have always found people, eventually. And I feel like this chapter and this journey is going to be no different.
Contact Info:
Website: http://www.sweetieknots.com || http://josefinaphoto.com || https://ko-fi.com/sweetieknots
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/sweetieknots || http://www.instagram.com/josefina_photo
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sweetieknots
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/sweetieknots
Other: Twitch: http://www.twitch.tv/sweetieknots Threads: https://www.threads.net/@sweetieknots Discord: https://discord.com/invite/CwXndCgwUh
Image Credits
Images by Sweetie Knots, LLC 2023-2024.
Suggest a Story: CanvasRebel is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
CanvasRebel Interview in Pictures:
