Amy of Pikaland: Featured Blogger Interview
July 15, 2010 | By
This week’s Featured Blogger Interview should be of particular interest to Illustrators. Amy of Pikaland has worked hard for well over two years now to make her site the place to find features on new artists, promotional opportunities, and even boot camps for artists! In the interview below, Amy shares some information about pikaland, herself, and blogging in general.
Please start by telling us about yourself and Pikaland.
Hi there! I'm Amy and I'm the mayor of Pikaland. The blog is about art & illustration, and a lot of it is about showcasing lovely things that illustrators make and sell online. The blog was started about two years ago, when I found that I was posting on more links to illustrators as I was trying to find my own voice as one – so I set up a website where I could dedicate my love of illustration and focus on collaborating with artists (because I love organizing and the idea of collaborating!) The site has now evolved to become a place where I connect illustrators with their audience!
I love the idea of helping artists get started in your Pikaland artist boot camp, how did you first come around to offering those?
Well for a few months I was thinking about offering online classes and how I could help Pikaland's audience to start making art. I got a few emails about how a lot of them are awed by the work shown on the blog, but they weren't doing anything to push their own art out there! I wanted to do online courses, but I knew that doing it alone would be tough as it's a very dedicated affair.
And then Jamie Shelman started a course called This + this = that and I asked her about collaborating together, and she said yes! So now the both of us are working together to bring you more online classes that focus on creative thinking, constructive criticism, lots of throwing ideas around and also a wonderful supportive community to learn from!
Our first course in the Pikaland Artist Bootcamp called Making Your Mark is ending soon, and we had a lot of fun! The participants enjoyed it as well and there was so much exploration done and Jamie and I are so proud of the work that they have created. Seeing the progression of works done from the first week, and to this final week is hugely satisfying! We're already into the second part of the course, How to survive & thrive as an artist online and we're really happy to see people progressing through the assignments.
Briefly tell us tell us about the PikaPackage Project.
The PikaPackage Project is a marketing tool, artist swap and creativity inducer all in one! We curate a group of artists who contribute a few items and then they receive a swap package in return, plus an advertising banner that runs for almost two months. I know how artists can't afford monthly ads to spread the word out on their work, so instead of just paying for an advertisement spot, they're contributing their work instead (much like a barter trade, but much more fun!). At the launch, we do a big giveaway of some of the items and for the rest, we put them together for sale in a limited edition package (hence called the PikaPackage Project), which is up for sale in the shop {link: http://pikaland.com/shop} as a way to help defray the costs of running it. Oh, and there's a free zine too for all to read up about our participants too!
When did Pikaland first expand to take on contributors?
We started working with contributors in June 2009, a year after I started the website, because I wanted more diversity in the blog, and adding contributors to it was the next step! Racheal Anilyse was our first contributor and she is fantastic. She has a great eye for doodles, sketches, hand-drawn typography and tea-stained illustration so she added a lot of zing to the blog. Other contributors we have on Pikaland include Jamie Shelman and Gemma Correll!
What advice can you offer to other bloggers?
Don't worry about pleasing others, write for yourself. When you love the subject matter -- whether it's talking about cats, or how you think coffee should be drunk -- it shows through in your blog.
Do you have any blogs to recommend?
I have so many that it's so hard to just pick a few! Some of my favourites include Modish , Creature Comforts, The Jealous Curator and Grain Edit. There's so much more though, so it might be good to head over to my links page to see more!
What’s a fun fact most visitors to your blog don’t know about you?
Okay, I have this thing about portions when I'm eating. I must divide my food equally (I do this subconsciously) when I'm eating it -- everything must mix well together, and I make sure that I do this until the last bite. If someone swoops in and disrupts my pattern (for example, someone grabs my chicken) I won't be happy. Also I'm very territorial with food for some reason, but I think you would have gathered that by now, haha!
Last but not least, why do you believe that supporting handmade and indie is important?
The concept of handmade items is a beautiful one. It shows that the person cares about you to take the time to make something. And we're not talking just about intent – the workmanship and the idea behind each piece is of paramount importance. Indie businesses are innovators, and I am a big supporter for those who are using creativity to their fullest in showing that they can change the world, one small step at a time.
Sara Moore is the Head of the Content Department on ArtFire.com.
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