Atlanta Studio Tour with Inkspot Workshop

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Stacy of Inkspot Workshop about her work and managed to snag some pictures from her for a studio tour as well. 

InkSpot Workshop specializes in handcrafted paper goodies from the cutest yellow workshop in Atlanta.

And in addition to the interview, Stacy is offering a fantastic discount for papernstitch readers who make a purchase from the Inkspot shop: 25% off!

Here is my interview with Stacy…

You work out of your home in Atlanta, GA. I have several friends who have moved their over the years to persue art.

Would you say there is a strong art and crafts community in Atlanta?

There is a HUGE arts and crafts community here in Atlanta, with so many different types of festivals and each year they grow even stronger.

There are also several different shops that feature local, handcrafted artist’s goods. Beehive and YoungBlood Gallery to name a few. 

Last Fall, I had my own backyard artist showcase and invited local Atlanta Etsy sellers, it was fun.

My blogspot for the event can be found here.

You opened your online store a little over a year ago.

How did you get started? What made you want to open a paper goods store?

I have always tinkered around with stationery design for gifts here and there but when I got married 4.5 years ago and created everything myself, I was HOOKED!

Then a year later my son was born and that opened a whole new creative side of my brain and he was the only infant with his own menagerie of thank you cards.

In April, last year, my friend introduced me to Etsy and that was all I needed.

I grabbed my camera, made some designs and I was in business. My life has never been the same since I started InkSpot Workshop.

Is Inkspot Workshop your full time job? If it is not, how do you balance both?

I would love for InkSpot Workshop to be my fulltime job and each day I am {hopefully} getting closer to that dream.

I am a sales representative for a large medical device manufacturer and have worked for them 9 years in October.

It is a pretty sweet living financially, with all sorts of flexibility.

I love selling things as much as I love making things so both InkSpot Workshop and my medical sales job compliment one another.

How do I balance everything? LOTS of help.

I have a supportive husband (also in medical sales) and a great sitter who comes to our house 2 days a week, when my son is not at PreSchool.

I used to get all bent out of shape trying to juggle everything (family, sales job, InkSpot Workshop) and instead I’ve recently come to grips with the whole act of balancing.

You see…. one is never really “balanced” which would mean staying in one place, because the act of “balancing” is a back and forth motion.

Does that make sense? I actually just posted about this topic here.

To me, the patterns and colors you use in your work are best described as bright and cheery.

How would you describe what you do? Where do you get your inspiration?

Recently someone described my designs as being “like summer” and if you could package that season up and send it to someone, they would be getting one of my designs.

I loved that description because I definitely like vibrant colors evoke bright and cheery feelings.

Perhaps it’s because my birthday is July 10th and I am a Cancer?

I do have an appreciation for subtle, neutral designs but when it comes time for me to satisfy a creative urge, it’s always with color, color color!

Even my dining room is chartreuse green. I get inspiration from everywhere, but mainly fabrics and room design.

I love the fact that you have maps on your walls that show each place that Inkspot paper goodies have been sent. What a great visual inspiration.

Do you have any other tips for staying motivated as an indie business woman?

If you don’t currently have a blog, just about any indie, crafty business woman will tell you to start one. It’s a great way to express yourself, connect with people and keep your customers and followers informed on the behind the scenes stuff going on at your business. When you read the wonderful comments people leave, it not only helps motivate you to succeed, it affirms you are in the right place!

Your studio space looks very organized and clutter-free. Do you find that this helps with your productivity?

Do you have any tips you could share for crafters trying to maintain order in their cluttered lives (like myself)?

Let’s just say it’s a good thing I’m not showing you a picture of my office right now.

I have 2 huge boxes of paper in the middle of the floor, along with a few cases of iv catheters and literature.

Each night I do try to put everything back in its place so the next day I have an organized start. Ikea and the Container Store are my main stops for finding items to keep this space organized and when it is organized I feel 10x more productive.

When I re-did my office for the pictures you see, it took an entire weekend and I had to excuse myself from family activities.

It killed me to do this, but I had to. Now my motivation to keep things orderly is so I don’t miss out on anymore family time.

What has your experience been in having a home studio? Do you ever find it difficult to work? What advice would you give to others who are looking to work more efficiently in a small space?

I have been in professional sales for 15 years, which means I have worked from my home this long.

I have an entire room off of the main level and the kitchen is right outside my door.

My 3 year old has figured out how to unlock my door so that can be a pleasant interruption at times.

I only find it difficult to work when my son has a friend over and boy are toddlers LOUD. I love my office/workshop and having bright colors and lots of daylight helps energize me.

So many people don’t have an entire room they can devote to their business and end up using a dining room table or closet.

My only advice is try to find a space where you can shut off the rest of the world, even if it’s just for a short time.

Otherwise, you will have to work with constant distractions and that is never easy.

For more from the lovely Inkspot Workshop, visit the shop and blog.

And don’t forget about the awesome promotion for papernstitch readers: 25% when you mention papernstitch with your order.