Monday Interview: Erin Makes Stuff

 This week Erin Makes stuff takes some time out of her busy monster making to share a little about herself and her knit bundles of fun!

 

 

Please tell us a bit about yourself? 

 Hi! I’m Erin! I live in Derby and used to be an art teacher. I now go to school to learn how to make teeth! I come from a creative family and don’t know what to do with myself if I’m not constantly making something! I like things that are colorful, fun and well crafted. My favorite color is magenta.

What do you create? How long have you been working on your craft/art? Mostly I design and hand-knit monsters. Since I’m often asked where the idea for my monsters came from, I’ll tell you here! One day, many winters ago, I wanted a new hat. So I bought a book on how to knit and figured it out. I made many awful hats. In 2007 I decided to start figuring out how to turn the monster doodles from my notebooks into knit monster plush. After trial…error… more error… more trial… I eventually figured out how to make something pretty cute! The monsters are always evolving and I usually work a pattern from memory. I usually get ideas for new monsters while I’m working on other monsters. I’m now a little addicted to knitting.

How did you come up with your store name? 

 My shop name is “Erin Makes Stuff” so I put a lot of thought into that one.

How does Buffalo influence your work?  

I travel a bit around WNY for art shows and I can say with absolute certainty that all the Buffalo shows I do are the best! I love the energy and appreciation people in this city have for the arts and am proud to be a part of it. Also, I’ve recently started making Buffalo Bills fan monsters. They’ve become a hit and I’ve shipped them to transplanted Buffalo natives all over the country!

How do you promote your work to the world? 

I am an Instagram addict! I am always posting new photos of the monsters there [@erinmakestuff]. I think it’s an awesome tool to easily share photos of my work with fans from all over the world. I also have a Facebook page and a website.

www.erinmakesstuff.com
www.facebook.com/erinmakesstuff.monsters
www.instagram.com/erinmakesstuff

 

What is the hardest part about selling online? 

The monsters that I knit are so soft and plush that people want to pick them up and enjoy them. Knit items are made to be touched. When I sell online shoppers lose that experience, regardless of how good the photos are. I also miss seeing my customer’s reactions. At a show, almost everyone that walks past my booth cracks a smile. And that is what is most important to me: making other people genuinely happy.

Do you have any up and coming art shows/craft shows that you would like us to know about?

 I just finished my holiday show season, but my next event is at the Larkin Exchange Building on February 14^th. I keep the “EVENTS” page on my website updated regularly.