This is a feature with the super talented Malwina, who runs her own handmade store called
Made By Malwina. Check out the interview below!

Can you tell us a little about yourself?

I’m a 21 year old Polish-German expat living in Holland, and my life looks more or less like this: sitting at my colourful workspace at home, creating beautiful things on my beloved sewing machine, doing all the “behind the scenes” work on my equally beloved  laptop, often while listening to audiobooks about spirituality; after work hanging out with my two men (boyfriend & cat), reading everything from blogs to children’s books, enjoying simple pleasures like food, nature, meditation, and a good laugh.

Can you describe your style?

Joyful. Playful. Colourful. Happy. Feminine. Individual. Unique. Skillful.

Who or what inspires you?

Everything! But I’ll give you a selection: Books, interior decoration, blogs, nature, fabric shops, lifestyle shops of all kinds, travel, art, vintage fashion…
People who inspire me include: My grandmother, who taught me the basics of sewing and from whom I inherited my passion of fashion, style and all things handmade. Niki de Saint Phalle, whose art I admire tremendously. Jonathan Adler, who exactly understands the connection between design and happiness. Martha Stewart, whose life, work and philosophy never cease to interest me. And many more…

(You can also check out a little slideshow about my inspiration here: the inspiration )

What made you start your own shop?

It’s a long story, but the short version is that I was studying psychology at a prestigious German university, hoping to find out how to live a good life, only to find out that I couldn’t learn that at a university. I decided that actually, the best thing I could do with my life was to follow my real passion, so I quit the mainstream, moved to the Netherlands to live together with my boyfriend, and started my own small crafting business. I had been sewing accessories for ages, and always fantasized about selling them – so when the opportunity showed up, I seized it. I haven’t regretted my decision for a day.

(BTW, if you want to read more about this, you can check out this guest post I wrote earlier this year: Behind the scenes made by Malwina )

So I noticed that you have your own lovely shop front (which is gorgeous by the way). Did you always just sell in your own shop, or did you use other avenues as stepping stones?

I’m in the very lucky position to have a web-genius as a boyfriend, he designed and built my entire website from scratch. Thus, from the very beginning of Made by Malwina, I have been able to present myself exactly the way I want, with a design that reflects my personality, my own independent online shop, and the freedom to change anything I want at any given time.
The idea of selling only at a huge marketplace like Etsy or DaWanda, with thousands of other products competing right next to me, never appealed so much to me. I do have a very small Etsy shop (http://www.etsy.com/shop/madebymalwina), but I see that more as marketing than as a real sales venue.

How have you found having your own online shop as opposed to selling at marketplaces?

So far, I have only sold products in my own shop, so I can’t really compare.

How do you get your name out there?

Via friends, through my blog, via Twitter and Facebook, with guest posts I write for others, being featured on other blogs, through a Dutch shopping website called Flavourites, on craft markets and fairs, with Flyers, and  soon also through physical shops that will sell my products.

Do you ever feel like giving up selling your works? If so how do you get back on track?

So far, I have never felt like giving up, simply because this is what I really want to do right now. But of course I have my “bad days” as well, when I feel frustrated, anxious, not good enough. What helps me most is the enormous support I get from my boyfriend, but I also spend a lot of time working on my inner “stucknesses”. Where does a certain fear come from? How can I address it in a constructive manner? How can I let go of my negativity? I do a lot of “soul-work”; in fact I don’t know how else I could handle this very exciting time of my life.

What have you found the most challenging thing in selling your works online?

The internet is still kind of anonymous. You don’t really get feedback from the people who visit your shop or check out your products, and it’s quite a challenge to get personal.

What’s you’re best piece of advice for selling work online?

I’ve been doing this for less than half a year, so I’m really still discovering and learning myself! The advise I can give is rather obvious: take good pictures, have a fantastic web-design and make it as clear as possible why anyone on earth should be interested in your work. Obvious as it seems, so many people don’t really do those things (and I’m still working on them).

And lastly, the Author Barbara Sher has a quote “Whatever you’re dreams are, start taking them seriously”. What’s your dreams for Made By Malwina”?

I love Barbara Sher! I worked through “Wishcraft” before starting Made by Malwina, and it was so helpful!
I have many dreams for Made by Malwina. Most of all, of course I want to make a living with it. In the future I also want to expand into interior decoration, as well as into teaching (giving workshops, writing for blogs and magazines, even publish books). I want to live the “Handmade Life” and show others how (and why) to do it. And, as “cliché” as it might sound, I simply want to make the world more beautiful.
It’s easy to lose sight of those dreams when you’re just worrying about how to sell the next few products. But I know it’s imporatant to stay connected to them, because then they fuel all my actions and make every part of my work much more effective and meaningful.

And lastly what is a blog that you love and frequently visit?

http://www.fluentself.com/

I follow it religiously. It’s so wise, inspiring, helpful, funny, well written, interesting. Really, check it out :-)

Where to find Malwina:

Website: http://www.madebymalwina.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/madebymalwina

Facebook : http://www.facebook.com/pages/Made-by-Malwina/125269400822589

Thanks Malwina for taking the time to do this feature :)