Meet the Maker: Cristina Elisa From CEP Studios

Hi friends! How are you? How was your weekend? Our kids are finally on the other side of their sickness so we were able to do things as a family. We rented Wonderwoman and had a lot of fun watching that together.

It's Monday so that means back to work for many and another edition of Meet the Maker for us. Today's Maker is Cristiana Elisa and she does beautiful photography. Come join me and get to know Cristina better.

Where are you from? I grew up in Rhode Island, yay Ocean State!

Where do you live now? I've moved a lot for work and now as a military spouse. We currently live in Maryland.

How long have you been crafting? Goodness, as long as I can remember! Ever since I was little I loved crafting, and anything artistic. That's fun.

What drew you to making Styled Stock Photography or what inspired you? A few years ago I stopped working to be a stay at home mom. Photography has always been a passion of mine, and I saw that styled stock was trending. I thought it was a fun way to incorporate my passion back into my life while still being able to stay at home with the kids. It was also a nice way for me to pull my artistic sides together. Many of my images incorporate my painting, paper crafting, or polymer clay sculptures, so it's a fun way for me to make sure my images are truly unique. Being able to stay at home with your kids and still do something artistic is such a blessing.

When did you start selling online? The summer of 2015

And What drew you to sell online? Similar to why I started, it was the best fit I could see for myself, and family, as a stay at home mom. I am glad you are able to do this.

What hopes do you have for your business in the future? I hope to start incorporating more graphic design into my shop. I recently changed the name of my Etsy shop from Cristina Elisa Images, to CEP Studios. The more I work on photography, the more I see how the two compliment each other very well. I've done a lot of watercolor painting lately, I hope to incorporate it into some of the graphic design as well. This is really cool, I look forward to seeing it.

What is your most favorite piece that you have made? It has to be this series of branding images. I love the soft colors and soft focus detail shots. I painted the jar and made the confetti to coordinate with the flower and pencils I was using in this stylized shoot. I like what you have done with it.

What is one thing you would love to share with others who are considering going into the handmade business? Just go for it, especially if it's your passion. It's so rewarding to do something you love, even if it's slow at times. You'll always be happy to work on it and you know you're being true to yourself :) This is great advice and so true.

You can find Cristina online at the following locations: www.instagram.com/cep_studios/
www.facebook.com/CristinaElisaPhotography/
www.CristinaElisaPhotography.com
www.etsy.com/shop/cepstudios

Are you a small shop, blogger, or artist and would like to be interviewed? Email me at mtnittanycreations@gmail.com

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Check out this great blog post from Creative Hive to help with your product photos.
How to Take Perfect Product Photos on a White Background

Meet the Maker: Marianne Krohn Nordic Copper Design

Where are you from?
I’m from Switzerland.
Where do you live now?
I still live in Switzerland, more precisely in the north-east, near the Lake of Constance. Cool

How long have you been crafting?
Pretty much since I started my apprenticeship as a Visual Merchandiser six years ago. I started developing my interest in photography, graphics, and interior design during that time. A lot of furniture in my apartment has been altered and customized by me in some way as I love DIY projects.
My own business is still very young, though. I started NordicCopperDesign in spring this year, offering digital prints and greeting cards. After two months, I readjusted the direction of my business to fit my talents even better and started with creating product mockups and sometime later also styled stock photography. This is a neat story of how you have gotten to where you are now. 

What drew you to make product mockups and style stocked photography or what inspired you? My biggest frustration while being a designer of digital prints was to find mockups that truly suited my style and supported my product. And then, if I found one, it was usually a flat JPEG and I would have to invest a lot of time into converting it into a smart object-based, fully layered PSD file where I could insert my design in a matter of seconds. I decided to create my own mockups to help other creators of digital printables to showcase their products in the best light possible. And I decided to design and sell them as editable PSD files in order to save them time which they could invest creating new designs.
Styled stock photography and mockups overlap quite often, and because I love photography and styling are my professions, I decided to add this product range to my portfolio as well. What a great idea. Thanks for helping out other artists in the process of creating what would work for you best. 

When did you start selling online or what drew you to sell online?
My products are digital, so selling online was my first and only choice. What I loved about it (and what gave the initial idea to start an online based business), was that I could work when and where I wanted and still reach so many people all around the world. These are great reasons.

What hopes do you have for your business in the future?
It started out as an idea to earn some extra cash to support my further education expenses. But I realized rather soon, that I wanted it to be much more than that. While I’m working towards getting employed as an exhibition designer in museums, I also want to develop this business into my main income source. That's great, I hope it works out for you.

What is your most favorite piece you have made?
It would probably be the first picture „Feminine Office“ with the white office supplies and the baby’s breath flowers. The bright, minimal and still elegant feel of this picture with all the different shades of white is what I want NordicCopperDesign to stand for. That's great. 

What is one thing you would like to share with those wanting to start their own businesses online? 
Take the plunge! And don’t be afraid to adjust your products and services. It takes time to figure out what works best and you will never know if you don’t put it out there. This is great advice!

You can find Marianne online at the following locations:

Instagram @nordiccopperdesign
Pinterest /nordiccopperdesign
Facebook /nordiccopperdesign
Etsy-Shop nordiccopperdesign.etsy.com
Website nordiccopperdesign.com