Tell us a bit about yourself (name, location,
affiliations, personal stuff).
My name is Ann Marie Matott. I'm a 30 year old artist, activist, designer, wife and dog mom to two wiener dogs in Athens, GA. In the past, I was a new media university instructor and a video game producer for a major US toy company in NY. According to my psychic, in a former life, I was an explorer sailing the seas for the queen of Spain! Spritely, sensitive and quirky are good words to describe me. I'm also a proud member of the Eco Etsy, Trashion, Georgia, and Dog Mafia Street Teams.
Apart from creating things, what do you do?
The sweatshop is my current career. So apart from creating, I manage www.anniessweatshop.com and the business of running an online store; i.e. production, marketing, trend research, inventory, planning, etc.
I like traveling, running till it hurts, walking or riding my bike to get things done and bringing the pups along. I also enjoy organizing shindigs and old fashioned hoe-downs. I'm a neat freak, so too much of my time is spent cleaning. Oh, how that southern red clay can stain!
What first made you want to become an artist?
I finally accepted my destiny as an artist after years of denial. I tried a lot of alternatives. I researched mortuary science, interned in the ER, perused a degree in Physics, switched to English and then finally New Media. During undergrad I worked in a movie theater, reviewed resumes, and eventually climbed the corporate ladder to the esteemed level of administrative assistant. I received an MFA from University of Buffalo studying the intersections of new media, activism and environmentalism through community art projects.
Please describe your creative process (how, when, materials, etc).
My ideas come from everyday objects that beg to be tweaked and tinkered with. Improving end products turns me on. At the toy company, I became acutely aware of product design and strove to improve the "junk"....oh I mean products that are currently out there. I fill a need in my personal life through DIY measures and improve upon what the market currently provides. That means using sustainable materials whenever possible, offering grassroots recycling of collars and leashes, or using recycled fibers in modular pet beds. I've got my hate on for disposable technologies masked as convenience. I want to make it all last just a little longer!
My favorite materials are re-used or recycled. I love combing through thrift stores for sources of fabric. For example, I'll take a discarded, retro pillowcase, and transform it into a hum-dinger dog collar, leash or harness.
What handmade possession do you most cherish?
I have two. The comic book my husband made me for our 1st year anniversary. Paper is the recommended gift, so he created a year in review. The second, is the wooden wiener dog thread holder my brother made.
Name your top five books, movies, songs/musical groups, and web sites (besides Etsy).
Books: How to Speak Dog, Stanley Coren, The Tao of Pooh, Benjamin Hoff, Silent Spring, Rachel Carson, and anything by Dave Barry and David Sedaris.
Movies: Tideland, The Life Aquatic, Superbad, Juno, and Into the Wild.
Music: Beck, Belle and Sebastian, Broken Social Scene, The White Stripes and Flight of the Conchords.
Websites: flickr, wikipedia, craigslist, ebay and dogster
What advice would you give to artists who are new to Etsy?
Try to make at least one person smile every day :) Be kind to your customers, colleagues, competitors and most of all yourself. Take risks, for example, appropriating the term “sweatshop” is a controversial move that has resulted in a lot of attention. 99% of people get it and won't forget it. Use only the best pictures of your work, they're your virtual sales pitch. Join a street team and become part of the community.
What are your favorite features on Etsy? What new features would you like to see?
My favorite feature is the the Street Teams. I'm always amazed at how these virtual communities support, collaborate, and promote each others work. It's a powerful networking tool. I'd love to post video on etsy. Then I could post a live web cam of the sweatshop!
How do you promote your work?
I promote on etsy through the collaborative efforts of the street teams and frequently posting items. I do a lot of link sharing and keyword editing with my website to keep my ranking up in Google searches. I'm so proud that the sweatshop has been tops when “eco pet collar” is googled for the past year now. I've also done wholesaling, drop shipping, consignments and charitable donations. Content submissions to print magazines and blogs are good too.
In ten years I'd like to be...
In ten years or tomorrow for that matter, I'd like to be in Antwerp, Belgium, sipping on a DeKoninck with my husband and a six pack of wiener dogs in tow. We'd be brainstorming new adventures, ideas and looking forward to what lies ahead
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