Manufacturing your own Products with Rebecca woolbright
ARTIST SPOTLIGHT
I chatted with my friend Rebecca Woolbright about her creative journey, her Manufacture: Awesome mentoring group & much more.
Let me introduce...
Rebecca Woolbright
Rebecca Woolbright is a licensed surface pattern designer and artist for the brand Rebecca Jane Woolbright.
She prides herself on creating colourful products that bring joy to day-to-day living. She is also an educator that values sharing over competition and loves breaking through the fear of manufacturing overseas with other creatives.
She is inspired by travel, nature and the endless curiosity of her two children. She lives in the magical Columbia River Gorge where the river is always calling her to come and paddle!
Tell us a little bit about your design journey?
My design journey started about 6 years ago. I had taken all of Bonnie Christine's classes on CreativeLive and was really diving into learning Adobe Illustrator.
My husband and I went on honeymoon to Japan and I just fell in love with Japanese culture and their attention to detail. When I walked into a stationery store that was three floors of nothing but paper and pens and cards, I knew something shifted. After returning home, I decided to apply what I had learned from Bonnie and make a simple repeat pattern on washi tape. (Washi tape is a removable tape that is similar to masking tape.)
At the time, I was a co-owner of a beach rental shop on Maui, and I thought I could try and sell my products to the tourists that visited year round and also wholesale my tape to stationery stores. Guess what? It worked! I now wholesale over 55 washi tape designs and other stationery items to stores around the country.
What are you most proud of from your creative journey so far?
I am most proud of watching people that I know succeed. I have had the opportunity to help artists grow their businesses through manufacturing washi tape and tea towels for the past few years and it is so rewarding to know that information that I have learned and shared has grown other artist's businesses.
I love the idea of sharing knowledge and lifting each other up. When we do that, we all succeed.
Tell us about why you decided to start your 'Manufacture Awesome' Focus Group Mentoring?
I decided to start ‘Manufacture: Awesome’ because I wanted to create a small group experience that taught people how I manufacture products overseas and have them walk away with tangible, sellable products to sell directly to customers or wholesale to retailers. I wanted to give people the chance to learn how to communicate with factories, apply the knowledge together, and feel confident doing it. Most of all, I wanted to keep it human. I wanted to get to know the people I was guiding and what they wanted to do with the products and help them decide the best way forward while also sharing my own experiences.
I am very goal driven, so I wanted to set a goal as a small group and make it happen! It has been incredible to watch this happen and see the transformations in confidence levels and excitement for their businesses.
Why do you love Manufacturing your own products with your designs on them?
I love manufacturing my own products with my own designs because I get to be in control from start to finish. I can decide the colours, the scale and the product my artwork ends up on. It is limitless!
What is the biggest mistake you think people make when starting out manufacturing their own products?
I think one of the biggest mistakes people make when starting to manufacture overseas is ordering too large of a quantity of product without having an established customer base.
Do you have any advice for other creatives struggling with getting started in Surface Pattern Design with getting noticed for their first collaboration?
Oh gosh, when you are starting out, it is so hard. Ha ha, I still feel like I am starting out. I think there is so much value in showing up. Keep showing up. The only way to get those early collaborations is by putting your work out there. It does get better, but it still takes so much work. Define your success. If you do that early on, you won't be chasing the success path of someone else because you will know what you want. Hold that close. If I feel comparison sneaking in, I get off social and revisit my definition.
There are so many ways to be successful as an artist. Know your own definition of success and show up for it, it will come.
What has been the best thing that has come out of your ‘Manufacture Awesome” Groups?
Manufacture: Awesome has been SO rewarding. I am overwhelmed with everyone's willingness to share. It makes my heart burst. As our businesses grow, it feels like most people start to hold their cards closer and closer and it just takes so much energy. So, I decided to flip that whole idea over and see what would happen if I told people everything I knew. Watching that be reciprocated has been so unexpected and gratifying.
What would be your top tip[s] for focusing on a big business goal and achieving it?
If you want to achieve a big business goal you need to break it down. Make a map. Figure out all the steps to get there and start chipping away at them one at a time. All those chips add up. You will get there. AND don't look around. Shiny objects are EVERYWHERE.
How do you gather inspiration for new work & patterns?
I gather inspiration everyday. I am obsessed with colors. I love finding interesting colors together in nature. I go on walks. I read children's books- there are always so many fun colors and textures there. I listen to my kids while they play and how they verbalize things. I get on the water, I love watching the movement of plants in the water or how water moves around rocks. I just love seeing how nature works with itself.
How do you like to create your designs - do you have a favourite design tool like Illustrator or Procreate?
I learned how to create in Illustrator, but Procreate has changed everything in my design life, and the iPad too. Being able to draw in the slivers of time while my kids crawl all over me has been a game changer! I now create almost all my patterns in procreate and have been working on streamlining my workflow all year. This process is always a work in progress, but I am getting close! My biggest breakthrough has been that there are 1000 ways to do one thing, there isn't one "right" way.
3 things you wish you did earlier in your art business:
- create a regular art practice and stick with it. This would have allowed my style to solidify and I would have figured out the right products to create earlier.
- create an inventory system for my patterns, give it an SKU, and log that in something like Airtable so I would be able to see all my work, organized in one place.
- lean into the art community. In the beginning, I had a little baby and I just didn't have time. Now, some of my favourite humans are the ones I have never met. I have daily conversations with some. There is a special place for creatives in my heart. We just get each other and I'm so glad I leaned in.
What are you working on next?
I am ready to launch my holiday line on the 19th of October. This is always the best part of the year for the product side of my business. I love gifting and bundling and wrapping, it's all so festive and bright!
I am also getting together new materials for the next round of Manufacture: Awesome, which will launch next January.
I have a few big licensing projects in the works that I am really itching to share, stay tuned! I am always looking for new businesses to work with. Licensing has been such an exciting way to see my art grow and gain more confidence. I would love to work with party supply companies or more home good brands.
Last words of advice
I grew this business as a mom. I was pregnant when my first three washi tape designs were delivered. I was reaching out to stores during nap times. I want to say that this business has grown with me and my kids. I now have two children. If you can relate to this, give yourself patience. Needs ebb and flow; remember to make time for yourself and magic will happen.
LEARN MORE ABOUT REBECCA’s ‘manufacture Awesome’ groups & join her wait list
Rebecca also has a FREE PDF with the Top 5 Questions You Need to Ask Overseas Manufacturers to Eliminate mistakes! Click the LINK below to get your copy.
click the button below to check REBECCA OUT ON Instagram
I hope you enjoyed this lovely interview with Rebecca Woolbright & it helps you in some way on your creative journey.
