19 Jan NAPCP Product Feature: Hoot Design!
NAPCP would like to share Hoot Design Co. and creator Kristen Brown’s story in this week’s Product Feature! Kristen operates Hoot Design Co. out of the heart of the Midwest – Columbia, Missouri.
Following years of doodling caricatures of her classmates throughout elementary school, Kristen decided to try and make a career out of her quirky creativity by becoming an art director. After working for a class-act agency in Chicago, she started her own little outfit called Hoot. Why Hoot? Because the word makes her giggle.
Hoot really started to flap its wings with the “Simply Yours Custom Hoot Print,” which quickly became the company’s signature print. This one-of-a-kind design was born when Kristen’s sister-in-law had her son Jacob, the first baby in the family. Kristen wanted to create something totally unique for the special little guy, something that would represent all the people in his family who would be welcoming him with open hearts.
Before she knew it, other people were asking if she could make THEM a print too… which got her thinking, “By golly, I might just be able to sell these things!” And thus, the Hoot Print was here to stay. Each one is crafted completely by hand (with the help of a computer, of course) and contains illustrations unique to the print. They are digitally printed on fine paper and signed by Kristen herself.
A Little More about Kristen and Hoot…
How did you come up with the idea? What was your inspiration behind it?
The idea of the Simply Yours Custom Prints came to me when the first baby in our family was born. I really wanted to create something totally unique for him and have always loved alphabet prints. I thought a custom alphabet would be a great way to make him something one-of-a-kind but by using something totally classic. I also wanted the design to be parent and baby friendly. I love baby items that I would put up anywhere in my house, or clothing I would like to wear myself. I’m not a fan of kids’ stuff that screams CHILD.
How do you make it all work? Tell us about how you maintain balance between your family, building your business, and time for yourself.
This has been harder than I thought it would be. I think you idealize what it will be like to “be your own boss,” and one thing you never think about is the fact that you never leave work behind. I am always concerned about what the next week looks like or the next show. You definitely can’t call in sick or go on vacation without worrying about your voice-mails or inbox.
What I try and do is enjoy the times when I’m not as busy and leave early, or meet a friend for coffee in the middle of the day. When you allow yourself to do those things, you can appreciate your freedom much more…so I try and lay off the guilt trips for myself 🙂
What additional products do you sell or are you hoping to sell in the future?
Additional products sold on the site include a wide variety of stationary and custom prints. This will be a very exciting year for Hoot Design Co. as I have a baby due July 22nd. I hope to broaden our line to include more prints and wall art for children as we explore decorating a nursery for the first time. We will continue to focus on hip, custom artwork for children and adults alike.
What are your goals and aspirations for Hoot? Where do you see yourself and Hoot in 3-5 years?
Honestly, I just really want to keep Hoot going. I would love to keep it open and functioning as my full time job. I would like to keep marketing the custom prints, because I enjoy doing those so much, and maybe branch out into more nursery design as well.
In 3-5 years, I hope I am a happy, functioning, business owner who has an even better balance of work, family and life.
To learn more about Hoot please visit the site here, or their Facebook page here!
Hoot Design Co. is kindly offering a pretty awesome giveaway to accompany this post. You could be the lucky winner of one of these gorgeous handmade, 18″x 24″ Simply Baby Prints!
Want a chance to win a Hoot Simply Baby Print? Here’s how!
Rules:
(1) Must “Like” BOTH Hoot Design Co.’s and NAPCP’s Facebook page
(2) Write something nice on Hoot Design’s Facebook wall on behalf of NAPCP
(3) Post a comment on the NAPCP Facebook page to let us know that you’ve completed all of these steps!
Deadline: Thursday, January 20th at 11:59 pm es
UPDATE:
We would like to give a big thanks to Hoot Design Co. for an amazing feature and giveaway! The winner of the Hoot Design Co. giveaway is… Nicole Brooks Chryst! Congratulations Nicole! Thank you to everyone who participated 🙂
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