The Printed Peanut Live on Instagram

On the 29th of April 2021 The Printed Peanut (Louise Lockhart) had an Instagram live with Inkygoodness talking about their career and business.

• Journey - studied illustration at GSA, found that there are no set jobs for illustrators for when you finish, lived in Vancouver Canada for a year worked at a stationary store. Pre Instagram realised that they could apply their work to products so set up screen print at home. Had no insight to the business side, was in the deep end starting out, decided to sell traditional party games with a twist while living abroad. Wanted to do it full time, first year was difficult, started creating packaging for soap for a friend. Had to show she could do the work to get the work, even with no experience just set up projects for yourself. Came up with the Printed Peanut which led to work, has created a brand for herself, appears as a team but really it is just one person behind the name.
• Pivotal Moments - was really tough at the start, did everything they could to get money, stayed at home with parents to not have to pay too much rent, went around shops with business cards. You have to promote yourself to get work, may feel awkward/unnatural but it is necessary. Small things can lead to bigger opportunities, can be a case of right place right time.
• Clients - 7 years on wants to do more personal work and slow down due to being a parent, like how art school was, when you leave you end up doing work for a purpose not for yourself. 2015 did book illustrations led to doing more books, a play tent for anthropology. Stick to your values/morals, keep to your style don’t follow trends, find something that is authentic to you, do what is a natural output to you, your style has more longevity than following the fashionable style at the time, use similar themes.​
• Work Week/Day - now 2 hours a day because of being a parent, have to work when they are asleep, no other time to do it, don’t want to be too successful keep the business small/manageable, just enough to work from home and take time off when they want. Outsources products now to save time, used to print them herself.
• Projects - timescale can be 3 months when was able to work full time now same sort of project could take a year, took 10 years to get to where there are with work/style, had luck getting projects. It is about being prepared/consistent to get work, don’t know what small thing will lead to another opportunity, used to say yes to everything, set projects for yourself.
• Online Brand - felt pressure of it, can be hard at start, need to get known a bit before work/income comes in, learnt about it on the way, has an accountant to help, talk to other illustrators/ people for advice, look at what other similar people are doing, took a long time to get where there are now, in a place where she knows what products/ materials/ methods work for her.
• Pandemic Effects - used to do workshops/ fairs, maybe do zoom online workshops now, might try selling prints in a gallery.