Ross Moody was on campus the other day. He is an inventive guy. He does small-run limited edition cards and posters, and what we call printed ephemera. He told me his series of Valentine’s Day cards were a big hit. I asked him about his studio and why it is called 55 Hi’s.
“Well,… I thought it was catchy and when I was first starting out. I thought it would be a cool idea to do print runs of 55. Then once they sold out they would be gone forever. After doing a few runs and selling out of the items though, I learned that putting that much time and effort into only 55 copies of something was a waste of effort. So I still do runs of 55 sometimes for large prints, but I do mostly runs of over 100 now.”
What’s your studio like?
“I am screenprinting in my living room at the moment and using my shower as a washout booth. It’s a little tedious (especially in the winter) because I don’t have access to a hose but I manage. The biggest issue lately is finding enough space for the prints to dry. I usually completely line the floor of my apartment and trap myself in a corner.”
Do you recommend artists use Etsy.com, or build their own site?
I recommend for anyone trying to sell their artwork to use every avenue available. There are a growing number of online shopping cart options you can use now. BigCartel.com, Etsy, WordPress. Around 30% of the things I sell are through my Etsy page and the best part is that I never link to it. Etsy is its own little world where people search for things to buy. It’s actually kind of incredible. Like a constant craft show.
What’s your biggest hit?
My biggest seller without a doubt so far is the “I Want To Do You” Card. Which in reality, is a huge pain in the ass because every card takes me about 20 minutes to completely assemble. It’s so bittersweet when I get orders for that card because I hand die-cut and glue those cards together and it’s so tedious. It’s like laundry. Nobody wants to do laundry.
What’s next?
I have a few things ready to be released that I’m extremely excited about. One in particular is a daily notebook called “The Less is More To-Do List”. The concept is that people create these To-Do lists in an effort to get things done, but end up just feeling overwhelmed by all the items that get added throughout the day. So the “Less is More To-Do List” is a notebook that allots a small area (about the size of a post-it note) so that the user has to prioritize that days To-Do list into an attainable set of goals. I’m excited to see how it will be received.
Ross also has a day job. He’s one of about half-dozen creative 2010 grads working in design shops in Connecticut. I forgot to ask him about that. This guy always had a great attitude in class and it is fun to see what he comes up with in his spare time.
Blog note: I am in the beautiful city of Oaxaca, Mexico this week. Meeting with my friends of the ASARO collective. Will post about their activities soon. Internet is spotty in Oaxaca, so comments might have to wait for approval until I return. KMc
Illustration Concentration 