Continuing with yesterday's post about Finding your Niche, today, we'll take a look at a variety of artists and crafters who have found their niche and have gained success because of it.
Here are some examples of shop owners who found the "one thing" that really works for them and have stuck with it, carving out a more narrowed down, very specific niche:
Trixiedelicious: You see a pretty vintage plate with snarky text on it and you know it's a Trixie Delicious original. Combining her personal humor with her love of vintage
goodies, she re-invents old things as new by giving them a whopping
dose of her own unique personality. Every single thing in her shop is
one-of-a-kind, yet they all retain that signature "Trixie Delicious"
feel. She stays within the niche she's defined with every new design
she creates. When you come to her shop, you know what to expect.
Girl Savage: Feltidermy you say? You must be talking about Girl Savage. Not only is she the #1 result when you google search the term,
"feltidermy", she may have gone so far as to coin the phrase herself!
(Good niche making move, Girl Savage!) She creates felted animals with
a signature style and look that you recognize instantly. Even when she
introduces new animals or tries out a new technique, everything looks
like a Girl Savage piece. She's stayed true to herself, her own
inspirations and her own ideas, and she's sold nearly 250 little felted
animals because of it (just on etsy alone!)
Rachel Austin: Rachel has been extremely successful selling her signature artwork. Not only was she able to quit her day job recently, her hubby quit his too to help her out, and now sales of her artwork are what support their growing family! Rachel's map paintings
are instantly recognizable, there's no mistaking when you see one. By
narrowing down her artistic skills and inspiration to a certain
aesthetic that fit her best, she has become well known and sold
thousands of pieces! No matter what new techniques she tries and new
series she creates, by staying true to herself and respecting her own
integrity as an artist, her work will always be recognizable as her own.
Perhaps the niche you find can be translated into a variety of different works, though. In yesterday's first point, "explore your own talents and find what suits you best", there is still room for a wealth of variety to keep things creatively fresh for you.
You may need to narrow down what your best skill is in terms of sewing, paper crafting, photography, screen-printing or whatever combination of those that you come up with...but once you find that special talent, the one that you feel most expressive in, you can still spread that niche out to a variety of mediums, if appropriate.
Say, you love to embroider and you create lovely embroidered flowers by hand. That's a niche that would easily overlap into different fields of expression, and that's a good thing! You could embroider flowers on clothing, scarves, pillows, etc and each item would still feel like a signature piece that only you could create. Each item would feel like you. That's what you want, that's where your niche begins to be defined.
Here's a few examples of artists and crafters who take their niche into different areas, yet still retain a signature style that has made them successful:
Maki Squarepatch: You'll find clothing, bags, accessories,
softies and more at Maki Squarepatch, yet they've still carved a strong
niche for themselves. Their collection is colorful, kitschy, fun and
young. Everything is handmade by them and utilizes their fierce sewing
skills (that alone is narrowing down, in a way!) It's all made from
recycled fabric scraps, which is not only good for the earth, but gives
their work a certain stylistic aesthetic that can be easily defined as
"Maki Squarepatch." From scarves to pencil bags to pillows, their
scrap fabric, recycled style carries through, making their niche accessible
in a variety of mediums.
Krista Raak: Krista is a great example of how to combine a
variety of talents into one signature style, even over a broad base of
offerings. She makes jewelry, handbags and accessories that all use
her sewing, embroidery and beading skills, and they all invariably have
a "Krista Raak" feel. There is no mistaking one of her brooches or
beautiful clutches- all one-of-a-kind with a supremely feminine,
romantic and Bohemian feel, she's got her niche sealed! 
Fringe: Fringe shows tons of variety using just one
medium: knitting. Creator Dennice has a unique point of view that is
evident in everything she touches- it's girly, fashionable, chic and
very original. She's a knitter extraordinaire who makes scarves,
shrugs, wraps...none of which are inherently original creations- it's
her unique take on each piece that gives them that signature "Fringe"
feel. With bows, flowers and actual fringe, unique shapes and colors,
and interesting new designs that pop up every time I look, Fringe has a
defined niche within the prevalent knitting world, and has over 500
sales to show for it!
Whether your niche is very narrowly defined, or able to spread out into a more broad base, remember the key is still simply to listen to and trust your own, unique point of view.
Don't create based on trends, what you "think" will sell or what you've seen others do before. Keep your integrity and personality in everything you make, and you'll easily create a "look", "style" or niche that customers will come to rely upon you for.
You have the ability to make something that no one else has made before. Do it!
These designers are just a small sampling of ones who have found their niche. If you need more inspiration, take a peek over at the main Modish blog! Everyone I've featured is there because they have a unique point of view that they express well in their art and their creations.
