This post is part of our Artisan Profiles series, promoting authentic artisans and their products. Artisans: get your store featured by joining our free Buy Handmade campaign. Read the others here.
We feature Erica (she/her), a woman artisan in Florida who loves to share Swedish language and culture through her beautifully designed, instantly downloadable, printable party goods. Welcome to Artisans Cooperative, Giddy Hedgehog Graphic Design!
Q: What’s the name of your business, if you use one? Why did you choose it? – What do you create/sell?
Giddy Hedgehog Graphic Design. When I was little, I told my parents I wanted to be a porcupine when I grew up, so I debated between the names “The Peppy Porcupine” and “The Giddy Hedgehog”. I picked the latter because the hedgehog drawing looked cuter as a logo. When I first wanted to open a creative shop online, I wasn’t sure what I should focus on – knitted items, simple jewelry, hand-sewn projects, clay figurines, paper crafts, or digital graphics. I thought I should use a cute and vague name that could work for anything, so I started out as The Giddy Hedgehog. It seemed that what resonated best with customers was the graphics (printable banners, party favor tags, invites, coloring pages, and custom graphics), so I recently added “graphic design” to the company name to make it more specific to my current offerings.
Q: Do you currently have a shop or website up and running? Where can we find you?
Yes, I have an artisans cooperative shop, an etsy shop and a website (www.giddyhedgehog.com). You can also find me on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Pinterest as @giddyhedgehog.
![Picture of a hand holding a printed downloadable graphic design Swedish language flashcards to learn Swedish numbers. The words say 'Trace it!' [Tvoh]](https://blog.artisans.coop/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/2Flash-Cards_lexie-janney-q_xMu61sntM-unsplash-01-Erica-Englund-1024x768.jpg)
Q: How long have you been creating? What made you want to start your business/start selling your art?
I have always loved to do arts and crafts. I grew up in Sweden, where I was privileged to have textile crafts and wood shop as a subject in elementary school. Boys and girls alike were taught how to knit, crochet, embroider, sew (by hand and with a machine), and weave. I took some graphics classes at the college level, and eventually got a job doing corporate graphic design. When my daughter was born, I stayed home with her for a year and started my etsy shop. While she slept, I made crafts and did graphic design to fill the time and make some extra money.
Q: What does your creative process look like?
A lot of my printable instant downloads are party supplies. Many of them started as a custom request, for example a sprinkle-themed baby shower. I make the graphic in Adobe Illustrator, then add it to invites, banners, and party favor labels. A lot of the ideas I get around my kids’ birthdays. They let me know what theme they’re interested and sometimes I even collaborate with them! My daughter is interested in learning Swedish, so I have been working on coloring pages that have Swedish words to trace, plus their English meanings. We’ve made short sped-up videos of her coloring the pages to post online. I also have taken a picture of her coloring a blank page, which I then use to Photoshop all my new coloring page designs into.
Q: What part of creation do you enjoy the most? (The process, seeing the finished product, seeing people’s reactions to receiving the art/product, etc.)
I think churning out graphics is what I do best, and I feel a sense of accomplishment as I see my Artisans Cooperative shop grow to around 50 items. I like when I create a new design and I place it in a mockup, I can see what it might look like once it’s printed. Of course I love seeing positive reviews from customers that purchase my graphics. I get so flattered!
Q: What is your Number One piece of advice for fellow artisans (biggest lesson learned)?
Find your niche, don’t try to do what everyone else is doing. Keep learning!
Q: What is your biggest inspiration?
My children.
Q: Is there a specific niche or target audience you are trying to reach with your art?
Anybody looking to throw a themed party (birthday, baby shower etc.) and adults trying to teach children about the Swedish culture and language.
Q: What do you hope to gain from joining the Artisans Co-op?
I have found a nice, lively bunch of fellow artisans on the discord server. It’s fun to follow the threads and participate in challenges to help grow my business.
Shop instant downloadable printables by Giddy Hedgehog on the Artisans Cooperative marketplace: Giddy Hedgehog Graphic Design >>>
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