Today, we are chatting with Susan, from Whimsy Daisy Designs, about what inspires her to create and the challenges and rewards of being a Maker...
BCMC - What Inspired you to start your own business and why did you choose home décor?
Susan - Growing up, I had always been involved in the arts. I was a band geek and played the clarinet, sang in the choir and was always involved with the arts on some level. I love being creative and so most of my hobbies stemmed from this passion. I had dabbled in sewing over the years and really got into it when we moved into our house here in Squamish and I had a clean slate and space to make my own. An unexpected “inspiration” was the new dog, Daisy we adopted when we moved. She came with a note from her foster home saying she liked to eat blankets and anything fabric! And she sure did. I then had to up my sewing game and invested a lot of time learning as much as I could and it was so easy to fall in love with this craft as well as all of the endless and gorgeous fabric choices that came along with it!, As a side note, my business name honours the memory of my late dog Daisy who inspired me in the first place!
I had been a stay-at-home mom since 2011 to my twin boys. And in 2017 finally took the plunge to start my own business. Friends and family had always encouraged me and I really had the desire to start my own business. I felt a home décor based business was just a natural progression of my passion and I jumped right in. I could still be there for my kids and have a flexible schedule which my family really needed. It was also a great way to use the knowledge, skills and abilities that I had as well as tap into the skills I had gained in my former career. Planning and organization are huge when it comes to running your own business and I am so happy that I have those in my tool kit.
BCMC - What is your favourite thing about your craft?
Susan - I love ordering fabric! It can take days to narrow down my selection because the choices of colours, patterns and textures are endless! I have ideas in mind when I do my ordering and searching for just the right fabric for my products can be a bit of a hunt, which I enjoy. I do look forward to all of the steps involved in the process of creating a product. From searching for fabrics, to the washing of the material, to the ironing and to the cutting and to the sewing. I prefer to be methodical and break up the steps over a few days, so I am almost creating an assembly line. Sewing is very relaxing to me as is the ironing. It is very satisfying to be involved so hands on in the process of the creation of a product. It is very satisfying seeing the end result. Even if I am making a large quantity of a product, I pour my love and passion in to each piece, ensuring that each one is perfectly crafted.
BCMC - What has been your biggest challenge?
Susan - This is a great question! Owning a business is a challenge in and of itself. Some days there are struggles with ordering supplies, or my equipment malfunctions or I am struggling with what to post on social media. Overall though, my biggest challenge has been believing in myself and facing my fears. It has been a process over the past few years, but I feel like I am finally in a place where I am confident in my abilities and that the biggest cure to my fears is to just do it. We all tend to get caught up in our thoughts and stuck in our ways and I find that positive self talk and finding what motivates you is the way to push past our self limiting beliefs.
BCMC - What has been your biggest reward?
Susan - Sometimes we get so caught up in the day to day operations that we forget to take a step back and see what we are capable of and acknowledge what we have accomplished. There have been so many rewards along the way and more to come each day. But the number one rewards for me are the connections that I have made with my customers and fellow makers. I have had feedback from customers who have told me that what I had made for them has brought them so much joy and one customer told me that she could just tell that I pour my heart and passion in to my creations and that she was drawn to my products for that very reason. To hear those words, gives me a great sense of pride and confirmation that I am exactly where I am meant to be. And it gives me the push to keep going and reaching my goals.
Quick Fire:
Weather – hot or cold HOT!
Productivity- morning or night MORNING! Like before the birds are even up!
Vocal Skills- sing out loud or save it for the shower Always sing out loud…everywhere!
Vacation- roughing it or pampered/lux I’m happy at the Hyatt!…as long as my feet hit the carpet in the morning and not dirt, I’m happy
While at work – silence or music Music….see above…I will always be singing!
