Interview with Princess Lasertron

Meg, aka Princess Lasertron, is fabulously talented. She is a wizard at all sorts of sewing magic, especially in the embroidered felt and vintage button department. Meg's blog is one of my favorites; it's full of creative fun and style - with plenty of photos of both! Please welcome her to the Daily Etsian!

1. Describe yourself in three words. Why?
I would say that I'm flexible, rational, and hardworking. I'm also creative and unpredictible and funny but those first three adjectives represent me best. I'm flexible because I'm open to change and able to adapt easily to unforeseen circumstances, and I'm also able to work using a lot of logic, without letting emotion cloud my business decisions.

2. What/Who originally inspired you to make embroidered felt bouquets?
About five years ago I was creating and selling felt brooches and hairpieces, and out of nowhere I visualized the flowers arranged as a bouquet for one of my customers. I engineered a way to stem the flowers I was creating, and the design absolutely took off. Now the custom bouquets make up most of my business.

3. What scares you to pieces?
On a personal level, the thought of becoming a parent is most scary to me. My husband and I are thinking about starting a family but there are so many questions running through my mind--what about my old life? Will I be able to work as hard as I do now for my small business? Will I remain as active in the creative entrepreneurship community? My life has always been on my terms, so what will adding a little person do to affect those plans?


4. What are some of your goals for the future?
I would love to write a book about approaching wedding planning as party planning. I’m working on a line of dresses for 2010. I'm looking for a retail storefront in my city. And I’d love to do a tour around the world teaching classes.

5. Of all the things you've ever created, what do you think of as your crowning achievement?
I'm most proud of how far I have taken my business as a one-woman show. I moved up at a steady pace over five years, and I'm finding that with hard work I have reached all of my initial goals and found a lot of national exposure for my brand.

6. What advice would you give to other artisans?
You can't be too prepared to start your business--and the key word is BUSINESS. People who work in creative fields--whether they are visual artists, musicians, program developers, writers, etc.--can quickly forget the bottom line. Although they get to make a living out of following their passions, something many people would envy, they won't be chasing their dreams for long if they don't focus on making a profit. If you don't know enough about owning a business when you first start out, you are likely to lose a lot of money learning things the hard way. My best advice is to connect with another small business owner or creative entrepreneur, buy them some lunch and pick their brains! Ask them what they wish they had known before they embarked on their creative career path, what hard-won lessons they have learned, and what resources they can share with you.