Name
Karl Addison
Location
Seattle, Washington
Business Name
Partybots
Describe what you sell.
I sell dorky drawings that are hand printing using sustainable methods on to eco-friendly and 100% Organic apparel
What is your real life like?
My "real" life does not really exist. I pretty much live in my fantasy art world. I draw everyday, print as much as I can, and take great pride at growing my beard out. I spend the vast majority of my day working on art projects like wheat pasting, giclee prints, and doodles. Since I left my corporate job this has become my life - and I love every moment of it.
What is your process?
The majority of my work I do traditional screen printing. However, I do not use the traditional methods of printing due to their natural hazardous ways.
I'm very keen on the soy bean solvents that I use, water based platen glues and so forth.
Business Goals and Vision...
I have many goals, but my main goal is to make my art as accessible to as many people as possible. Rather that is done on printed apparel, in the streets, or on gallery walls. I plan on living in both Seattle and New York one day - and beyond that I hope to live in Tokyo or Paris. Have not figured out which one I like better. I just hope my artwork keeps growing as I do.
How do you market your business?
I market my business everywhere I can. I do a lot of guerrilla marketing, and projects like that. I currently have 43 stores within the US carrying my shirts, 2 stores internationally, and a ton of online stores. I get a great amount of exposure from all of those. In addition to that, there are a lot of amazing folks who write about my artwork and product. That helps more then anything I could ever pay for.
Do you subscribe to any business related blogs, zines or magazines?
I don't really subscribe to anything other then google alerts. Those keep me in the "know" when it comes to the industry that I'm in, plus anything that comes out on the web about me personally. It is pretty amazing to keep up-to-date.
What inspires you?
Honestly, almost everything inspires me. My friends are an endless source of inspiration. I get many ideas from the things they do and say.
Traveling helps a lot. I'm generally in a different city at least once a month. When I'm out of town I spend my free time seeking out various street art, galleries and art museums. Plus just being in different environments and cultures helps with inspirations. I also pull a lot of ideas from when I was a kid and growing up. Ideas like my "intestants" drawing came from having ant farms. You could clump all of this in to being observant of my surroundings and taking mental notes of all of it.
What are two of your favorite things about your shop?
Two favorite things... The feel of organic and eco-friendly apparel is pretty amazing. So soft and comfy. The second is being able to offer as many drawings as I do. Variety rules.
Am a fan of these places...
Etsy in general
Flickr.com
youtube.com
adultswim.com
wikipedia.com
Find seller at...
www.partybots.org
www.partybots.etsy.com
www.flickr.com/photos/partybots/sets
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