Spotlight: Nissa Clothing

Dale's story is one that I know so many of you reading this can relate to, which is why I was so excited to share it. She has always been artistically inclined. As a child, she loved to draw, paint and even designed outfits. She was always encouraged in her artistic pursuits, but only as a hobby, so never thought seriously about pursuing the creative life until later on.

For many years, Dale was stuck in unfulfilling jobs because she had always been told to be practical and that she would never be able to make a living in the arts. The turning point finally came when a soul sucking job from hell forced her to say ‘enough'! That’s when she got serious about finding a way to make a living doing her art full time and Nissa was born.

Read on to learn more about where she finds her inspiration, what her shop name means and what her favorite junk food is. You can also enter to win a beautiful shirt from her shop!

Where are you from originally and where do you currently call home?
I’m originally from Thunder Bay in northern Ontario, Canada, and I now live an hour north of Toronto in a converted cottage by a lake

How long have you been selling on Etsy?
I’ve been selling on Etsy since 2007

Do you sell on Etsy full time or do you have a day job?
I have been on Etsy full time for the past 2 years, no more day jobs I hope!

What, if any, formal training have you had in the arts?
I haven’t had any real formal training in the arts, (other than some courses at a local art gallery as a kid) but I have taken courses in Photoshop, Illustrator and Web Design.

How did you come up with your shop name?

I chose the name Nissa after doing a search on the Internet for unique names. I liked the fact that the name has a happy, positive meaning, it’s a Scandinavian word meaning friendly elf or fairy. The strong visuals conjured up by that image also helped me to create my logo; the winged ‘N’ was largely inspired by the fairy concept.

What inspires you?
I was lucky to grow up with summers on the lake which helped me to develop an appreciation for nature, and that’s why so many of my designs are inspired by nature. This summer, I’ve really been into the birds and the bees.

What do you like least about your craft?
Taking pictures of my creations! I love + appreciate photography done by others, the problem is, I suck at it. I hope that this will improve with time, I’m working on it…

Do you have any advice for other sellers or those thinking about pursuing their craft?
Don’t give up! Be persistent + believe in yourself + your work! It can be tough and it may be slow for awhile, there are definitely challenges in getting your stuff out there, but I believe that it is absolutely worth it in order to pursue what you really love!

Five Etsy Shops you love
So hard to choose!

whitney smith pottery

SlipperySlopeBloomer

dearpony

Amelia Kay Photography

hunterandmoon

Where is the coolest place you have ever been?
Rome – so rich with history and great art and architecture, not to mention incredible food and wine - I’ll never forget it!

What is your favorite leisure time activity?
My favourite leisure activity is reading. Right now I am reading “Keeping the Bees” by Laurence Packer, a Canadian biology professor and conservationist, about why all bees, (not just honeybees) are essential to our food supply and the environment

Favorite junk food
Deep fried Mars bars, which originated in Scotland (where they deep fry everything, including pizza!). You can get them in Canada at an amazing restaurant in Montreal called Garde Manger.

If you could trade places with any other person for a week, with whom would it be?
Margherita Missoni, because she is supported by her incredible, tight knit family (no pun intended) and is surrounded by endless creativity and beauty.

Share some of your favorite music
Some of my favourite music right now includes Goldfrapp’s dreamy, ethereal ‘Headfirst’ and Loretta Lynn’s ‘Van Lear Rose’, her collaborative effort with Jack White, formerly of the White Stripes. I especially like their song “Portland, Oregon” - I drove my boyfriend crazy with that song!

What does the future hold for you and your shop?
I hope to increase awareness and sales for Nissa, and I’d like to include even more organics in my line. I’d also like to figure out a way to use my creativity to help others.

GIVEAWAY!

Dale is offering one lucky winner their choice of either her white honeybee tee, purple swallows tee or white goldfinch tee.

HERE'S HOW TO ENTER:
Please leave a comment on this post with your favorite piece from Nissa along with what other styles of shirts you'd like to see — V neck, scoop neck, sleeve length, colors, etc!

You may enter once per day and YOU MUST INCLUDE your first name -AND- etsy username or email address with every entry. (If you are worried about email spam, you can spell out the 'at' and 'dot' rather than using the standard email format.)

Receive additional entries (one each) if you:

Follow or subscribe to this blog, my Twitter or my Facebook

(You DO NOT need to leave separate comments for additional entries, just list which apply)

You have until Monday, July 4 at 10 pm (est) to enter and I will announce the winner Tuesday, July 5. Thanks for visiting!