Hi, my name is Maren aka. WeirdPeople. My journey on threadless started about a year ago and I’d love to share some advice and spread some motivation for new artists. So here are 5 pieces of advice.

1. The world is not waiting for you

I promise you, that this post will be motivating. Just bear with me on this 😊

When you are at the start of your journey to become an artist you tend to spend all your time you reserved for this on actually designing stuff and putting it online. If you look at this from a start up perspective, well this is how you kill your start up in the first year. But the solution is fairly simple. Spend a lot of time on researching the market to find your place.

The POD market is oversaturated and no matter if you are owning a POD company like threadless or putting designs on it, you need to be a tough nut to stay alive in this market.

The world is not waiting for you…because they don’t know, that you are existing. So let them know!

2. Hello world

Let people know that you are around. I’d loved to have heard some advice like „Go on facebook and combine that with instagram and you’ll be fine“. But unfortunately, the best strategy for someone else might not be the best strategy for you.

Every POD site has it’s focus, some focus on photographs, some are more urban. Do your research and find the place that fits for you.

Try different social media plattforms, post on blogs, join a community and see which one is working for you. Use google analytics to get some insights on how people find you. It’s not rocket science. Google has a pretty good help to get you started.

Trial and error may seem like an amateur approach to it, but also marketing experts do that, when they are approaching a market that is new to them. They just do that with confidence…and probably won’t tell you.

3. Stay fresh

I always start my day with a fresh green smoothie and go jogging for an hour…then I wake up and realize that it was just a dream, I went to bed far too late again. I drink my double espresso, take a shower and go to work.

When you have a day job and do your designs on the side it is vital to plan your day and not just the time you will spend working, but also your breaks. It’s easy to drain your battery, so make sure to take some breaks. Eat your vitamins and do a little exercise (at least every once in a while) this will recharge your battery.

4. Don’t look for inspiration, inspiration will find you

Inspiration is everywhere. My boyfrind is not just the love of my life but also my greates source of inspiration. Especially when it comes to puns.

Don’t walk around like a zombie with your smart phone. Leave it at home (or in your pocket, if your smartphone addiction is to high) and walk around with open eyes and ears.



There are a lot of weird people in this world who are not just inspired my brand name but also a lot of my designs.

5. Oh boy

Well, you might not have realized it yet, but you are the boss of your little start up now (don’t panic). You are now not just a designer, but also an accountant, the marketing dude, this annoying sales person and the cleaning lady. Go step by step and become an expert in it.

If you want to advance as an artist just reach out in the community or head over to google. There are tons of tutorials out there. You always wondered why everyone but you are so good at picking colors for their designs? Just consult adobe color wheel.

You will find yourself often at the point of giving up. Keep at it and give it some time.



6. Make your own rules

There is no master plan to get your designs out there. Just listen to yourself and find your way. You stated in your blog post that you give 5 pieces of advice but just felt like adding some more: Go for it!

7. Noob! Noob!

If you ever started to play an online multiplayer game while everyone else played that for years you will have a lot of people screaming noob! at you via the chat. That won’t happen on threadless but you may most certainly feel like one at the beginning. And that is ok! Everyone has to start somewhere. While you are standing there with your water pistol everyone else has advanced weapons or magic rings or a big team to support them.

Just level up by practicing, practicing and practicing and participating in the community. Be inspired and inspire people.

8. Stay true to yourself

When you look at all the designs on threadless you may feel a bit overwhelmed and overinspired. Leave your comfort zone and try some new stuff!

But a save bet where to start is where your heart is. I started drawing as a teenager and was absolutely into graffiti. I outgrew that a bit, but hand lettering in general is something I just feel comfortable with. You may think „A letter is a letter“ but you may be surprised how far you can bend it and how creative you can be with that.

9. Unicorns in candyland

I often hear something like „I only do art when I’m super happy“ or „I feel most inspired before noon“. This may be true for them and may be true for you…But it may also be not. Find your own pace. I love to start early but working at night has also some fine features. I love to do fun art but some of my stuff is also inspired by days when the whole world is just meh.

Participate and comment below what your one piece of advice would be.

Start your journey on threadless! And enjoy your ride.