Meet Tatenda | Creative & Crochet Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tatenda and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tatenda, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I’ve always loved cute things ever since I was a child. I remember always being excited when my friends would come back from China or Japan with adorable erasers and stationery that they had gotten on their travels. I often times would ask to have one piece of paper or a sticker just so that I could have some part of the cuteness myself. When I got to middle school, a friend of mine at the time introduced me to bullet journaling and I got really invested in it. I started learning how to make pretty spreads for every month and would decorate it by hand. I even had an instagram account for all my pretty notes and journal spreads that I would regularly post on. I noticed that some people would use stickers to decorate their journals and that’s when I had the idea to start my own business. I’d always been into entrepreneurship, having started many mini businesses as a child, but this time I wanted to start an actual business. Since I loved cute artwork, I decided to base my brand around making cute stickers for people to use in their journals. I asked for an iPad for my Christmas/Birthday gift and started to illustrate, then my mother bought me a Cricut machine to use for cutting out my stickers. I still use both of those items to this day and have yet to upgrade them because they still work. That idea to open a sticker shop is what led me to where my business is now that has expanded beyond stickers into other products.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Whether crochet or stickers, my art has a specific level of cuteness that I aspire to express through it. I rarely will deviate away from that central idea of cuteness. If I have an idea for something or make an item that doesn’t fit the theme I usually will not advertise it as part of my business. One of my favorite statements to hear at a market is “your items are so cute!” because it means that the overall vibe of the items coincide with each other to create an atmosphere that brings joy. I’ve always been a big Sanrio and San-X fan, so anyone who loves their artwork is the type of person who I hope connects with my work. There’s something about having something that is simple yet cute that reminds you to remember the joy of little things in life. I would say that that’s what drives me as an artist is creating art that brings me joy which I can then share with others.

I also believe it is our role as humans to steward the earth well. I make pretty much all of the items in my store myself aside from blanks, and even with those I try to choose ones that have as little impact on the planet as possible. I want people to value the items they get from my shop so that they do not contribute to waste that pollutes other places around the world. So I spend a lot of time thinking about the longevity of a design, the quality of the product and how I can ensure that my items stand the test of time.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
One of my favorite areas in the city would have to be the Atlanta Botanical Garden. My family has a membership there so I often will go and look at all the different foliage. There’s so many kinds of plants along with amazing art displays that showcase the beauty of God’s creation! The I’d take them along the Beltline to places like Ponce City Market and Krog Street which are filled with so much liveliness and fun things to do!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My mom has done a lot to support my entrepreneurial ventures throughout my life and continues to do so to this day. She invested in the machinery that I use to make my sticker designs and heat-press items, and has served as a great source of encouragement. She also often gives suggestions that make great product ideas that I normally would not think of.

I also want to thank Ms. Erica Bracey at LAUNCHGSU and the other student entrepreneurs in the program who have offered support, encouragement and advice for my business. Without their encouragement I would not have taken the steps to grow my business as much as it has in the past year.

Website: https://www.qutiepiedesigns.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/qutiepiedesigns/

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Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@QutiePieDesigns